The Last Nightmare

A deep, guttural rumble vibrated through the earth. The cavern walls trembled, shedding loose stones from above. Cracks spread like veins across the battlefield, a ruined wasteland of shattered rock and scorched ground.

Then, the ground lurched.

Kai barely had time to react before the shockwave sent him sprawling. His breath left him in a harsh gasp as he struck the ground. Dust exploded around him in thick, choking clouds. His vision blurred.

Another tremor followed. This time, it wasn't just falling debris—the entire chamber was collapsing.

The abyss was shifting, twisting, as if the void itself was waking up.

Darius staggered to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth. His axe, now ruined from the battle, dangled limply in his grip. His expression was grim.

"We have to go," he said, voice tight. "Now."

But Elena didn't move.

Kai coughed, his heartbeat hammering against his ribs. He didn't want to leave either—but the cavern was literally tearing itself apart.

Then, the worst happened.

A massive crack split through the ground. It ran jagged across the stone, reaching Elena's feet before she could react.

"Elena, MOVE!"

Kai lunged forward just as the ground beneath her crumbled.

She barely had time to scream before she fell.

His hands closed around her wrist.

Darius grabbed her too, his grip firm. "We. Need. To. GO."

Kai gritted his teeth, throwing Elena over his shoulder despite her weak protests.

The exit was collapsing.

Darius sprinted ahead, clearing falling debris with sheer brute force. Kai followed close behind, barely dodging as a chunk of stone nearly crushed him.

Behind them—

The oppressive darkness deepened. A low, reverberating hum filled the air, ancient and menacing. Something was waking up.

The abyss stirred.

---

Darkness.

A cold, suffocating void.

Nate's mind drifted, hovering on the fragile edge of consciousness.

For a moment, he thought he was dead.

Then—

Pain.

A sharp, searing agony ripped through his body, dragging him violently back into awareness. His lungs burned. His ribs screamed in protest. Every inch of him felt battered, bruised—broken.

His eyes fluttered open.

Darkness.

An endless void stretched before him.

I'm still falling.

The realization hit him like a punch to the gut.

He had been falling for too long.

Seconds. Minutes. Hours?

His breath came in short, panicked bursts. This wasn't natural.

He twisted, trying to move, but his limbs were sluggish—like the air itself was thick, resisting him.

"What… the hell is this place?"

By all logic, his body should have been crushed by now. His bones should have shattered on impact.

Instead—he was still alive.

That fact alone terrified him.

It wasn't just empty space. Something unseen was coiling around him, pressing against his skin. A force he couldn't explain.

Gravity felt different.

It was weaker here, like the bottomless chasm itself refused to let him go.

His heart pounded. Was he still even in the real world?

Cold sweat seeped from his forehead. If there was no way to escape from the abyss—he'd be stuck here forever.

No.

He forced himself to breathe. To think.

There had to be a way out.

Then, the whispers began.

Soft. Faint. A low hum that seemed to resonate inside him rather than around him.

A soft hum filled the void.

Faint at first. Almost like whispers.

Then—light.

Golden symbols flared into existence around him, shimmering in the dark. The symbols twisted, rearranging themselves in patterns his mind didn't understand—yet somehow, the meaning pierced directly into his soul.

The runes pulsed.

They were speaking to him.

"Nightmare Trial Initiated."

A voice. Deep, resonant, but emotionless.

This isn't just a pit.

It's another realm.

Nate's pulse spiked.

His gaze darted across the runes, his brain scrambling to make sense of it.

The golden runes hovered before him, their glow cutting through the oppressive darkness.

Instinctively, his eyes flicked toward the first line.

And then—

He lost his composure.

'What?! What the actual fuck?!'

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

His eyes widened. His mind went blank.

What he saw was impossible.

And yet, it was there.

Right in front of him.

The runes shifted, forming words he could understand.

Under normal circumstances, he might've laughed it off. But this?

He was stuck in a realm where time flowed differently. His body was broken, yet he was alive. The whispers were growing louder, and shadowy figures were beginning to emerge in the abyss.

He had no idea what was happening.

But one thing was clear—

This wasn't just a fall.

This wasn't just an abyss.

This was a test.

And if he failed—

He wouldn't be getting out alive.

Forever trapped in this Eternal Nightmare.

---

The Others

The ruins of the collapsed cavern loomed in the distance, dust still settling from the destruction.

Elena clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms.

Kai stood beside her, his face a storm of conflicting emotions.

Darius watched the abyss in grim silence.

They had barely escaped.

But it didn't feel like a victory.