Rio woke to darkness.
Not the darkness of a room, but something far deeper—endless and hollow. It felt as though he were suspended in nothingness, drifting in an infinite void with no sense of up or down. There was no ground, no sky—only black.
Then he saw something.
No… someone.
A distant figure stood motionless ahead of him.
Rio began to walk toward it. Each step felt unnatural, as if the ground existed only because he believed it did. The darkness swallowed his feet, making it feel as though he were moving through the heart of a black hole.
As he drew closer, the silhouette sharpened.
It was Filip.
"Filip!" Rio broke into a run, no longer caring what—if anything—lay beneath him.
His best friend lay motionless on the unseen ground.
Rio dropped to his knees beside him, panic clawing at his chest. He pressed two fingers to Filip's neck, holding his breath.
Then—
"Th-thank goodness," Filip muttered weakly. "I thought I was alone at the end of the world."
Relief flooded through Rio. He let out a shaky breath, his hands trembling.
"You idiot," he whispered. "Don't scare me like that."
After making sure Filip was breathing and unhurt, Rio slowly looked around.
There were no walls. No floor. No ceiling.
Just darkness.
"Is this… a dream?" Rio muttered.
Think. Think.
"What's the last thing you remember?" he asked.
Filip frowned, rubbing his temples."We were exploring the temple. There was an amulet… or maybe a medallion. When I got close to it, everything just… went black."
Rio's chest tightened.
"If that's true," he said quietly, "then where are we now? And what brought us here?"
Before Filip could respond, a voice echoed through the void.
It was calm.Melodic.And it came from everywhere—and nowhere—at once.
Both boys froze, slowly turning in place, searching the darkness.
They found nothing.
Rio's legs nearly gave out. He would have collapsed if Filip hadn't grabbed his arm.
Filip straightened, forcing confidence into his voice."Who's there? Show yourself!"
Silence followed.
Then the voice returned—smooth, enchanting, almost sorrowful:
"I bear no name, yet my presence is heard.I possess no body, yet I speak.What else could I be… if not a god?"
Filip let out a short, disbelieving laugh."A god? And why should we believe a disembodied voice like yours?"
"You may believe whatever you wish," the voice replied calmly. "But I am the reason you are here. And for that… I am sorry."
Rio swallowed hard and gathered what courage he had left."If that's true… can you send us back? Back to the temple?"
The void fell silent.
For a long moment.
Then the voice spoke again, softer than before.
"That is impossible. You died when you touched the amulet."
The words struck like a blade.
Rio's knees gave out. He collapsed, staring into the darkness, his mind refusing to accept what he had heard.
"Dead?" Filip shouted. "That's impossible! We're right here—I can feel my body!"
The voice carried a note of quiet grief.
"The amulet was an ancient ritual tool my followers once used to commune with the dead. Each ritual demanded a price… a living sacrifice. You are the first humans taken instead of an animal."
Rio began to tremble, tears burning in his eyes.
"So we were sacrificed?" Filip said, his voice unsteady as he supported his friend. "Without even knowing?"
"Yes."
Filip swallowed hard."Then… what happens to us now?"
"Your souls," the voice said, "are too powerful to return to the world you came from. However, I can offer you two paths."
The darkness seemed to press closer.
"I can erase your memories and allow you to be reborn… or I can carry you to another world—one filled with magic, danger, and mystery."
Filip opened his mouth to answer.
But he couldn't.
Because Rio was breaking down beside him, crying for a home he would never return to.
And all Filip could do was wait.
Wait for his friend to understand the truth.