The Dark Rabbit (Novel Complete)

Part 17: The Red Door's Revelation (Alternating Aria and Ethan's POV).

Part 17: The Red Door's Revelation (Alternating Aria and Ethan's POV).

Aria:

I felt a shudder go down my spine as we waited for the red door to open. Even though we had overcome a great deal of difficulty, I was aware that the real test was still to come. We had finally reached the last hurdle, and the red door stood before us as the entrance to the one true truth that had evaded us all along.

Ethan, my travel partner and constant companion, had been there for me through all the ups and downs of our voyage, so I glanced over at him. I recognised the same blend of dread and resolve in his eyes that I experienced within myself. What was beyond the Red Door would completely alter our worldview and our perception of our role in it, as we were both well aware.

We were aware, however, that we must go on, face the secrets within, and accept the truth, no matter how ugly or challenging it may be. Stepping forward, we pushed open the red door after exhaling deeply and giving each other one last nod.

Ethan:

As soon as we stepped through the door, I could feel a change in the atmosphere—a strong sense of authority that seemed to permeate everything around us. Surrounded by pulsating, otherworldly light and swirling mists, the room beyond the Red Door was unlike anything I had ever encountered before. It was enormous and colossal.

Stunning in its twisted tangle of shadow and fire, the towering statue of the Dark Rabbit stood at the centre of the room, its eyes blazing with an intense intelligence that appeared to penetrate my very being. I sensed a profound epiphany that rocked me to my core as I peered into those eyes—a brief surge of knowledge.

Looking beyond appearances, I perceived the Dark Rabbit not as an agent of mayhem or devastation but as an essential agent of transformation. I watched as it propelled the cosmos ahead, destroying the old and the flat to create space for the fresh and the lively. It was part of the cosmic cycle, the never-ending ballet of creation and annihilation upon which the universe rests.

Aria:

Like Ethan, I stood by his side, gasping for air and quaking with fear as the waves of comprehension and awareness crashed over me. I beheld the deep connection between the Dark Rabbit and the cosmos and how he was an irrefutable and unstoppable force.

Everything was interconnected, and I realised that our individual paths, with their ups and downs, were just a little part of the larger cycle, a representation of the vital dance of life and death. The quantum labyrinth had been a furnace of trial and transformation, a place where we were reduced to our barest essentials and then reconstructed to fulfil the higher calling upon our lives.

Unease had crept over me like a shroud, and no matter how much I welcomed that truth, it remained with me. Realising the Dark Rabbit for what it really was was just the tip of the iceberg; I had no doubt that even greater enigmas and trials were yet to come.

Ethan:

The statue of Dark Rabbit started to flash and pulse as if reacting to my thoughts; its shape shifted and shimmered like a mirage in the scorching desert. While I was there, I noticed the surrounding mists coming together and taking form, eventually becoming a shimmering portal that invited us onward.

Aria shared the same clarity and determination that I was experiencing when I looked across at her. There was no doubt in either of our minds that the doorway signified the continuation of our quest and the arrival at the ultimate truth.

After exhaling deeply and exchanging one more nod, we bravely entered the portal, prepared to face whatever awaited us on the other side.

Aria: