Between Ash and Ice

Into the Abyss

The cold hit me first—a biting, suffocating chill that sank into my bones as the guards dragged me closer to the Rift. The sky above churned with dark, restless clouds, mirroring the storm in my chest. I tried to twist free from their iron grip, but their hands only tightened, bruising my arms.

"You're making a mistake," I said through clenched teeth, glaring at the guard to my left. He didn't even flinch, his eyes fixed ahead.

My heart pounded as the Rift came into view. A jagged tear in the fabric of the world, it pulsed with unnatural light, shifting between hues of deep blue and violent red. The air around it crackled with energy, and the ground beneath it seemed to warp and twist, as if the earth itself recoiled from its presence.

I had heard the stories. The Rift was where the worst of criminals were sent, a punishment worse than death. No one who entered ever returned.

"Keep moving," one of the guards barked, shoving me forward.

My knees scraped against the rough ground, but I refused to cry out. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. Instead, I raised my head and glared at the figure standing just beyond the Rift—Castian.

He was dressed impeccably, his dark cloak billowing in the wind, his expression as unreadable as ever. The man who had once been my world now watched my descent into ruin with cold indifference.

"You won't get away with this," I spat, my voice cutting through the roar of the Rift. "One day, they'll see you for the snake you are."

For a moment, his lips twitched, as if he were holding back a smile. Then he spoke, his tone calm and measured. "Perhaps. But by then, you'll be long gone."

Anger flared hot and wild in my chest. I surged forward, but the guards held me back, their grips like steel. Castian didn't even blink.

"Goodbye, Vaelora," he said, his voice carrying no trace of regret.

The guards dragged me closer to the Rift. The energy emanating from it was suffocating, pressing against my skin like an unseen force. My instincts screamed at me to fight, to run, but there was nowhere to go.

The edge of the Rift loomed before me, a gaping maw of light and shadow. My breath hitched as the guards stopped, their hands gripping me tightly.

"On your knees," one of them ordered.

I didn't move.

He grabbed my shoulder and forced me down, the impact jarring my entire body. My gaze remained fixed on the Rift, its chaotic energy dancing like flames.

"Any last words?" the other guard asked, his tone devoid of sympathy.

I lifted my chin, refusing to let the fear show. "Only that you'll regret this. All of you."

Before they could respond, they pushed me forward. The ground beneath me disappeared, and I fell.

The air was ripped from my lungs as I plummeted into the Rift, the world around me dissolving into a kaleidoscope of colors and shadows. My screams were swallowed by the void, the sound ripped away as quickly as it came.

Time lost all meaning as I tumbled through the endless chaos. The light burned, the darkness clawed, and I felt as though I were being pulled in every direction at once. Pain lanced through me, sharp and unrelenting, as if the Rift itself sought to tear me apart.

And then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped.

I hit the ground hard, the impact driving the air from my lungs. For a moment, I couldn't move, couldn't think. The world around me was silent, the chaos of the Rift replaced by an eerie stillness.

Slowly, I pushed myself up, my arms trembling beneath me. The ground was cold and unyielding, the air heavy with an unfamiliar scent—something sharp and metallic.

I looked around, my heart pounding. The landscape was alien, jagged cliffs rising into a sky that seemed too close, too dark. The air shimmered faintly, as if the world itself were unstable.

And then I heard it.

A low, guttural growl echoed through the stillness, sending a chill down my spine. I turned slowly, my breath catching as my eyes met something that didn't belong in any world I knew.

A creature stood before me, its form twisted and unnatural. Its eyes glowed with an otherworldly light, and its claws scraped against the ground as it advanced.

Panic surged through me, but beneath it was something else—a spark of determination. I wasn't going to die here. Not like this.

Clenching my fists, I rose to my feet, my legs unsteady but holding firm. The creature lunged, and I braced myself, ready to fight.

I had survived the Rift. I wasn't going to let anything else take me down.