The morning after their escape, Aiden insisted on returning to the building to confront what remained. Despite Maya’s protests, he was determined.
“We can’t leave things unfinished,” he said firmly. “My father deserves the truth.”
Reluctantly, Maya agreed to accompany him. Together, they descended into the underground floors once more. This time, the air felt heavier, the silence oppressive.
---
When they reached the third floor, the sight that greeted them froze them in their tracks.
Aiden’s father lay motionless on the cold concrete, his face pale and lifeless. Blood pooled around him, a sharp contrast to the gray walls. His body was slumped against the wall, his eyes open in a vacant, haunting stare.
“No…” Aiden whispered, rushing to his father’s side. He fell to his knees, shaking the older man’s shoulders. “Dad! Wake up! Please!”
Maya stood frozen, her hand over her mouth. Her heart ached as she watched Aiden crumble before her.
As Aiden’s hands trembled over his father’s lifeless form, his gaze fell on a small object clutched in the man’s hand. It was a recording device.
He exchanged a glance with Maya before pressing play.
---
The recording crackled to life, and his father’s voice echoed through the chamber.
“Aiden… if you’re hearing this, then I’m gone. I tried to stop him. I tried to save you.”
Aiden’s breath hitched.
“It’s Dante,” the recording continued. “He’s not who you think he is. He’s been working against us from the start. The shadows… the rift… everything was his doing. He manipulated the entity to gain power, and when I found out, he turned on me.”
Maya’s blood ran cold as the words sank in.
“I’m sorry, son. I wasn’t strong enough to stop him. But you can. You and Maya—you have to finish this. You have to destroy the rift before he uses it again. I believe in you.”
The recording ended abruptly, leaving a deafening silence in its wake.
---
Aiden sat frozen, his hands clenched into fists. His grief was replaced by a simmering rage. “He killed him,” Aiden said, his voice low and trembling. “Dante killed my father.”
Maya placed a hand on his shoulder, her own emotions threatening to overwhelm her. “Aiden, we’ll stop him. Together.”
He stood, his jaw set with determination. “I won’t let him hurt anyone else. It ends now.”
---
They began their search for Dante, their steps fueled by anger and resolve. The third floor revealed more clues: hastily scrawled notes in Dante’s handwriting, diagrams of the rift, and cryptic messages about harnessing its power.
“He wanted control,” Maya murmured, reading one of the notes aloud. “‘The rift bends to the will of the strongest mind.’”
“He’s delusional,” Aiden spat. “He doesn’t care who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants.”
---
As they explored deeper into the underground floors, they came across a hidden chamber that neither of them had seen before. Inside was a sprawling network of wires and machinery, all connected to a central device glowing faintly with the same eerie light as the book.
“This must be what he’s been using to manipulate the rift,” Maya said.
Suddenly, a voice echoed from the shadows.
“You’re smarter than I gave you credit for, Maya.”
They spun around to see Dante standing in the doorway, his face a mask of cold amusement.
---
“Dante,” Aiden growled, stepping forward. “You killed my father.”
Dante smirked. “He was in the way. Just like you were.”
“You’ve lost,” Maya said, her voice steady despite her fear. “We know what you’re doing, and we’ll stop you.”
Dante chuckled, his eyes glinting with malice. “You think you’ve won because you figured out a few pieces of the puzzle? You have no idea what you’re up against.”
He stepped closer, his presence oppressive. “The rift isn’t just a doorway. It’s a weapon. And with it, I’ll reshape this world into something better. Something where people like me finally get the power we deserve.”
---
Aiden clenched his fists, his anger boiling over. “You’re insane.”
“Am I?” Dante shot back. “You’ve seen what the rift can do. Imagine what it could achieve if someone controlled it fully. No more weakness, no more death—just endless possibilities.”
Maya’s mind raced as she listened to Dante’s twisted vision. She exchanged a glance with Aiden, and he gave her a small nod.
Without warning, Aiden lunged at Dante, catching him off guard. They grappled, their fight brutal and desperate. Maya rushed to the central device, searching for a way to disable it.
“Maya!” Dante shouted, shoving Aiden aside. “Don’t you dare!”
But she didn’t stop. She opened the book, its pages glowing brighter than ever, and began chanting the spell she had seen before.
---
The room trembled as the device sparked and hissed. Dante screamed in fury, lunging toward Maya, but Aiden tackled him, pinning him to the ground.
“You’ll never win,” Dante hissed, his voice venomous.
“Watch us,” Aiden shot back.
As Maya completed the spell, a blinding light filled the chamber. The device shattered, sending a shockwave through the air. Dante cried out as the power he had sought to control turned against him, engulfing him in a vortex of energy.
When the light faded, Dante was gone.
---
The chamber fell silent, save for Maya and Aiden’s ragged breathing. They looked at each other, the weight of everything they had lost and fought for hanging heavily between them.
“It’s over,” Maya whispered.
Aiden nodded, his eyes filled with a mix of grief and relief. “We stopped him.”
As they made their way out of the building, the first rays of dawn broke through the darkness. They knew the battle had cost them dearly, but they also knew they had done what was necessary to protect the world from Dante’s madness.
And as they walked into the light, hand in hand, they carried with them the memory of those they had lost and the hope for a brighter future.
YOU ARE READING
Beneath the Shattered Sky
RomanceIn the heart of a bustling city, Maya finds herself caught between two worlds-one filled with passion, secrets, and betrayal, and another yearning for freedom and clarity. When she meets Aiden, the charming but mysterious boy from her design school...
