Kapitel 7: Separation
Akio gasped, his senses bombarded by the unfamiliar and overwhelming surroundings. He was sprawled on a patch of ground that felt like solid earth, but it hovered precariously in a vast, dark void. Above and around him, fragments of landscapes—forests, deserts, ruins—floated aimlessly, like pieces of a shattered mirror suspended in midair. Some were whole, while others crumbled at the edges, dissolving into the blackness beyond.
His head pounded as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was the blinding light, the feeling of being torn apart, and Yuna's scream. Now, he was alone in this surreal, fractured world.
The air was thick, almost suffocating, charged with an energy that made his skin prickle. It was a sensation that reminded him of the Elysian Fields, but this was far more intense, more chaotic. Breathing was a struggle, as if the very atmosphere was pressing down on him, trying to crush him under its weight.
"Yuna!" Akio's voice echoed in the void, swallowed by the vastness. There was no response. Panic began to set in, his mind racing with possibilities—had she been thrown into another part of this strange place, or worse, had she been lost in the transition?
Stumbling to his feet, Akio surveyed his surroundings. The patch of land he stood on was small, bordered by a sheer drop into the abyss. Beyond that, he could see other fragments—some close enough to leap to, others impossibly distant. He needed to move, to find Yuna, to figure out where they were.
But before he could act, a flash of movement caught his eye. A figure was approaching from the darkness, moving across one of the unstable bridges of energy that connected the floating islands. The figure was cloaked, their features obscured, but their movements were fluid, purposeful.
Akio tensed, ready to defend himself. But as the figure drew closer, they raised a hand in a gesture of peace.
"You're not from here," the figure said, their voice calm, though tinged with urgency. It was a man, his face shadowed beneath the hood, but Akio could see the glint of sharp, observant eyes. "Come with me. It's not safe out in the open."
"Who are you?" Akio demanded, not lowering his guard.
"A friend, for now. But if you stay here, you'll draw the attention of... less friendly things. We need to move." The man turned, not waiting for Akio to follow.
After a moment's hesitation, Akio realized he had little choice. Wherever this man was leading him, it was better than being left alone in this place. He followed, his senses on high alert.
The man led him across the bridge, the energy beneath their feet crackling with instability. The journey was short, taking them to a larger, more stable fragment—a ruined temple, half-consumed by the void, but still standing. Inside, it was dark, the oppressive energy slightly less overwhelming.
"You'll be safe here for now," the man said, lowering his hood. His face was sharp, with high cheekbones and a thin scar running down one side. He looked at Akio with a mixture of curiosity and caution. "You're in the Shattered Veil, a place between worlds. A place where the rules of reality are... flexible."
"The Shattered Veil..." Akio echoed, the name sending a shiver down his spine. "How did I get here?"
The man shook his head. "That, I don't know. But you're not the first to arrive here by accident, and you won't be the last. The important thing is to survive. This place is... unpredictable."
Akio's mind raced, but before he could ask more questions, the man cut him off. "Rest. You'll need your strength if you're going to make it out of here. We'll talk more later."
Reluctantly, Akio sat down, his exhaustion catching up to him. As the man left him alone in the darkened temple, Akio couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of something much larger, much more dangerous.
---
Yuna awoke with a start, her heart pounding in her chest. She was surrounded by darkness, the ground beneath her cold and unyielding. Panic surged through her—where was she? Where was Akio?
She forced herself to take deep breaths, trying to calm the rising fear. Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the gloom, revealing her surroundings. She was on a small island of land, surrounded by the same void that had swallowed her moments ago. In the distance, she could see other fragments of land, some flickering with faint, ghostly light.
"Akio!" she called out, her voice trembling slightly. There was no answer, only the eerie silence of this strange place. She bit her lip, trying to keep the tears at bay. She had to be strong, had to find a way out of here.
But as she stood up, a strange feeling washed over her. It was as if the very air around her was alive, pulsating with energy. She reached out, hesitantly, and felt a faint warmth against her fingertips. The energy here was different, almost... welcoming. It resonated with her, stirring something deep within her soul.
Yuna put her hand out, and tried looking for a tear. It was too dark to see so she was constantly imbuing the air with her 'thought'. The air of this realm was.. malleable for her. It was shaping itself into a tear for Yuna. Yuna didnt realize this and thought that she simply got lucky. She then imbued the newly created tear with 'detection' and the tear shaped into a spread out light. This light attached to anything that was alive. If she focused she could tell where this light was by heart. And so she closed her eyes.
Her eyes snapped open, and she turned toward the sensation. There, not far from her, was a faint glow—her light attached to someone. Without thinking, she began to move toward it, her feet carrying her across the unstable ground.
As she drew closer, the light grew brighter, and she could make out a shape—a figure standing at the edge of a crumbling cliff. It was a man, tall and imposing, with long, flowing hair that shimmered in the light. His back was turned to her, but there was something about him that struck a chord deep within her.
"Who... who are you?" Yuna called out, her voice echoing in the void.
The figure didn't move, didn't turn to face her. But she could feel his gaze on her, could sense the intensity of his presence. For a moment, there was only silence, and then he spoke, his voice low and resonant.
"You are not ready."
Before Yuna could respond, the light around the figure flared, blinding her. She stumbled back, shielding her eyes, but when the light faded, the figure was gone, leaving her alone once more.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein