Chapter 8: When The Stars Began To Fall

Doomsday had begun.

I clutched my chest, my breaths uneven. I could still feel it—the weight of the vision, the pull of something vast and unknown unraveling around me.

Axel...

Where was he?

I forced myself to stand, my legs weak beneath me. The streets that once bustled with life were now nothing but empty remnants. The sea had already begun swallowing the city, water rising inch by inch.

Just like my dreams.

My hands curled into fists. No. I refuse to let it end like this.

A shadow moved in the distance. My breath hitched as I turned, expecting another attack. But this presence was different—one I recognized immediately.

Dark Matter.

It had come for me again.

I staggered back as the swirling void slithered closer, the inky blackness moving unnaturally against the ruined ground. Its voice echoed in my mind, sharp and suffocating.

"The cycle cannot be broken."

I clenched my teeth. "You're wrong."

The entity pulsed as if amused.

"You still believe in hope?"

I did.

Even if the world was collapsing.

Even if Axel was gone.

I wouldn't let it end like this.

With newfound determination, I took a step forward. The cold water lapped at my ankles, but I ignored it. I had seen this end before, but this time—

I would change it.

Axel's POV

Pain.

It ripped through my body like fire, a searing force that pinned me down.

I gritted my teeth, struggling to move, but the weight of whatever held me in place was relentless. Around me, the space twisted—dark tendrils pulsing, shifting like a living void.

Damn it...

Selene.

She was out there—alone, facing the end of the world, and I wasn't by her side.

The moment I had been separated from her, I knew something was wrong. One second, I was reaching for her, and the next, an overwhelming force had yanked me into this prison.

Dark Matter's doing.

I had been fighting it for what felt like an eternity, but it was different this time. It was no longer trying to destroy me.

It was trying to keep me away.

"You cannot interfere."

The voice slithered through my mind like ice.

I growled, pushing against the force restraining me.

"Like hell I won't."

A sharp pulse shot through my chest, and suddenly—

I saw her.

Selene, standing in the middle of the ruined world, the sea rising around her, defiant even as the darkness loomed.

Her presence was a beacon.

Something inside me snapped

Power surged through my veins, raw and untamed. Whatever this prison was, it couldn't hold me. Not when she was out there, fighting alone.

Not when I had sworn to protect her.

A crack echoed through the space around me, the void trembling as my restraints shattered.

Dark Matter screeched in protest, but I didn't care.

In the next instant, I was moving, tearing through the fabric of this place—back to her.

Back to Selene.

Selene's POV

The world was collapsing.

The sky, once littered with stars, had become a battlefield of destruction. Black holes swallowed everything in sight, and the sea stretched endlessly, consuming the remnants of the land.

I could barely stand.

My body ached, my limbs numb from exhaustion. Every breath burned in my chest, but I refused to fall—not yet.

I gripped the last solid ground beneath me, my fingers trembling. The visions... They were all real. Every single one of them.

I had seen this happen before.

And yet, knowing didn't make it any less terrifying.

A deafening crack shattered the silence.

I turned sharply something was coming.

Dark Matter twisted in the air, writhing as if it was in pain. Then, in the blink of an eye, a golden light cut through the darkness.

A figure emerged, breaking free from the void—his form illuminated against the dying world.

My heart clenched.

"Axel."

His name barely left my lips before I felt myself collapse. The last of my strength slipped away. The cold water surged forward, and my body tipped over—

Falling.

The moment the sea swallowed me, everything became weightless. My vision blurred, darkness closing in.

And then—

Warmth.

Something strong pulled me back, holding me close.

Through half-lidded eyes, I saw him. Axel's arms wrapped around me, his grip unwavering. His golden eyes burned with determination, with relief.

"You're okay," he breathed. His voice was strained, but filled with something I couldn't quite name.

I wanted to respond, to say something—anything. But the exhaustion was too much. My body wouldn't move, my voice wouldn't come out.

I felt his forehead press against mine.

"I'm here, Selene. I've got you."

The sea roared around us, the world still crumbling. But at that moment, in his arms, I wasn't afraid.

Axel's POV

Selene was barely conscious in my arms, her body cold and weak. The sea stretched endlessly around us, a never-ending abyss that had consumed the land. The sky above was shattered, filled with cracks of light and darkness fighting for dominance.

I held her closer, my heart hammering in my chest. I had found her—just in time.

But we weren't safe. Not yet.

The Dark Matter was still here, twisting in the air like a living nightmare. It pulsed, shifting its form, its endless hunger drawn toward Selene. It had been searching for her, chasing her, and now that she was vulnerable—

It would take her.

No. I wouldn't let it.

I gently set Selene against a floating piece of debris, making sure she wouldn't sink. She stirred, her eyes fluttering open just slightly.

"Axel..." Her voice was barely a whisper.

I cupped her cheek, brushing away the wet strands of hair that clung to her face.

"Rest, Selene. I'll take care of this."

Her hand weakly reached for mine, her fingers trembling.

"You'll come back... right?" I hesitated—but only for a second. I forced a small smile.

"Of course. I'm not leaving you." She exhaled shakily, her grip tightening just a little before she finally let go, her exhaustion pulling her back into unconsciousness.

I turned, my expression darkening as I faced the entity before me. The Dark Matter writhed, growing larger, its inky tendrils spreading across the sky. It was consuming everything. If I didn't stop it now... there wouldn't be anything left.

I clenched my fists, power surging through me. My golden energy burned brighter than ever, crackling against the dark void like fire against the night.

"This ends now."

I launched forward, light colliding against the darkness. The battle for the world had begun.

The sky trembled as my energy clashed against the Dark Matter. Each strike sent waves of light scattering through the ruined world, but the darkness only twisted and reformed, unrelenting.

I gritted my teeth, dodging a tendril that lashed out, aiming to consume me. It barely missed, but I could feel the void's pull, threatening to swallow everything in its path.

"You won't take her."

I summoned all the power I had left, golden light radiating from my body. My form felt different—stronger, yet unstable. Ever since I came to this world, I had always known I was different, but now, as I faced the abyss itself, I felt something deeper awaken inside me.

A memory surfaced. The truth I had buried.

I wasn't just someone from another world. I was its guardian. Its last protector. And Selene—

Selene was the key to everything.

The realization struck like lightning, but there was no time to dwell on it.

The Dark Matter shrieked, sensing the shift in my energy. It lunged, all-consuming, but I didn't flinch. I raised my hands, light pouring from my core, forming a barrier between me and the void.

But I knew the truth now.

Light alone wouldn't stop it.

There was only one way.

I turned back, my gaze locking onto Selene. Her body was floating, barely conscious, yet even now—she was fighting.

Holding on. Waiting for me.

I made my choice.

With a final breath, I let go.

The golden energy surrounding me surged, expanding outward in a blinding flash. My body felt weightless, power flowing out of me like a river breaking free from its dam. I could feel it—my very essence dissolving into the world, forcing the darkness back.

The Dark Matter writhed and shrieked as the light devoured it, burning away the void, piece by piece. The sky began to mend. The sea calmed. The world—

It was healing.

But I was fading.

I turned back one last time. Selene's eyes fluttered open, and for the first time, I saw her expression twist in horror. She realized what was happening.

"Axel—!" Her voice was raw, desperate. She reached for me, but I was already slipping away.

"Live, Selene." The last thing I saw was her tears before the light took over.

To be continued.