Steps Into Oblivion

The group pressed forward, a silent yet steady march toward the distant staircase. From afar, it had appeared somewhat close, suspended in the void like a promise. But as they walked, it became clear: distance was meaningless in this strange space.

No matter how long they moved, the staircase remained just out of reach—mocking them with its constant presence.

Adam trailed behind, hands shoved into his pockets, eyes scanning the others ahead. The dancer led with practiced grace, followed closely by the soldier, the boxer, the Chinese office worker, the medical student, and finally Nisrine.

Their pace was steady but tense. The atmosphere around them had thickened, like the slow build of pressure before a thunderstorm.

He could feel it too.

A dull ache throbbed in his chest, not from exertion, but from something deeper—an instinctive warning. The space around them felt too still, too silent.

"We need to hurry up," the dancer said suddenly, her voice clipped and sharp.

"It's taking longer than expected to reach the staircase to heaven," the soldier muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

The medical student, panting slightly, added, "Walking's not enough. We should run."

Without hesitation, they broke into a jog.

To them, it seemed effortless. To Adam however, it was torment. Every step sent pain shooting through his lungs. Sweat beaded on his brow. His legs burned despite the supposed lack of fatigue or hunger in this realm. His breath became ragged, each inhale scraping like sandpaper.

He had to sprint with all he's got just to barely catch up to their light jog.

What's wrong with me? he thought. Why am I the only one struggling?

Eventually, the staircase took shape. No longer a distant illusion, it revealed itself as a structure of impossible beauty—steps carved from radiant white jade, shimmering with a light that felt…they seemed divine.

Strange engravings coiled across each step, pulsing faintly with ethereal energy. The symbols meant nothing to him, but they stirred something in his chest—a yearning, a memory he couldn't grasp.

The group paused. The soldier stepped forward first, eyes narrowed.

"No time to waste. Let's start climbing."

He placed a foot on the lowest step and began to ascend.

The others followed.

Adam hesitated for just a breath. As his foot touched the step, warmth spread through him—gentle, welcoming, yet faintly… aware. As if the staircase was watching.

They climbed.

Step after step, higher and higher, yet the void around them remained unchanged. No wind. No shift in light. No sense of progress. Only silence.

Then—

BOOM!

An explosion shattered the stillness, loud and violent. It echoed from all directions, vibrating through Adam's bones.

He stumbled, glancing up at the others. Their faces were tight with tension—but not surprise.

"So it has finally started," the Chinese office worker murmured under his breath.

Adam blinked. "Started? What started?"

The boxer snapped, "Less talking, more climbing! We need to hurry up!"

Their pace quickened. The jade steps glowed brighter beneath their feet. Another explosion followed. Then another—each closer, louder, angrier.

And then the light that has been stable and unchanged so far began to flicker.

For the first time since waking in this realm, the infinite white expanse wavered. Cracks spiderwebbed through the space like shattered glass. Darkness seeped through the fractures—oily and thick, it looked alive. It moved like ink in water, swallowing everything it touched.

Adam stared, breath caught. The white void, no, the interdimentional space was being erased.

The boxer yelled, "There! The platform!"

Ahead, a massive wite platform as if made of jade emerged, suspended in the void like an island. As they neared, Adam's eyes widened.

A colossal gate stood at its center, framed in oxidized copper, towering like a monument to forgotten gods. It loomed at least a hundred meters tall, its frame embedded with green patina and ancient symbols that glowed dimly beneath the swirling void-light.

But it wasn't the gate that paralyzed him.

It was what lay beyond.

Thick gray fog billowed behind it—dense, churning, and alive. It pressed against an unseen barrier, clawing to get through.

Another explosion sounded. This time so close it rattled the platform beneath their feet. The darkness had reached the staircase.

"We've come this far. No point hesitating now," the soldier said.

"It's either the gate or being swallowed by the darkness," the office worker, wei, muttered.

One by one, they stepped forward.

The soldier moved first, slipping into the fog like a wraith. The others followed—each vanishing silently.

The dancer. The boxer. The office worker. The medical student.

Until only Adam and Nisrine remained.

Just before crossing the gate she suddenly turned to him. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

The words stabbed deep. "Sorry? For what?"

She opened her mouth but no words came. Instead, she stepped toward him—her hand brushing his sleeve, just for a moment. And then she turned.

"No—wait, Nisrine!"

But she had already stepped into the fog.

Gone.

Adam stood there, frozen.

Then he ran after her.

As his hand touched the threshold—

ZZZT!

A violent current surged through him, hurling him backward. He gasped, staring at his palm, now red and trembling.

"No, no, no..."

He tried again.

ZZZT!

Again. And again.

Each time, the gate rejected him. As if it knew.

Realization struck, cold and cruel.

She knew. Nisrine had known he wouldn't be able to follow. That's why she apologized. No, not just Nisrine but all of them.

"Why?" he whispered, voice breaking. "Why am I the only one?"

The darkness was nearly upon the platform.

He screamed—raw, guttural, desperate. He slammed his fists against the gate. Begged. Pleaded.

But no one answered.

The platform trembled. The jade cracked beneath his feet. The fog twisted behind the gate, indifferent.

He fell to his knees as the darkness reached him. It crept up his legs, dissolving skin, muscle, bone—turning his very existence into dust.

Tears blurred his vision. But he smiled.

A helpless, broken smile.

So many questions…

Who am I?

Why was I here?

Why was I different?

Why was I left behind?

Too late.

The darkness swallowed him whole.

His body unraveled. His breath stopped. His thoughts frayed at the edges.

And still—he wondered. Just why?

He closed his eyes.

And let go.