I continue to plummet into the abyss, the wind whipping past me as I watch the torn skies above stitch themselves back together, sealing away the comforting void. That old, familiar unease creeps in, gnawing at me now that the Void is gone. “Just how far did it drag me?” I whisper, as my vision blurs, consciousness slipping, and I think—this might be it, for real this time. But then—

  “Ngh! Fuck—!”

  Agonizing pain erupts through my chest as two spikes impale me mid-fall. One drives straight through my ribcage, jutting out through my chest, the base of the spike lodged so deep that I’m practically skewered to the core. Another spears through my waist, tearing through the muscle and bone. These are… the same crystalline shards that tore through the Wall of Flesh, glittering with that cruel, indifferent light.

  “Was this… on purpose? Or just… some accidental friendly fire?” I choke out a ugh, blood pouring from my lips as I speak.

  My life force was already dwindling, drained by the Wall’s hurt feelings, but now… now I can feel it slipping away for good.

  “Well… I guess I can’t save you… after all…” I mutter, voice barely a whisper, as my body slumps lifelessly against the jagged crystal. Blood seeps down the length of the spike, dripping into the sea below, a final offering to this realm.

  ***

  “Nnh…” My eyelids feel impossibly heavy, refusing to lift. Wait—no, I don’t have eyelids anymore. I’m blind, but I can still feel, that familiar sensation of nothingness pressing in on all sides. The telltale sign that I’m back in the Void. “Aha, here we go again. Guess I’m just waiting for that damn Goddess to drag me out, huh?” I scoff at the thought. The st thing I want is to owe her anything more than I already do. I despise her, after all.

  “Mmm… let’s see what I can do myself…” I mutter, or at least think to myself, because it’s not like I have a mouth right now. I’m just a conscious speck, floating in the endless Void. What can you even work with when you’re reduced to nothing but thought? After a few moments of thinking, I decide that brute force is my best bet. I’ve got nothing but time here, so why not try every damn possibility?

  To my surprise, it only takes one attempt. I focus, straining my will against the nothingness around me, and suddenly—I have a body again. My own body. Still without my right arm sadly. “Woah!” I immediately sm my forehead into the ground. “Ouch… Okay, that’s new.” I blink a couple of times, flexing my fingers, feeling the rush of blood flooding back. I can see, I can touch. “Well, look at that. Turns out I can just will myself back into existence. Yay me.”

  I do wonder, why has this never worked before? Maybe it’s because every other time I’ve ended up here, I was already broken, desperate for oblivion. My will was weak, practically craving for death. “I mean, I still kinda want to die, but I guess this time I’ve got a bit of a fighting spirit left in me.” A wry grin spreads across my newly-formed lips.

  I push myself up and take in my surroundings. It’s a small room, if you can even call it that. The walls are… well, they’re not walls at all. There’s no gss, nothing solid to touch. It’s like I’m boxed in by some invisible barrier. I can feel it, but it’s not something I can break or see through. Like a forcefield marking my prison. “Yeah, that’s the best way I can describe it.” I mutter to no one in particur.

  Still, at least the outlines are clear enough for me to navigate through, so I won’t end up bumping my head like an idiot. Small victories, I guess. Now, let’s see if I can figure out how to break out of here before she comes back for me.

  A few more minutes pass, lost in thought, when suddenly a chill slithers down my spine. “Is… something out there?” I whisper to myself, my skin prickling with goosebumps. I can’t shake the feeling—I’m definitely being watched. It’s not just paranoia; it’s like an unseen presence has its eyes locked on me, scrutinizing me from a realm beyond my own. It feels like I’m a three-dimensional being under the gaze of something four-dimensional, something that shouldn’t be able to see me… yet here it is.

  Could it be the Goddess? Maybe, but I’ve never felt this kind of cold before. She’s always been distant, detached, only ever pulling me out of this pce, never actually stepping foot into the Void herself. If she had that power, I’m sure she’d funt it. It’s something beyond her reach, and definitely beyond mine. “Ugh, this is giving me a headache,” I mutter, trying to shake off the creeping dread. “I should just stop. If I keep poking around for answers, I’ll end up banging my head against these invisible walls.”

