Chapter 16 — The Weight of First
The hall screamed as stone gave up.
Chunks fell from the ceiling, smashing into the floor behind them. Dust filled the air, sharp and choking. The thing stepped forward through it, unbothered, its grin wider now, as if this was its favorite part.
The edge yawned open in front of Kael and Lira. Black. Silent. No sense of depth at all.
Lira's fingers dug into Kael's sleeve. "I'm not going first."
Kael didn't answer right away.
The guide watched them, hands folded, eyes bright with interest. "Indecision is also a choice," it said lightly.
The thing behind them took another step. The floor cracked under its weight.
Kael exhaled through his teeth. "If you fall—"
"I know," Lira snapped. "No promises."
Another laugh echoed behind them. Closer now.
Kael moved.
He grabbed Lira by the wrist and shoved her forward.
She yelped, stumbled, and vanished over the edge.
For half a heartbeat, Kael felt nothing but empty space in his chest.
Then the thing lunged.
Kael turned and jumped backward.
The black swallowed him whole.
The last thing he saw was the guide's smile fading—just a little—as if this outcome hadn't been guaranteed.
The fall didn't feel like falling.
It felt like being pulled sideways through cold water.
Kael hit something hard and rolled, breath exploding out of him. Pain flared in his shoulder. Real pain. Solid.
He groaned and pushed himself up.
Stone again. A narrow ledge this time, clinging to the side of a vast drop. Far below, faint lights moved slowly, like stars that had sunk too deep.
Lira lay a few feet away, flat on her back, staring upward.
She laughed. Short. Sharp. Almost hysterical.
"You're terrible," she said.
Kael let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "You're alive."
"Barely." She sat up, rubbing her arm. "Next time, warn me."
Kael started to reply—
And then something landed above them.
Heavy.
The ledge shuddered.
Dust rained down.
Lira's smile vanished. "Kael…"
He looked up.
The thing clung to the rock face above them, fingers sunk deep into stone, its grin stretched wider than ever.
It hadn't fallen.
It had followed..