The cracks spread faster, ripping across the false sky like spiderwebs. The lightning giant trembled, its golden form flickering as the foundation of this memory world collapsed.
Pieces of the land floated up, breaking apart into glowing dust. The air itself thinned, warping and unraveling.
I stood there, watching it all fall apart.
The cage crumbled. The towering giant split apart into motes of golden light. Red's shredded mind couldn't hold the world together anymore.
A soundless pull grabbed at me. Like a tide, dragging me backward, away from the broken pieces, back toward the real world.
I closed my eyes.
The last thing I saw was Red's ruined figure crumpled inside the dissolving world.
Then—
My senses snapped back like a rubber band.
I gasped as reality crashed over me.
I was back.
Back in the cell filled with darkness.
The weight of her hand still rested on my head, but it was different now. Limp. Heavy.
I slowly extended my perception around the place.
