The forest was damn near silent, trees twisted like they were trying to whisper secrets we weren’t meant to hear. The air hung thick with something old. Heavy. Like magic that forgot what time it was.
Nyx was making jokes under his breath again, something about “killer squirrels” and “talking trees” but I wasn’t laughing. Neither was Cindy. Girl barely looked at me, walking like the weight of the world was welded to her spine.
We took one wrong step, just one.
And the ground opened up beneath us.
“Yo, what the, !”
We fell.
Not for a second. Not for ten.
For minutes.
Spinning and spiraling through pitch black. My body twisted, floating weightless, nothing to grab onto but my own breath. Cindy screamed once but I guess she was like forget it then went dead quiet. Nyx cursed the whole way down.
And then, we weren’t falling anymore.
We hit the ground hard, but it didn’t hurt. Like the earth caught us.
“What the hell,” I muttered, pushing myself up, dirt clinging to my coat. I looked around, and everything in me stopped.
It was Wonderland. The original wonderland, not the one Father Winter had created but wonder in its raw form. Or what was left of it.
The sky was violet. Not purple, violet. Deep and unnerving, streaked with clouds that shimmered like oil. The trees were blue, stretched tall with oversized leaves that looked like lace. Flowers blinked as we passed, closing shyly, then opening to watch us. Like the forest knew we were there.
Cindy stood up beside me, brushing dust from her skirt. “What the hell happened here?” Her voice was just below a whisper as she looked around.
“ Just another regret.” I said honestly.
I remembered what happened. They were seized upon, silently and suddenly. Betrayed by my former brother, Time. I guess this was all that was left.
Nyx let out a long whistle. “Well damn. Either we’re dead... or this is the trippiest dream I ever had.”
“It’s real,” I said.
We walked, eyes wide, everything strange and unnatural around us. Then we saw it.
The amusement park.
Floating. Alive.
A twisted version of a theme park, left behind and taken over by whatever magic used to live here. Rides moved on their own, carousels spinning slow and haunting, a ferris wheel glowing soft with flickering lights. A rollercoaster snaked through the trees above us, still running empty carts through endless loops like it had never stopped.
Music played in the distance, off-tune, cracked, like it was echoing through time. Laughter too. Not real laughter. The kind that makes your skin crawl.
“Yo,” Nyx said, pointing. “Haunted Disneyland. Ain’t that cute.”
Cindy didn’t laugh. She looked around, something in her eyes... like recognition. Like she knew this kind of destruction. She shot me an angry side glance. I merely acted as if I didn’t see it.
We stepped past a rusted ticket booth, its windows fogged over with frost despite the warm air. A sign swung above us, barely hanging on by one chain.
Welcome to Wonderland.
We made it to a round bench under a broken canopy that sparkled like shattered crystal. I sat down first, boots heavy, mind heavier.
Cindy finally sat beside me, arms folded. “So what now?”
I didn’t answer.
I looked out at the flickering rides, the crumbling magic, the ghosts of a kingdom forgotten, with shame in my head I stared at the flickering lights of the carousel a moment longer, then stood.
“We need water,” I said. “And food. After that... a way out.”
Nyx stretched, already halfway sunk into the bench. “I'll scrounge up something edible. Hopefully nothing with eyes or teeth still attached.”
I nodded and started walking.
Didn’t wait for a response. Didn’t look back.
I needed air. Space. Time to breathe.
The path through the woods was lined with glowing mushrooms and trees that wept light like tears. Wonderland had a way of pressing on you, not physically, but in the soul. Like it remembered joy but forgot how to feel it.
I followed the sound of water. Low and steady. A hum underneath the madness.
The river was still. Too still.
Black water, shining like glass. I knelt down and dipped a flask into it, watching the ripples move in slow, syrupy circles. My reflection looked like a stranger. Pale. Hollow-eyed. Like I was already halfway gone.I came then to the realization looking at all the destruction in the reflection of that glass. I didn’t just look like a monster, I was a monster.
~Cindy~.
