Let's Escape (Part 1)

Chun's body plummeted through the endless abyss, the darkness swallowing her whole. She reached out, desperate to grab onto something—anything—but there was nothing but the void.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. The sensation of falling stretched endlessly, like she was trapped between moments, caught in a nightmare with no escape.

Then—

Light.

A faint glow shimmered in the distance below her, growing brighter by the second. It wasn't the golden warmth of the Lovers card, nor the eerie glow of the illusions she had faced before. It was something else. Something real.

And then—

She hit the ground.

The impact wasn't as violent as she expected. Instead of hard stone or endless void, she landed on something soft, like a thick layer of grass. The air smelled different too—less suffocating, less oppressive.

Chun groaned, pushing herself up. Her limbs ached, and her mind spun from the disorienting fall, but she was alive.

That was when she heard it.

A voice.

"Chun?"

Her breath caught in her throat.

That voice—

She turned sharply, her heart pounding.

There, standing a few feet away, was Zhang.

The real Zhang.

Not an illusion, not a distorted, cracked version.

It was him.

His expression was one of pure shock, his usually composed demeanor shattered by disbelief. His clothes were torn, his face smudged with dirt, but his eyes—those sharp, intelligent eyes—were filled with something she hadn't seen in so long.

Hope.

Chun felt something in her chest tighten. "Zhang…?" Her voice trembled, almost afraid to believe it.

He took a hesitant step forward. "Is it really you?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she ran to him, closing the distance in an instant.

Zhang barely had time to react before she crashed into him, wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she could.

"You're real," she whispered, her fingers gripping his torn clothes. "You're really here."

Zhang hesitated for only a moment before returning the embrace. His voice was quiet, but firm. "Yeah. I am."

For the first time since she had been thrown into this nightmare, Chun felt something solid—something real.

But their reunion didn't last long.

A sudden noise made them both snap their heads up.

The world around them was shifting again.

The soft grass beneath their feet rippled, distorting like liquid. The air became heavy with an unseen pressure.

Something was coming.

Something worse.

Chun took a deep breath, pulling away from Zhang, though she didn't let go of his arm. "We have to move."

Zhang nodded, his eyes scanning the shifting landscape. "Agreed. But first—" He turned to her fully, his grip tightening slightly. "What happened to you? Where are we?"

Chun exhaled, shaking her head. "I don't know. I don't even know how I got here."

Zhang frowned. "Then we need to find out—before it's too late."

A low, rumbling sound filled the air. The ground trembled beneath them.

Chun and Zhang exchanged one last glance before taking off into the unknown, running together into the depths of the ever-changing world.

As Chun and Zhang ran, the world around them kept shifting, like a half-formed dream trying to solidify. Trees melted into twisted structures, walls appeared and vanished, and the sky above flickered between endless black and a deep crimson hue.

Their footsteps pounded against the unstable ground, neither of them daring to slow down. The low rumble behind them had grown into a steady, unnatural thrum, like something vast and ancient stirring from its slumber.

Then, the whispers began.

Chun flinched as she heard them—hundreds of voices overlapping, some distant, some too close. They slithered through the air, some laughing, some crying, others speaking words she couldn't understand.

Zhang abruptly stopped, grabbing her wrist. "Wait."

Chun turned to him, breathing heavily. "What? We can't stop now."

"Listen." His voice was sharp, urgent. "The whispers… they're leading us."

Chun furrowed her brows, trying to focus past the overwhelming noise. Then she heard it—a single thread of sound among the chaos.

"…this way… this way…"

It wasn't mocking. It wasn't distorted. It was clear. Almost… familiar.

Zhang's eyes met hers. "We follow it."

Chun hesitated, every instinct screaming at her not to trust anything in this place. But Zhang was right—wandering aimlessly wasn't an option.

"Fine," she said. "But if this is a trap—"

"I know," Zhang replied grimly. "Stay close."

They moved carefully now, following the voice as it weaved through the darkness. The landscape twisted and warped, but the whispers stayed consistent, always just ahead.

Then, the ground beneath them solidified.

For the first time since she had fallen, Chun felt something real beneath her feet. Cold, rough stone.

She looked up—and gasped.

A massive structure loomed before them, rising out of the shifting world like a monument from another time. It looked like a temple, ancient and worn, its towering pillars cracked with age.

And at the entrance stood a figure.

A woman, draped in tattered robes, her face half-hidden beneath a hood. Her presence radiated something different—not the chaotic, shifting energy of this world, but something deeper.

She raised a hand, beckoning them forward.

"You have come far," the woman said, her voice the same one they had followed. "But you are not safe yet."

Chun's body tensed. "Who are you?"

The woman didn't answer immediately. She turned, stepping into the temple's darkened entrance.

"If you wish to survive," she said, disappearing inside, "you must remember."

Chun and Zhang exchanged a look.

Then, without another word, they followed her into the darkness.

Chun and Zhang followed the hooded woman through the ruined corridors of the temple. The air grew thick with an unnatural stillness, their footsteps barely making a sound. The woman moved ahead, her pace steady and unfaltering, but something about her unsettled Chun.

The way she walked—too graceful. Too controlled.

Zhang walked beside Chun, his expression tense. He must have felt it too.

Then, the silence shattered.

A slow, deliberate clap.

Followed by a laugh—low, distorted, inhuman.

Chun's breath caught in her throat as the shadows ahead twisted. The air itself seemed to ripple, and from the darkness, a familiar figure stepped forward.

Joker.

His form flickered, shifting between different faces—her own, strangers', twisted variations of Zhang's. His grin stretched wide, his eyes gleaming with wicked delight.

"Oh, my dear little travelers," he cooed. "Lost, are we?"

Zhang took a defensive stance. "You."

Joker's laughter echoed in the chamber, his hands spreading wide in amusement. "Who else? You didn't think I'd let you wander around without a proper welcome, did you?"

Chun's pulse pounded. This was bad. They weren't ready for this fight.

The hooded woman, who had led them this far, finally stopped walking. She turned slightly toward Joker but didn't react with fear or surprise.

Instead, she laughed.

Not a soft chuckle, but a full, amused laugh.

Chun stiffened.

That voice—it had changed.

In one smooth motion, the woman reached up and pulled back her hood.

Golden-blond hair spilled free, and sharp, confident eyes locked onto Joker with playful amusement.

Cain.

"Well, well," Cain said, stretching his arms as if shaking off an old coat. "Looks like the fun's starting sooner than expected."

Chun stepped back in shock. "You—"

Cain grinned. "Oh, come on. Don't act so betrayed. I gave you a fun little journey, didn't I?" He shot them a wink. "A little mystery's good for the soul."

Joker let out a slow whistle. "Cain, Cain, Cain," he mused. "Always making an entrance."

Cain smirked. "And you're always ruining the moment. But hey, I respect the consistency."

Zhang's grip tightened on his weapon. "What the hell is going on?"

Cain turned to them casually. "What's going on, my dear new friends, is that we've reached a very interesting part of the game." His expression sharpened, his confidence unwavering. "And I just had to be here to see how you handle it."

Joker chuckled darkly. "Oh, I like this. Two little lost souls, trapped in the web, and us?" His smile stretched unnaturally. "We get to watch them break."

Cain rolled his shoulders. "Or, maybe, they don't break." His eyes gleamed with excitement. "And that would be even more interesting."

The temple trembled.

The torches flared, their flames shifting into eerie, unnatural colors.

Chun swallowed hard.

Whatever this was—it wasn't a battle.

It was a test.

And they had no choice but to play.