The Path of Time ★ [3] ✔ (EDITING)

An End Hard Fought For

⏳ --

Air rushed into my lungs and I welcomed it, heaving it in. My eyes fluttered open, only for me having to continue to blink away the dust floating around. I went to sit up when a hand gently eased me down.

"Easy, Captain," I heard Astra coo.

"Where am I?" I coughed.

"Safe." Pain arced up my torso. A green glow appeared around her hands. "Five broken ribs. I'll do what I can to heal, but much of my power has been spent."

I laid back down and breathed out. As painful as it was, a soft chuckle escaped my lips. "You look like hell."

Astra smirked, an act I never thought I'd ever see. "So do you."

"What happened? The last thing I remember is some explosion."

"Eon is no more," she begun to explain. "The Lord and Lady tore him apart and the Time Vault took whatever was left him. Doing that cost them their lives. Doing that also caused Temporal Tower to collapse. I managed to portal us out of there in time."

And then it hit me, and my eyes widened. "Andi!"

I gritted through what pain was left, pushing Astra's healing hands away to stagger to my feet. I turned around to see the rubble and destruction of the Tower sprawled out in front of me, the cloud that once swirled above it long gone.

We picked our way through the debris, Astra holding out her hand to sense for life. I called Andi's name, and got no reply. I called her name again and again and was faced with nothing but the sound of dust and rubble and silence.

We split up in hopes of finding her better that way. I picked through the rubble, pulling out rocks in hopes that she would be there. I found my shield not long into my search, and I pulled it out from being wedged in between two stones and reconnected it to my back.

"Andi!" I called for what felt like the hundredth time.

She wasn't dead. I refused to believe that. She was stronger than that. She had survived too much to lose her life to a toppling tower. No. And I would've felt it. I was so connected with her that I honestly believed that I was one with her. I would know if something...bad were to happen to her.