𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐈𝐃 | tcf x wmmap

one

Death.

With its cold, empty grip encircled Cale's mortal form.

The fading pulse, the slowing, laboured cadence of his heart-these were the irrefutable, foreboding harbingers of his nearing demise.

All motion ceased.

All sound fell silent.

Without a single exception.

Down a long, endless hallway, Cale's glazed eyes scanned the void.

He was alone.

Totally isolated.

Adrift between space and time.

With no direction to go.

And so, Cale trudged on.

Aimlessly wandering this dark, desolate expanse.

Cale felt utterly exhausted.

He was so damn tired of this endless goddamn hallway leading nowhere.

Every step felt like trudging through molasses, his body barely responding.

The silence was suffocating.

Save for the faint rattling of his laboured breath.

He couldn't even hear his own weakening heartbeat anymore.

Just the hollow thud of his footsteps.

Was he even still alive in here?

He couldn't tell.

Up ahead, a glimmer of light flickered, catching his dimming eyes.

Cale squinted, not sure if this ethereal illumination was real or merely another cruel mirage conjured by his delirious mind.

He paused, chest heaving, staring at that distant glow.

A flicker of hope?

H̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶t̶i̶r̶e̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶c̶l̶i̶c̶h̶è̶s̶.̶

Slowly, Cale crept forward, drawn by some invisible, dying force.

As he approached more closer, the light grew brighter, burning his failing retinas.

He threw up a trembling hand to shield his eyes, the glare searing white-hot.

What the hell is happening?

Then, he heard it, a voice, soft and soothing, caressing his ear.

"Rest."

Cale's breath caught in his throat.

He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision.

But before he could make sense of anything, the light exploded, engulfing him in a blinding flash.

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