I found him by the river, crouched low with his back to me like the weight of the world was sittin’ right there on his damn shoulders. He didn’t hear me at first, was too focused on filling that little flask of his, real slow, like maybe the water’d wash something off he couldn’t scrub away.
I don't know why I followed him. Maybe ‘cause I could feel it. The heaviness. That silence he wears like armor. The kind that don't protect but more like as choke you.
I didn’t say nothing. Just knelt beside him and waited.
He looked up once, then looked away. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t smile. Just… breathed.
Then, all quiet-like, he said, “I just want to be someone else.”
I didn’t interrupt. I could tell this wasn’t the kinda thing he said out loud too often.
“ Prince Charming,” he muttered, like the words hurt. “ I was a tyrant. Father Winter’s puppet. They crowned me, dressed me up, and let me rule with ice in my blood and a fake smile on my face.And, I smiled while I ruined people Cindy.”
I glanced at him. He wasn’t lookin’ at me, just starin’ into the water like it might drown the memories if he stared hard enough.
“I thought I was doing the right thing,” he said. “Keeping order. Making things better. But really… I was just destroying everything I touched.”
The river trickled soft, like it didn’t wanna interrupt either.
“But when I broke that spell, read that book,” he continued. “Everything fell apart, inside and out. I saw what I really was. Not a hero. Not even a villain. Just a mistake.”
I watched his reflection ripple in the water, broken and scattered.
“I’m a monster.” he said, almost to himself.
For a second, I didn’t know what to say.
So I told the truth.
“You wanna know what I see?” I asked.
He didn’t answer, but I saw his jaw tense.
“I see a man who clawed his way outta hell. A man who still fights like it ain’t too late to be something better. You talk about monsters, but the real monsters don’t feel guilty. They don’t care. They just steal, kill and destroy, without a mind, without a heart and without a soul. But you don’t.”
He looked at me then. Really looked. And for a moment, I saw it, the boy under all that anger and grief. The one who used to believe he was something. Maybe even still does.
“I feel so bad,” he admitted. “For what I was. For what I became.”
I nudged him with my shoulder. “Then don’t go back to bein’ that. Keep movin’. Keep fightin’. You ain’t the only one carryin’ weight, Crypt. We all are pieces of shit in our own way. We are all cracked, and when you look through them cracks baby it’s dark and ugly let me tell you.”
He blinked slow, like that hit somewhere deep.
“Cracked don’t mean broken,” I added. “Just means you been through some shit. Seal the darkness inside, and fertilize it with light, and when it hatches, It will bring about a new start.”
He sat there in thought for a minute. Then he stood up even taller than he ever had before and held a hand out to me. I took it without thinkin’.
“Let’s go,” he said, voice a little steadier now. “Nyx is probably tryna roast a squirrel or fight a bush for apples.”
I snorted. “Lead the way, monster prince.”
And he didn’t even flinch. Instead, he smiled this time.
~ Crypt~
The air was warmer when we got back. Not by much, but enough to notice. Maybe it was her. Maybe it was that river talk. Something settled in me, just a little. The storm in my chest wasn’t as loud.
Nyx had a fire going. He was poking at something with a stick like it owed him money.
“I got dinner,” he said, grinning as we came closer. “Mushrooms. Whole patch of ‘em back there.”
“Mushrooms?” Cindy raised a brow.
“Better than squirrel,” he shrugged.
I looked at the mushrooms. They seemed to shimmer. Almost pulse.
Something about it felt off.
But I was so tired. Hungry. So I ate.
So did Cindy. So did Nyx.
At first, everything was quiet as we all drifted to sleep. But when I woke up all of a sudden, then it wasn’t.
The ground started breathing.
The trees leaned in, whispering my name. My scars burned. My chest felt like it was being ripped open from the inside. Then I saw him.
Father Winter.
Standing there, tall and sharp-eyed, cloak dragging shadows behind him.
“You always were a disappointment,” he said, his voice dripping like ice water down my spine.
I reached for my blade, but my hands were gone. Replaced with claws. Beastly. Wrong.
I looked down.
I wasn’t me.
I was him.
The tyrant. The prince. The monster.
“No,” I choked, stumbling back.
Fire erupted all around me. Screams. People begging. My people.
