THE LAST DREAMER

The light from the rift was almost blinding, searing through the air like a knife, and for a moment, Ethan thought he might have been dreaming again—trapped within the very nightmare they had sought to escape. But as the light flickered, the creature's shrill scream reverberated through the mansion, making Ethan's blood run cold. The rift pulsed violently, its dark energy crackling in the air, pulling at the very essence of their world. Everything seemed to bend and distort. Maya stumbled back, her hands shaking violently as the floor beneath them seemed to shudder. Ethan reached for her, his own heart racing, still unable to comprehend the horror they were witnessing. It's not over, the voice inside his head whispered again. You cannot stop it. You cannot escape.er. "Ethan…" she gasped, her voice trembling. "We've—" She choked on her words, looking up at the rift as if it were the final judgment. "It's too much. We're too late. It's already consuming everything." Ethan wanted to deny it. He had to deny it. He had come this far. He couldn't let it end like this, with the world slipping through his fingers. "We can't give up," he whispered fiercely. "We can still fix this. We have the book… we can reverse it." But even as he said the words, doubt gnawed at him. The creature's clawed form had been writhing, dissolving into the swirling darkness of the rift, as if it were one with it now. There was no longer any sign of Jake, only a monstrous, soulless thing, hungry for everything in its path. Ethan knew in his heart that the battle wasn't just against the creature anymore—it was against the very fabric of reality. Maya wiped her tears, her face filled with determination despite the terror that hung in the air. "There's no time, Ethan. The book… It might not be enough. You know that, don't you?"Ethan looked at the old book they had carried through this nightmare—its pages worn and fragile, the knowledge within it fading with every passing second. He could feel the weight of the world pressing on him, but Maya was right. The darkness was already spreading beyond their control. In the blink of an eye, the air shifted. The mansion groaned once more, and a voice, low and guttural, filled the room again. I told you, you cannot stop it. The words came from everywhere. From the rift. From the walls. From the ground beneath their feet. It was as if the very house had become alive, possessed by the same force that had claimed Jake's body. Ethan took a deep breath, the weight of the situation suffocating him, but there was no turning back now. The creature might have taken Jake, but Ethan was still standing. Maya was still standing. And together, they could still fight. He turned to Maya, his resolve hardening. "We can't let it take us. We can't let it take this world." Her eyes locked onto his, and for a moment, the overwhelming fear and doubt seemed to vanish. They were a team, and they would fight together, no matter the cost. "We need to destroy the rift," Maya said, her voice steady now. "That's the only way we can stop this. We need to sever the connection between our world and whatever that thing is." Before Ethan could respond, the air around them changed again. This time, it was worse. The shadows in the room grew, swirling like an unstoppable force, pulling at the fabric of reality. The mansion trembled, as if it were a living thing in its death throes. The rift in the center of the room flared, and from within it came a pulse of energy so intense that it knocked them both to the ground. The walls cracked, and the floor began to split apart, as if the house itself was being torn in two. "This is it," Maya whispered, her voice barely audible. "We don't have much time." They had no choice but to move forward. The book—their only hope—was their only chance, and Ethan could see that Maya had already made her decision. She reached for it, her fingers trembling as she flipped the fragile pages, searching for the incantation that could close the rift. Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind them, trapping them inside the room. Ethan spun around, his heart racing. Something was wrong. Something far worse than before. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach. A deep, menacing growl sounded behind him.