Something In The Way-SYLUS X MC X ZAYNE

Chapter 21 "The Edge of Darkness"

I woke up on something cold and hard, my cheek pressed against a surface that felt unyielding. My head throbbed—a pulsing, searing ache that made my eyes water. Blinking against the pain, I tried to take in my surroundings, but everything was a hazy blur. The lights above me were harsh and white, illuminating the empty, sterile room that smelled faintly of antiseptic and something metallic.

I moved slowly, each inch excruciating. My fingers grazed the back of my head, and I winced, feeling the tender spot where something had struck me. Suddenly, images flashed through my mind, unsteady and fractured—a memory struggling to piece itself together. I remembered standing in Sylus's room, about to put on my clothes, and then... darkness. I'd felt a sharp impact, heard a muffled noise, and then I remembered legs—someone standing over me as I crumpled to the floor, helpless.

A shiver ran down my spine. I wasn't safe. Wherever I was, it wasn't anywhere I recognized. Panic surged through me, and I forced myself to stand, though my legs were shaky. I tried to call out, but my voice came out a cracked whisper.

"Sylus," I called softly, then louder, "Sylus! Where are you?"

My heart pounded as my voice echoed, empty and unanswered. I staggered forward, pressing my palms to the white, spotless walls, feeling for any kind of seam, any hint of an opening. Frustrated, I slammed my fist against the wall. To my shock, the wall shimmered, flickering slightly as though a hologram had glitched, revealing a heavy, metal door behind it.

I pounded on the door with all the strength I could muster. "Let me out!" I shouted. "Can anyone hear me? Sylus!"

My fists stung, but I didn't care. I banged again and again, desperate. Just when I thought my voice would break, a voice echoed around the room, cold and sharp, as if the walls themselves were speaking.

"Screaming will do you no good," a low, male voice sneered. "You're in a high-tech enclosure, my dear. Reinforced walls, unbreakable barriers. You're wasting your breath."

The voice sent a chill down my spine. I steadied myself, my hands balled into fists. "Who are you? And where's Sylus?" I demanded, willing my voice not to tremble.

There was a pause, a long, tense silence, and then the voice responded, smooth and dripping with something unsettlingly close to satisfaction. "Sylus... Interesting that he's the first thing you ask about. I wonder if he would ask about you so quickly."

"Who are you?" I demanded again, more firmly, hoping to mask my fear.

A deep, unsettling chuckle echoed through the room, taunting. "They called me Theo once. Though I doubt Sylus ever mentioned me—he only recalls what's convenient to his own sense of power. Typical of him, wouldn't you say?"

I didn't respond, but the man seemed undeterred by my silence. He went on, his voice tinged with something sharp and brittle. "Sylus and I... we were close once. He trusted me. I knew his secrets; I stood by him... until he betrayed me."

My mind raced, piecing together the words he was saying. It was difficult to imagine Sylus trusting anyone, but something about Theo's tone sounded... familiar, as if a shared history simmered beneath every word.

"Betrayal?" I said, testing the waters. "What did Sylus do?"

The voice went quiet for a moment, and then Theo replied, but this time his tone held a hint of something raw, like an old wound reopened. "He took everything. Destroyed it. I lost... I lost the one thing that mattered more than anything in this world because of him. My wife. He cost me her life."

The weight of his words settled over me, dark and heavy. I tried to imagine Sylus—the same man who had held me, who made me feel safe—capable of such a betrayal. But before I could fully process it, Theo's voice cut through my thoughts.