I turned and saw Cindy, back in chains. Blood on her face. Eyes full of hate.
“You did this,” she spat.
“No, no, I saved you. I’m not him. I’m not him anymore!”
Nyx appeared next, burned, broken, holding Papa’s limp body.
“You failed us.”
I ran.
I didn’t know where. The woods were warping, bending, alive and cruel.
I heard things chasing me. I saw faces I’d buried years ago. Victims. Ghosts. Brice as a boy, crying out.
“CRYPT!”
My name echoed from all directions. Mocking me. Dragging me down.
I swung at shadows. Fought the air. My blade cut nothing but smoke.
Then,
A crack to the back of my skull.
Darkness.
I woke up to chains. Cold metal burning into my wrists.
The room was stone. Wet. Quiet, but not peaceful.
Across the cell, I saw Nyx. Blood on his lip, chained too.
Cindy was slumped in the corner, unconscious or just pretending not to exist.
My breath was ragged.
They got us.
I clenched my jaw.
Whatever this place was…
Whoever did this,
They made a mistake.
Because I’m still breathing.
The chains bit into my wrists every time I moved. Cold iron, tighter than they needed to be. Like they knew what I was capable of… or what I used to be capable of. The cell stank of mildew and regret, my shirt soaked in sweat, hallucination still clawing at the edge of my thoughts like a bad dream that refused to die.
Everything burned, my throat, my limbs, my pride. I could hear Nyx cursing across from me and Cindy breathing hard beside me, the mushrooms clearly still playing with our heads. But just as my mind started to clear, I heard them, heels clicking against cracked tile, like they had all the time in the world. Confident. Sharp. Dangerous.
Then I saw her.
She stepped into view like she owned it. Long black curls bouncing, hoops swinging, that fire in her step that made the whole world lean just a little to the side when she walked in. Her skin glowed in the strange pastel light of this Wonderland dungeon, and her eyes, brown, deep, and wide with fury, locked dead on mine.
And just like that, I remembered.
The execution. The girl. Tied up, screaming. And me… watching. Frozen. Doing nothing. Yup, I was in for another smack, or worse…
Her face didn’t break. Not at first. No softness. No forgiveness. Just straight rage and disbelief.
“Oh hell no,” she snapped, voice laced with venom and sass, echoing down the hallway. “You. You gotta be kiddin’ me.”
She marched up to the bars like she was ready to burn them off herself. “Of all the fools to end up in my dungeon, the pretty boy traitor prince tops the damn list.”
I didn’t flinch. Not because I didn’t feel it, nah, I felt it. Deep in my gut. Guilt, shame, all of it. But I just… couldn’t afford to show it.
“Alice,” I said quietly. Her name sat heavy on my tongue, like I hadn’t earned the right to say it.
“Don’t you Alice me,asshole,” she snapped, jabbing a finger through the bars. “It’s Aya. You don’t get to call me like we cool. I remember your face. You stood there. Watched them tie me up like I was some damn showpiece. Didn’t lift a single royal finger.”
I swallowed hard, jaw tightening. “I was under, ”
“Under what, huh?” she cut me off, eyes blazing. “A spell? A throne? Some fake-ass destiny that made you forget you had a damn soul? You watched a girl get dragged like a dog and you just stood there!”
I looked away. Couldn’t meet her stare anymore. Not after everything. Not after what I let happen.
“I was weak,” I said, voice low. “That is not an excuse. I’m not askin’ you to forgive me.”
She scoffed. “Good. ‘Cause you ain’t gettin’ it.”
Silence filled the space like smoke, thick and suffocating. Cindy stared between us, confused. Nyx had gone completely still like even he knew not to mess with this kind of fury.
Aya shook her head slowly, then leaned back on her heel with that same sharp grace that told me she’d survived too much to take anything lying down.
“So what now?” she said, folding her arms. “You gonna tell me you changed? That you’re some reformed prince with a hero complex now? Please.”
I met her gaze again. Humored. Hollow. But honest.
“No,” I said. “I’m not a prince. I’m not a hero either. I’m just a man tryin’ to fix what he broke. Apparently that includes you.”
