Alex’s scream of terror mingled with the howling wind as they plummeted through the endless void. His arms flailed uselessly, reaching for anything to grab onto, but there was nothing—just infinite darkness.
“THIS IS NOT HOW I WANTED TO GO OUT!” Alex shouted, though his words were swallowed by the deafening roar around him.
Beside him, Amira’s descent was no less chaotic, but she somehow managed to steady herself enough to glare at him. “You could at least TRY to be helpful!”
“Helpful?! What do you want me to do, flap my arms and fly?”
Before Amira could respond, a burst of light illuminated the void below them. The light rapidly grew brighter, revealing what looked like a massive, web-like structure stretching across the abyss.
“We’re going to hit that!” Amira yelled.
“I don’t know if that’s better or worse than falling forever!” Alex retorted.
With a collective thud, they crashed onto the web, the impact jarring but surprisingly non-lethal. The surface was sticky yet firm, and it stretched slightly under their weight.
Alex groaned, peeling himself off the web-like material. “Great. Now we’re trapped in some kind of cosmic spider’s lair. Because that’s exactly what we needed.”
Amira rolled her eyes, brushing strands of the sticky substance off her arms. “Stop whining and figure out where we are.”
A sudden movement caught their attention, and they turned to see Aros land gracefully a few feet away, his staff glowing faintly. He surveyed the web with a grim expression.
“We are in the Rift’s lower layers,” Aros said, his tone ominous. “This place is a convergence point for lost realities—worlds that have been consumed by the Rift’s instability.”
“Lost realities?” Amira asked, frowning.
“Worlds that no longer exist,” Aros explained. “Fragments of what once was, now trapped here in perpetual limbo.”
“Awesome,” Alex said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “So we’re stuck in a graveyard for dead worlds. How do we get out of here?”
Before Aros could answer, the web beneath their feet trembled, sending ripples through the sticky surface.
“That’s not good,” Alex muttered, glancing around nervously. “Please tell me that’s not what I think it is.”
The trembling grew stronger, and a low, guttural growl echoed through the abyss. Out of the darkness, a massive shape began to emerge—a monstrous creature with multiple glowing eyes and long, spindly legs that clung to the web.
“Yep. Definitely a giant spider,” Alex said, backing away. “I hate being right sometimes.”
The creature let out a bone-rattling screech, its eyes locking onto the trio as it advanced.
“RUN!” Aros commanded, his staff glowing as he sent a blast of energy at the creature. The attack barely slowed it down, and the web beneath their feet shook violently as the creature lunged.
Alex and Amira didn’t need to be told twice. They sprinted across the web, their movements hampered by the sticky surface.
“This is NOT how I imagined saving the world would go!” Alex shouted as he narrowly avoided one of the creature’s legs slamming down beside him.
Amira glanced over her shoulder. “Less talking, more running!”
Aros brought up the rear, his staff glowing as he hurled energy blasts at the creature. Each strike caused the beast to shriek in fury, but it kept coming, its movements eerily precise despite its massive size.
Ahead of them, the web stretched into the distance, but faint glimmers of light hinted at an escape route.
“There!” Amira shouted, pointing to the lights. “That has to lead somewhere!”
“If it doesn’t, we’re officially out of ideas!” Alex replied, his breath coming in gasps.
As they neared the glowing lights, the web began to shift, sections of it detaching and folding inward like a collapsing bridge.
“Are you kidding me?!” Alex yelled, leaping over a gap that had suddenly appeared in the web.
Amira grabbed his arm, pulling him forward as another section collapsed behind them. “Stop complaining and move!”
The creature let out another screech, its massive legs smashing through the web as it pursued them.
“We’re not going to make it!” Alex shouted, his voice panicked.
“Have faith!” Aros called from behind, his staff flaring with light.
With a final burst of speed, they reached the edge of the web and leapt into the glowing lights. For a moment, everything was blindingly bright, and Alex braced himself for another fall.
But instead of plummeting, they landed on solid ground. The lights dimmed, revealing a strange new environment—a cavernous space filled with towering pillars of crystalline energy. The air buzzed with power, and faint whispers echoed around them.
Alex collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. “Okay. Can we all agree that giant spiders are officially the worst?”
Amira ignored him, her attention focused on the crystalline pillars. “What is this place?”
“This is a waystation,” Aros said, his tone cautious. “A remnant of the civilization that created the Rift. It is a place of transition—a crossroads between realities.”
“So… we’re safe here?” Alex asked, still lying on the ground.
“Safe is a relative term,” Aros replied, his gaze scanning the room.
As if on cue, one of the pillars began to flicker, and a holographic image appeared in the air. It depicted a humanoid figure with elongated features and glowing eyes. The figure’s voice was calm but urgent.
“Travelers,” the figure said, “you have reached the Nexus. But beware—your presence here has been detected. The Rift’s guardian is on its way.”
Alex groaned, sitting up. “Why is it always something?”
Before anyone could respond, the ground beneath them rumbled, and a deep, mechanical roar echoed through the chamber.
“Speak of the devil,” Amira muttered, her hand instinctively reaching for her sidearm.
The light from the pillars began to fade, and a massive shadow loomed at the far end of the chamber.
“It’s here,” Aros said, his voice low.
The shadow stepped into the light, revealing a towering, armored figure with glowing red eyes. Its voice was a mixture of grinding metal and unearthly growls.
“You do not belong here,” it said, raising a massive blade. “Prepare to be purged.”
Alex stared at the monstrous figure, his face pale. “I miss the spider.”
And then, with a deafening roar, the guardian charged.