"Ah we have guest," the core said with a delighted tone. It peered through its realm searching the vast chaos. "I can sense the eyes of another peering into our realm."
Our home.
Our prison.
The plan of existence known as the otherworld.
Yet...
Yet within the otherworld there is a space none can reach with normal means. A place full of ruined streets and broken towers that drifted, merging and colliding, the roots of Yggdrasil coilied below the surface in an endless laybrinth.
This was her domain. Her personal piece of the otherworld itself.
Aiden walked through her territory. His boots scraped across an uneven plane of cracked concrete and pale light. His shoulders were hunched, his resolve shaving away with every second. His giant magical sword hung listfully and its tip dragged in the dirt beneath it. its form slowly chipping away from the battles along the way.
He stopped at the edge of a broken platform and stared into the abyss below. His blonde hair clung to his face damp with sweat.
"So this is where it ends," he muttered brushing the strands out of his eyes.
The core contiued to watched him from everywhere and no where from deep within its inner sanctum.
She thought of how fascinating it was when one of these pawns made it this far. It was such a rare occurrence, unless she invited her children personally of course.
That was when her true enemy walked in.
"You cannot stop," said the myterious figure. "Not now."
Aiden did not look at her. "You didn't say anything about jumping to my death."
"Thats the only way deeper in." Her voice rebuttled harshly. "Lila would not want you to give up. She believed in you, And fate has given you yet another trial. You have no choice if you wish to fulfill your wish."
That landed.
The core could feel it in the tremor that passed through him.
"Yeah no choice...," he muttered. " still Kind of an important detail to not know ahead of time."
"Whats more important is that You came all this way for her," whispered the core.
Aiden turned to his companion with total shock in his eyes, her once radiant form dimmed clearly caught off gaurd as well. The light that had surrounded her like a protective halo was flickering, attempting to find her in the great expanse. She hovered a few feet away, her green eyes weary.
The Core's words whispering directly to their very souls. "But if that is so, you're wasting your time."
He took a defensive stance, his grip tightened on the sword pointed at nothing. "You do not get to talk about her."
"Do I not." The words echoed in the dark. "You walked into my home chasing her shadow. That alone gives me the right."
The floating goddess turned toward the space around him. "Do not bother core. You know as well as I that this man can withstand anything you throw at him."
The core said blankly. "You left your roost, Sylva, for this man. How unexpected. I thought you preferred to watch from a distance."
Her light flared. "I will make sure I stop you this time."
Aiden shifted the weight of his blade, pressing a hand to his chest. His eyes wandered to the memories of those lost along the way. He knew he must continue to push forward.
"Where is she," he demanded.
It answered gently. "Inside me. Your Lila is already here. Every part of her you loved is folded into my essense."
Sylva shook her head. "That is not true. She is still fighting. Dont play with his heart you monster."
Aiden looked between her and the dark abyss below. His eyes were wet. His hands were shaking.
"You told me you could help me," he said to Sylva. "I can trust you, right?"
"Of coarse you can," she said quickly. "But if you give up now, she will be lost forever. You're the only one who can break the cycle."
Aiden laughed bitterly, the sound harsh in the silent expanse. "Break the cycle? Look around, Sylva. This world is already broken. Everything I've done everything I've fought for it's meaningless. The Core is too strong. It always was."
Sylva's light dimmed further, but her gaze didn't waver. "That's what it wants you to believe. The Core thrives on despair. Every time you falter, it grows stronger."
Aiden shook his head, stepping back from the edge. "You don't get it. I'm tired, Sylva. Tired of fighting, tired of hoping. I can't save her. I couldn't even save myself."
The roots beneath his feet began to move, sinking slightly as the black goo pressed upward.
"You dont deserve this anguish," the core told him. "Every step you take only leads you back to this pain. You could let it go. Relinquish your burdens. There is peace in surrender."
Sylva's voice cut through the whispers. "Aiden, listen to me. The Core is lying. Bending the knee to it will not bring her back. You're stronger enough to see that."
"Bring her back?," Aiden whispered, tears slipping down his face. "I thought... she was still alive."
The ground gave way.
Aiden dropped to one knee, then both. The sword slipped from his grasp and vanished into the dark.
Sylva reached for him. Her hand stopped inches from his shoulder.
"Do not do this," she said. For the first time, her voice wavered.
He looked up at her, fury burning through the grief.
"You lied to me," he said. "You said I could save her."
"If I jump… if I keep going… that has to mean something, right?"
"I said you had a chance."
"Is that not the same thing!"
The shadows rose, pulling him deeper into the black goo.
Sylva hesitated.
Escape or intervention.
Her light pulled back, retreating from the collapsing ground.
"Of course you left like everyone else," he whispered. "We are done."
The darkness closed over his waist, then his chest.
"I will reshape you in my image," the core said softly. "You will not have to hurt anymore."
"I'm sorry, Lila," he whispered, losing the remaining strength he had.
His eyes emptied as the void swallowed him.
Just before his mind slept, the core whispered one last goodbye to the man he once was.
"Through this life or the next," she murmured, its voice laced with venom and possession, "I will always find you."
Afterall, they had all of eternity and surely there would be others.