The air felt thick, oppressive. Every inch of the space around them seemed to groan in warning, as if the fabric of the world itself were being unraveled. Cassius lay on the ground, his chest rising and falling in uneven, shallow breaths. He was alive, but barely.
Cedric stood over him, every movement slow and deliberate, as though the weight of the last hours was finally catching up with him. He grimaced as the healing fire coursed through his veins, still working, but taking longer than it should. The Phoenix Flames were not quick in this state. His body had been battered, ribs cracked, muscles shredded by the violent clash with Cassius.
"I'm fine," Cedric muttered, rubbing his temples. "It's just going to take a while."
Avaia was already kneeling beside Cassius, her pale hands glowing faintly with healing light, though Cassius' body was a strange thing to heal. The curse he carried, the fire in his veins, it was as though the healing light wasn't enough to touch him fully, not with the flame lingering beneath his skin.
"We need to move," Lucius said, breaking the silence. His eyes were scanning the surroundings, alert, sharp. "It's getting worse. The subplane's collapsing, and we don't have much time."
Cedric spoke confused, "Is there anything to confirm the subplane is collapsing?"
A low, ominous hum vibrated through the air, the distortion of reality more apparent now. The floor beneath them trembled, the void expanding like an infection. The very space around them was disintegrating.
A sudden, sharp crack split the air. The collapsing subplane reacted violently, as though the world was tearing apart at its seams. The walls shifted as if they were liquid stone, but there was no longer time to question the source of the disturbance.
Cassius stirred, his body convulsing briefly. His eyes fluttered open, but his vision was blurry, distant. He could hear the low hum of the collapsing world around him, but the voices, the sharp words his siblings were speaking, all of it seemed to fade into a strange ringing.
His head felt heavy. His limbs felt heavy and filled with pain.
But he wasn't allowed to rest. Not yet.
Cedric was already by his side, hoisting him up. Cassius, still disoriented, tried to move but found his body uncooperative. The warmth, the overwhelming heat that had consumed him earlier, still lingered in his chest. His mind, muddled by the aftermath of the infernal power he'd unleashed, couldn't focus.
"Cassius," Cedric said, his voice carrying an edge of urgency. "We have to move. Now."
The words didn't reach him fully, and for a moment, Cassius wished they hadn't. He could barely hear them. All he could feel was the heavy thrum of his pulse, the scorching pain that pulsed like fire through his veins, and the unrelenting pressure of the collapsing subplane that was suffocating him.
Without another word, Cedric threw Cassius' arm over his shoulder, lifting him with surprising ease considering the damage he had taken. The others fell in step behind them, moving quickly through the crumbling, warping space.
They reached the location the portal had been at when they arrived, their only hope of escape, but the rift was barely hanging together. The edges of the portal flickered weakly, collapsing in on themselves with each passing second.
It was even more surprising that it had reopened, but they did have a time in the subplane after all. It seemed it was that time to leave, and they very much so agreed.
Cedric turned to face his siblings. "Stay close," he ordered, his voice colder now, carrying an edge of finality.
It was unclear to his siblings that Cedric had more, so now he was telling himself to stay composed and not to fall apart.
Liora nodded, her hands crackling with energy, her eyes filled with the silent fear of the unknown. Avaia's healing light had dimmed, and Lucius looked like he was barely holding himself together.
Cedric took a step forward, raising his hand. The portal flickered. The air around them rippled.
Then came a voice, a voice they hadn't expected.
A projection.
Their superior.
His face appeared in the air before them, ghostly and distorted by the wavering rift. "Valerius siblings, report," the voice was strained, urgent. "What's happening there?"
Cedric's jaw clenched. "The guild's slaughtered. This subplane was an enigma. Whatever Cassius did…" He paused, his eyes glancing briefly at his brother before he continued. "…whatever he did, it caused the subplane to collapse far sooner than we anticipated."
The superior looked deeply confused, head tilting, saying quietly to himself, "Cassius? The hollow?"
The superior let out a heavy sigh. "Of course. It seems whatever power Cassius unleashed has destabilized the entire subplane. It was never meant to last long, but this…" He cut himself off, frustration building in his tone. "Get through the recon point. Now. It'll stabilize long enough to get you out, but you need to hurry."
"We're already here."
"Very well then."
Without waiting for a reply, the superior's image flickered and vanished, leaving them to scramble for what little time they had left.
The subplane's collapse was more immediate now. The ground shifted underfoot, and the walls cracked, sending shards of stone into the void.
"Go!" Cedric barked.
They sprinted toward the rift, the space around them warping even further. Cassius, still dazed, felt his limbs dragging him down, but Cedric kept him upright, half-carrying, half-dragging him toward the portal.
But the rift was closing faster than they could reach it.
The air hummed. The ground trembled.
With one last effort, they hurled themselves into the portal, barely making it through as the world around them shattered.