Chapter 8 The Truth

Elias opened his eyes to emptiness.

The world was gone. The ruins, the broken sky, the blood, the agony of his last moments—all of it had vanished.

Instead, he stood in a void without end.

The ground beneath his feet didn't exist, yet he wasn't falling. The air was thick, suffocating, yet he still breathed. Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction, swirling like a storm, shifting with unseen shapes.

He was here again. And so was it.

A figure stood in the void, waiting.

Distant. Unmoving.

The white-glowing man.

Elias' hands curled into fists. His chest heaved, his breath coming out ragged, broken.

His mind screamed at him to do something—anything.

So he ran.

"NO!" Elias screamed, his voice raw, broken. "I'M DONE! I'M DONE WITH THIS!"

His feet pounded against the invisible nothingness, his muscles burning as he sprinted into the void. His breath came in ragged, uneven bursts, his throat tightening with each desperate gasp.

"LET ME OUT!" he roared, his voice shaking. "I DON'T WANT THIS! I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE!"

There was no exit.

No escape.

He was running through infinity, each step bringing him nowhere.

But he kept going.

Even when his legs ached. Even when his lungs felt like they would burst. Even when the weight in his chest became unbearable.

Because the only other option was standing still.

And if he stopped—he knew what was waiting for him.

Tears blurred his vision. His breath hitched.

"PLEASE!" he sobbed, his voice cracking. "JUST LET ME GO! I CAN'T DO THIS! I CAN'T—!"

His foot slipped. He tripped—crashing onto his knees.

His hands clenched into nothing, his body trembling violently as he broke down.

He sobbed into the abyss. He couldn't stop it.

No matter how hard he tried. No matter how many times he ran, or fought, or clawed for another outcome—

He always ended up dying.

Then it spoke, voice—calm, patient, knowing.

"What do you want to do, Elias?"

Elias flinched. His head snapped up, his eyes wild, red-rimmed, filled with rage and grief.

The glowing figure stood before him now, its form shifting faintly, like a reflection in rippling water.

Elias clenched his fists, his voice a hoarse whisper.

"I…" His breath shuddered. "I don't know…"

The words hurt to say.

Because they were the truth.

Did he want to fight? Did he want to run? Did he want to give up?

He didn't know.

But beneath the pain, beneath the exhaustion, beneath the unbearable weight of loss—

There was something else. Something deeper.

"I—" Elias' voice shook. "I don't want to die."

The truth spilled out like a wound torn open.

"I don't want to see people die!" He gritted his teeth, his shoulders trembling. "I—I just wanted to live! I wanted to be with them, to—!"

His hands dug into his arms, nails breaking skin.

"Why!?" He choked on the word. "Why is this happening to me!? Who am I!? What the hell is going on!?"

The entity tilted its head.

Then—it spoke.

"There is something after you."

Elias stiffened.

His breath caught.

"…What?"

The entity's voice remained calm, almost amused.

"This world is wicked, Elias."

It took a slow step forward, its radiant form flickering faintly in the darkness.

"It was broken long before you opened your eyes in it. It was destined to collapse, long before the first ruin crumbled. It was not something worth saving."

Elias' stomach twisted.

"You call them people. You call them survivors. But they were already dead the moment the first calamity was born. You do not belong here, Ruinbound. You exist outside of what was meant to be. And because of that, something is hunting you."

Ruinbound?

"What… what does that mean?" Elias' voice was hoarse, shaking. "Why did you call me that? What am I?"

The entity was silent for a moment. Then—it smiled.

Not with its mouth. Not with its face. But something about its presence, its very being, shifted in a way that made Elias' stomach turn.

"That," it said, "is something you will have to learn yourself."

Elias' fists clenched. "Why can't you just tell me!?"

"Because knowing is not the same as understanding."

"You wonder why you suffer. Why you return to life. Why the world resets with you. It is because you are unnatural. You are not a part of this world's cycle. You are not part of its decay. And yet… you persist."

Its glowing form shifted, stepping closer.

"You have seen the ruin, Elias. You have seen the truth. This world—"

The entity raised its hand, gesturing toward the infinite void.

"—needed to be fixed."

Something inside Elias snapped.

"SHUT UP!"

He lunged.

Pure, raw rage exploded in his chest.

He charged at the entity, fists clenched, teeth bared. He didn't care if he couldn't win. He didn't care if it was pointless.

He just wanted to make it hurt.

But the entity… did not move.

It merely raised one hand.

Elias' body seized mid-air.

The void around him froze.

Then—he was falling.

PAIN.

Elias' eyes snapped open.

His body jerked violently, lungs gasping for air as his entire form convulsed with agony.

A scream tore from his throat. Then—hands on his shoulders.

"HEY!" Lyra's voice.

Elias' head snapped toward her.

She was staring at him, eyes sharp, alert—but real.

Alive.

Callum was there too, half-awake, his expression tense.

Elias' breath came in ragged gasps. His entire body trembled, his skin damp with sweat.

The theater ceiling loomed above him. The campfire was still flickering weakly.

He was back.

Lyra didn't let go of him. Her grip was tight, halfway between steadying him and holding him down.

"You were screaming," she said, her voice carefully controlled. "Like something was tearing you apart."

Elias' chest heaved.

His eyes darted around, his mind racing. The void was gone. The entity was gone. But it had felt so real.

"Just a nightmare," he whispered.

Lyra didn't look convinced.

Callum sighed, rubbing his face. "Well, that's one way to wake everyone up."

Elias swallowed hard. His heart was still hammering. His hands were still shaking. But he forced himself to nod.

"Yeah," he muttered, running a trembling hand through his damp hair. "Just a nightmare."

He could still hear the entity's voice in his head.

"Something is hunting you."