  Best to shelve this mystery for now. Maybe I can just confront her directly when—or if—I get out of here.

  Remember our promise.

  “Ah—!” A sudden, searing pain erupts in my skull, so intense it drives me to my knees. I clutch at my hair, fingers digging into my scalp as if that could somehow lessen the agony. Images fsh before me, a figure, a person, flickers in and out of my mind like a broken hologram. I can’t grasp who or what she is, only that she’s familiar in some deep, primal way. “Even after killing me, you still want me to save you?”

  Wake up. See the truth.

  “Yeah, yeah, easier said than done, silly,” I joke, my voice shaky. The pain begins to cool, receding to a dull throb.

  I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. Maybe I can will myself out of here again. It worked once, so why not now? The same brute force approach should do the trick, right? I have to try. I’m not staying trapped in this pce, not if I can help it.

  “Alright… let’s do this,” I mutter, closing my eyes and focusing every ounce of my willpower. I need to break free, to see the truth she’s talking about—whatever that may be.

  “Ay Void, if you’re really my friend, let me save this maiden, would you? She needs my help, and I owe her anyway.” I must look like a lunatic, talking to the empty darkness, but eh, who cares at this point?

  Almost immediately, I feel something cold and slimy start to wrap around my body, slithering up like a snake. It’s that same jelly-like substance that once tore my beloved right arm off, the memory alone enough to send a shockwave of PTSD through me. My muscles tense, my fight-or-flight response kicking in. But I force myself to to stay calm.

  “…Couldn’t you choose a less traumatic method?” I mutter, half-joking, though I know negotiating with the Void is pointless. It’s like asking a storm not to drown you. It always picks the most cruel, convoluted options. “Still, the worst one yet is when you gave me a fshback of murdering my little sister.” I smile wryly. I could never forgive.

  The liquid pauses, as if considering my words. But only for a moment. Then it resumes its suffocating embrace, coiling tighter around my head. I know what’s coming next.

  Just like before, they pierce through my pores, a thousand needles stabbing deep, hardening into something like steel inside my flesh. And then they expand, forcing my own body to tear itself apart from the inside out.

  At least it’s quick. Painful, excruciatingly so, but mercifully brief. And it’s not like this is my final death—I know the drill. This is just the Void’s way of transporting my consciousness back to that realm.

  Fucker… I manage to think, my st coherent thought before everything goes numb, and I lose all sense of touch, of being. Back to the beginning, back to the realm.

  ***

  Someone, on the other side of reality, is reveling in the spectacle.

  “Fascinating, truly magnificent,” she murmurs, her lips curling into a grin, her cheeks flushed with a mix of excitement and twisted delight as she watches the girl’s body being crushed to oblivion. “Ahh~” she moans, her breath hitching, savoring every moment. “You always manage to make things… unique.”

  A soft giggle escapes her, light and melodic. To anyone unaware of the true context, she would appear as a vision of purity, a celestial being of unmatched grace. But the glimmer in her eyes betrays a deeper, darker thrill. “She’s already bargaining with the Void… Hehe…” Another fit of giggles spills from her, her face flushed even deeper.

  With a theatrical cp of all six of her hands, she seals the moment with satisfaction. “Anasera… I’m so gd I marked you as mine.” Her voice is both a purr and a command, a cim over something—or someone—that belongs solely to her.

  She crosses her legs, shifting her position with elegance, and with a flick of her wrist, conjures a new “screen” before her. She leans forward, eyes gleaming, eagerly awaiting her beloved follower’s next act. The game isn’t over yet, and she’s more than ready to be entertained once more.

  ***

  Notes: Another chappie! Hehe, wrote this chapter to somewhat give an idea on what the Void really is. Since it's mentioned on almost every chapter, but it's always vague. :p

  I'm on fire this week! Another chappy tomorrow maybe, but as usual, please do let me know if you have any advices or insights. Enjoy! <3