She stared at me long and hard.
Then smirked.
“Well,” she said, “you still talk like you think you're important. That’s adorable. I wanna see how long that lasts here boy, for real.”
She turned and strutted off like she hadn’t just flipped my world upside down.
Nyx muttered, “Damn. I like her already.”
“Yeah,” I breathed, slumping back against the wall, eyes still fixed where she’d stood with a very humored smirk on my face. “Me too.”
I thought I was done with her for the moment, but I was wrong.
Aya came back, but this time, with her they grabbed me pushing me to the ground. I barely had time to adjust before she ordered something new.
“Get him to talk,” she said, her voice flat, as if her earlier rage was gone. “Do whatever it takes. I need to know where Father Winter is now!”
Her soldiers, ready with their torture methods, moved in to do their job. I knew exactly what was coming next. This wasn’t their first time. They’d made sure to bring in their tools, thick ropes, chains, and blunt instruments. And they weren’t afraid to use them. But they could twist my body all they wanted. It wasn’t going to matter. Nothing would break me.
Aya stood by, watching me, her eyes cold and calculating, waiting for a reaction. But no matter what they did, I stayed silent, unmoved. They could cut me, whip me, hit me, but I wasn’t about to give them the satisfaction of a scream.
She snapped, visibly frustrated. “Get the other two in here,” she ordered, her voice laced with anger. “At least I know they feel pain and they, will die.”
Suddenly I wasn’t worried for myself anymore; I was worried about them. As they were brought inside with knives to their throats I couldn’t help but feel defeated. Something I really didn’t like feeling at all.
Aya didn’t waste time. “Tell me where New Wonderland is, Crypt. Tell me where Father Winter’s hiding it. Or I could deal with your lady friend first.”
I could feel the weight of her words pressing down on me. I could feel the fire in her eyes. But I stayed silent. I wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction of breaking.I had to keep cool.
She snapped, her eyes flashing with rage. “Tell me now, or I’ll make you wish you never existed.”
The goons grip on them tightened and I could see a bit of blood trickle down from Cindy’s neck. There was no way around it anymore. I couldn’t risk their lives. They didn’t deserve to be caught in the middle of my mess.
“Ok,” I said, my voice hoarse but firm. “I’ll tell you. But I wouldn’t advise you to go there right about now.You won’t win.”
Aya raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a sneer. “You’re bluffing.”
“For what woman?,” I asked. “If you go there, you’ll die. The place is cursed. And Father Winter…lets just say you’ll be dead before you could even smell his throne.The Royals will see to that.Their power far exceeds yours.”
She studied me for a moment, like she was weighing whether to believe me or not. But I could see it in her eyes. She was already set on going.
Without another word, she turned to her soldiers. “Kill them. We’re heading to Wonderland. And don’t let anyone stop us.”
Her goons nodded in obedience as they grabbed me up.
. “You’re making a big mistake, Alice….”
“I know,” she said, my voice quiet. “But trust me, it’s worth every effort.”
And just like that, she was gone. But her words, her fury, lingered in the air. I knew she was headed straight for it. And I knew she wouldn’t be the only one who’d pay the price.
The weight of everything that had happened in the past few hours hit me like a freight train. My body was battered, bruised, and barely hanging on. The volcano loomed ahead, hot winds sweeping across the rocky path, and I could already feel the heat of the lava searing the air around us. We were being led to our deaths, no question about it.
I barely registered the guards dragging me along, the chains digging into my skin. My mind was scattered, my body too weak to even fight back, and that was the last thing I wanted. To be weak. To be powerless.
But that’s exactly where I was.
Nyx was stumbling beside me, his eyes scanning the area, probably looking for some kind of escape or opportunity. Cindy was quiet, too quiet, but she wasn’t the type to break easily. She was always that fiery spirit, never backing down, never afraid. But even she looked shaken from all the torture.
“Just a little further,” one of the guards barked, pushing me forward. The others moved behind us, laughing as if they’d won. As if this was the end.
My legs barely held me up as I reached the edge, staring down into the mouth of the volcano. The molten lava glowed beneath us like the belly of a beast, eager to devour us.
