The Secrets of the Elements

Untitled Part 130

Maya found herself in a dark sphere, the world around her strange and shapeless. The air pressed against her skin, thick and heavy, and every footfall echoed into the vast nothingness. She staggered to her feet, heart racing, and followed the only path she could make out—a thin, flickering trail of light that led nowhere and everywhere.

"Advikaaa!" she screamed, her voice bouncing off invisible walls. She ran, darting left and right, panic building with each dead end.

A voice, familiar and close, froze her mid-step.

"What have you done!?" Maya gasped, whipping around to face a figure standing in the shadows.

"Protect," the figure whispered, a tremor in her voice as she stepped back, shrinking from Maya's approach.

Maya's heart pounded against her ribs. "What do you mean? What have you done?!"

The figure's eyes shimmered, unreadable. "Thank you for coming. But you have to go back. I made a deal. And I have to honour it."

"No," Maya whispered, stepping forward. "No, you don't have to—"

Something stirred behind her. A whisper of movement, soft but unmistakable. It brushed her like the ghost of a breath against her neck. Maya spun, fists clenched—only for the world to dissolve beneath her feet.

She woke with a jolt, gasping for air. Her heart was still racing, and tears ran hot down her cheeks. She wiped them away with trembling hands, but it didn't stop the ache spreading in her chest.

"You betrayed us, after all," she whispered to the empty room, the words burning as they left her lips.

~~~~~

Rishi woke with a violent start, his chest heaving as if he'd been running for hours. His shirt clung to his back, damp with sweat, and the air in his lungs felt too thin, too sharp. Kicking the blanket aside, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, only to flinch as his soles met the ice-cold floor. The chill shot up his legs, making his skin prickle, and his feet flushed pink from the shock.

He looked around, blinking against the dizziness that blurred his vision. The room tilted and spun, and for a moment, it felt like he might fall—until he steadied himself with one hand on the wall.

He was somewhere unfamiliar. A hospital, maybe? White walls, flickering lights, the faint stench of disinfectant. But there were no nurses. No patients. Only silence.

His heart raced faster. Something wasn't right. He stumbled toward the door and yanked it open, breath coming fast and shallow.

The hallway outside stretched endlessly—empty, still, like a frozen moment in time.

Then, he saw her.

"Advika?" Rishi whispered, his voice cracking as he bent forward, hands on his knees, gasping for air. His throat felt as dry as paper.

She stood at the far end of the hallway, just watching him. There were dark shadows under her eyes, and her face seemed thinner somehow, like she'd been carrying a weight no one could see.

"What's happening?" he asked, staggering toward her. His legs wobbled beneath him, but he kept moving, desperate to reach her.

Advika didn't answer right away. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. "You need to wake up."

Rishi stopped, confused. He glanced around again, slower this time, taking in the strange stillness of the place. "So we're in some... dimension?" he guessed, running a hand through his damp hair. "A dream?"

Advika gave a small nod, but her eyes glimmered with unshed tears.

"Let's go back," Rishi said, extending a hand to her. "Together."