“Move it!” the guard shouted again, and they shoved us harder toward the edge. I stumbled but caught myself just in time. It was over. No more tricks, no more plans. We were done.
But something stirred inside me. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to push me forward, to fight back. The thing is, I was too weak. Too drained to summon the undead. I had nothing left in me.
Then I heard it.
A low rumble beneath our feet. The ground shifted, cracked, and the air seemed to tighten. It was like the earth itself was responding to a call, a call I didn’t even know existed.
And then I saw her. Cindy.
Her eyes locked onto the horizon, distant but focused, like she was seeing something we weren’t. Her hands shot up, and the earth trembled. I didn’t even have time to react. The wind started to pick up, whipping around us with an unnatural force. Trees bent, leaves were ripped from their branches, and everything around us seemed to come alive with energy.
The sky darkened. A tornado began to form.
My heart skipped a beat as I looked at Cindy. The girl who had been so quiet, so exhausted, was standing in the center of a storm, her power echoing through the land like a force of nature itself. She wasn’t just controlling the wind, she was the wind.
I knew it wasn’t just the storm that was terrifying, it was the power behind it. The raw, unbridled energy that poured from her, bending nature to her will. Her power had always been there, hiding in the background, but now... now it was unleashed.
“Cindy!” I shouted, but my voice was lost in the raging winds.
The tornado grew stronger, whipping around us in chaotic spirals. The guards screamed as they were torn from the ground, sucked into the storm like ragdolls. I saw them flailing, desperate to grab anything to hold on to, but the force was too much. They were gone.
Nyx was struggling beside me, trying to keep his footing, but the winds were too strong. My chest tightened as the tornado seemed to reach higher, its force growing more violent, more powerful. It was like Cindy was the center of it all, like she was controlling everything, bending the very earth to her will.
“Cindy!” I shouted again, but she didn’t hear me. She couldn’t. Her eyes were wide, her face pale, and I could see the strain on her. Her power was draining her. But she didn’t stop. She couldn’t.
The storm grew, swallowing everything in its path. I tried to reach for her, to stop her, but I was too far, too weak. The wind knocked me off balance, throwing me to the ground. I saw Nyx fall beside me, barely holding onto a rock to stay grounded.
And then, just like that, the storm started to dissipate. The wind slowed, and the earth stopped trembling. The calm that followed was almost as deafening as the storm had been. I pushed myself up, gasping for breath, looking around at the devastation. The guards were gone, the land around us torn apart.
But where was Cindy?
My eyes scanned the area, and that’s when I saw her. She was on the ground, unconscious, her body barely moving. The energy that had once pulsed through her was now gone, leaving only exhaustion in its wake.
“Cindy!” I called out, stumbling toward her.
I dropped to my knees beside her, my hands shaking as I checked her pulse. She was alive, but barely. Her breathing was shallow, and her face was pale. Whatever she had just done had taken everything out of her.
“Damn it, Cindy,” I muttered under my breath, running a hand through my hair. I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t a healer, I wasn’t a damn doctor. But I knew one thing for sure, she needed help.
I glanced over at Nyx, who was still standing, looking as stunned as I felt.
“Help me get her up,” I said, my voice rough. “We need to get out of here.”
Nyx nodded, his expression softening for a second before he moved to help me. We managed to get Cindy on her feet, but she was dead weight in our arms. Every step felt like we were dragging her through quicksand.
“Where do we go now?” Nyx asked, his voice low.
“Anywhere but here,” I replied, my voice tight with urgency. “We need to get her out of here. She’s not going to make it if we stay.”
With no other option, we started moving, dragging Cindy through the wreckage she’d left behind. The storm may have passed, but the danger was far from over. And as I looked down at her, unconscious in my arms, I couldn’t shake the feeling that what we had just witnessed wasn’t what she expected either.
~CIndy~
I woke up in a daze, the damp chill of the cave air creeping into my bones, making me shiver even with the blankets wrapped around me. The rain outside? It was like a drumbeat, a constant rhythm against the stone, reminding me we weren’t anywhere familiar. We weren’t safe. Not by a long shot.
I turned my head slowly, and there he was. Crypt. He was sitting right next to me, eyes locked on me like he was trying to figure out what made me tick. Like he could see through all my bullshit. I felt his gaze like a weight pressing down, but I didn’t look away. Nyx was out cold on the other side of the cave, breathing heavy, like he was still trying to recover from whatever mess we’d just crawled out of.
But Crypt? He wasn’t going anywhere. I could feel it. The way his eyes stayed glued to me, waiting for me to say something.
And damn it, I knew I had to.
I wasn’t ready to talk. Hell, I didn’t think I’d ever be ready, but I couldn’t run from this anymore. I had to get it out.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry, not even able to meet his gaze. Something was stirring in my chest, making it tight and painful. I wasn’t sure if it was the storm outside or the one raging inside me, but I had to speak. So I did.
“This is why I was sold,” I said, my voice shaky, rough. My chest burned, but I kept going. “My father sold me. Sold me to Samantha. My mom, too. She stayed with me. She didn’t have to, but she did.”
I paused, the memories clawing at me. I ran my fingers over the jacket Crypt had laid over my shoulders, the fabric rough against my skin, like it could somehow shield me from everything I was about to say. But nothing would protect me from this. I had to face it.
“I was just a kid, Crypt,” I whispered. “I wasn’t a damn monster. But I didn’t fit in. My powers... they were stronger than I knew how to control. I didn’t ask for this. One night, I lost it. My father was always yelling at my mom. He hated her for staying with me. For keeping me. He always said she was weak for that, told her she was holding him back, told me I was the reason she couldn’t get her life together. And one night, he got so damn loud. I got so angry. I, I couldn’t control it. My power just... it went wild. And in one second, I destroyed everything.”
My throat tightened again. The words felt like they were choking me, but I had to keep going. I couldn’t let it keep festering inside.
“I killed them, Crypt. My friends. My neighbors. The people who tried to help. Everyone. Everything I ever knew. Gone in a flash. And when it was over... my mom was still there. She was protecting me. But my father? He hated me even more after that. He sold us both. Sold me and my mother to Samantha. I promised myself I'd never lose control like that again. She stayed with me. She died because of me. Samatha killed her. She killed her because I couldn’t control my damn powers. My mom died because of me, Crypt.”
I choked on the last part, but I refused to look at him. Not yet. If I did, I knew I’d break down. And I couldn’t do that. Not with him. Not with anyone. Crypt had his own demons to wrestle with. He didn’t need mine.
The silence stretched between us like a thick fog. The rain kept pouring outside, the sound heavy against the cave walls, but all I could hear was the pounding of my heart in my chest. Finally, Crypt’s voice broke through.
“You didn’t ask for that, Cindy,” he said, his tone low and steady. Like he wasn’t going anywhere, like he wouldn’t let me fall into this dark pit alone. “Your powers... they’re stronger than most could ever imagine. But they’re not a curse. They’re a part of you. And if anyone tries to make you feel broken because of that, they’re full of shit.”
I shook my head, trying to push down the guilt and shame that was bubbling up inside me. “But I killed them, Crypt. I killed my own family. What the hell am I supposed to do with that? How do I live with myself after something like that?”
Crypt didn’t budge, didn’t look away. He just stared at me with those damn calm eyes, like nothing in the world could knock him off balance. It was infuriating, but it also grounded me, in a way I didn’t know I needed.
“You make the best of it,” he said simply. “You take that shit, the pain, the guilt, all of it, and you don’t let it destroy you. You use it. You turn it into something better. You do what you can with what you have, even when it’s messy.”
I clenched my fists, not at him, but at myself. “You don’t understand, Crypt. I can’t fix this. I can’t take it back. I hurt so many innocent people.”
Crypt’s eyes softened for a second, and for the first time, I saw something in him I wasn’t expecting, understanding. No judgment. Just quiet strength.
“None of us are perfect,” he said, his voice gentle but strong. “I’ve made mistakes. I’ve hurt people. Hell, I’ve done things I’ll never be able to undo. But you don’t fix those things by running from them. You face them. You make it right. You take that pain and use it for something good.”
I bit my lip, trying to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to spill over. His words, they made sense. I didn’t know how to fix everything, but maybe that wasn’t the point. Maybe it wasn’t about fixing things, but about moving forward.
“You can’t erase what happened,” Crypt added. “But you can show the world that it wasn’t in vain. You turn that mistake into something bigger, something better. You make it count. That’s how you fix it. That’s how you heal.”
I stared at him for a long moment, feeling his words seep into me like sunlight breaking through the clouds. There was no easy way out of this. No quick fix. But maybe... maybe I could make it right. Not all at once. Maybe it wasn’t about erasing my mistakes. But doing something that mattered. For everyone who’d suffered because of me.
“You think it works like that?” I asked quietly, my voice low and unsure, eyes looking at him through the damp braids of my hair.
“I know it does,” he said, that unwavering confidence of his still there, soft but firm. “We’re all cracked, Cindy. But we keep going. We make it right. And that’s how we redeem ourselves.”
I felt a small flicker of hope, something deep inside me, like a tiny ember starting to burn. But it wasn’t enough to push all the darkness away. Not yet. “But how do I even start? I don’t know where...”
Crypt’s gaze softened, his hand resting on my arm, a reassuring pressure. “You start by fighting. For what’s right. And for the people who didn’t have the chance to fight for themselves.”
I took a shaky breath, nodding slowly. I could feel it. It wasn’t going to be easy, but maybe that’s how it started. Maybe that’s how I could begin to make up for all the damage I’d done.
Crypt gave me a small, nodding smile. “We’ll fight together, Cindy. You don’t have to do it alone.”
And for the first time, I saw him differently. We were one in the same, yet so damn different. But for now, maybe that was enough. Together, we’d figure this out. One step at a time.
I didn’t know what it was about his words, but I felt something crack open inside me. Maybe it was the way he said it, so damn calm, so sure of himself, but I could feel the weight in his words. For a second, I actually believed it. Maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t a complete monster.
I didn’t know how to handle that feeling.
Before I could stop myself, I felt the tears well up. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to hold it back, but it didn’t work. I couldn’t hold this all inside anymore. The guilt, the weight of everything that had happened… everything I had done. It was too much. So damn much.
I leaned forward without thinking, throwing my arms around him, burying my face in his chest. I don’t know what I was expecting, maybe a push away, maybe a stiff “I don’t do hugs”, but instead, Crypt didn’t pull back. He didn’t freeze up or look at me like I was some kind of freak. His arms went around me, steady and strong, like he wasn’t going anywhere.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been held like this. Not the fake kind of hugs, not the ones from people who just wanted something from me. This? This felt different. It felt like I wasn’t alone for once. Like, maybe, I wasn’t the only broken piece left on the ground.
Crypt didn’t say anything, didn’t need to. His silence said enough. I could feel the warmth from him, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t feel like the earth was going to swallow me whole. I wasn’t sure what the hell I was doing, but right now, I didn’t want to let go.
I finally pulled away, just enough to look at him. His eyes were still soft, a little tired, but something had shifted. There was a kind of understanding there that made my chest ache, but in a good way.
He glanced at Nyx, still knocked out on the floor, then back to me. “We should rest,” he said, voice low but firm. “We’ve been through a lot today. You included.”
I nodded, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. My body felt heavy, my mind a mess, but I could hardly keep my eyes open. The storm outside wasn’t letting up, but we weren’t in a hurry to go anywhere. Not yet.
“You’re right,” I muttered, leaning against the stone wall. “We could use a damn break.”
He settled beside me, his body tense as ever, but there was something comforting about his presence. Maybe it was the fact that he didn’t need to fix me or solve everything right away. He was just here. And that? That was more than I could ask for right now.
Nyx snored softly in the background, and for a minute, the sounds of the storm outside filled the cave. It was almost peaceful. I closed my eyes, taking in a slow breath, and let the weight of the day start to settle. I was exhausted, and maybe, just maybe, I could allow myself a moment of peace.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygoiwqNeOG
