Chrono-God

The Abyss of Echoes

The fall lasted forever.

Darkness swallowed Diane whole, the world spinning around her as she tumbled into an endless void. The cold clung to her skin like something alive, whispering against her ears in a language she didn't understand.

And then—

It stopped.

She wasn't sure how.

One moment, she had been plummeting, gravity pulling her toward oblivion, and the next, she simply was.

Suspended. Floating.

The air was thick with something unseen, pressing against her skin like an ocean tide.

Then—

A voice.

"Curious."

Diane tensed, turning slowly in the weightless void. The darkness around her pulsed, shifting like ink spilled into water.

And then she saw.

A vision unfurled before her, a memory—but not hers.

A vast cosmic courtroom, its walls woven from swirling galaxies.

And in the center of it all—

Herself.

Or at least, a version of her.

This Diane knelt, shackled in chains of light that wrapped around her wrists, her throat, her ankles. Her eyes were hollow, her face drawn with sorrow.

A booming voice echoed from the unseen heavens.

"Diane Peters, your crimes have shattered the fabric of reality. You stand before the cosmic tribunal, accused of erasing your own family from existence."

Diane's breath caught in her throat.

What?

A shimmer in the void pulled her deeper, forcing her to see—

Another vision.

A young boy, no older than ten, spinning a golden roulette wheel that shimmered with cosmic energy. Every rotation sent ripples through the stars, bending reality itself to his will.

His son.

"Tom?" Diane whispered.

The boy turned, his expression unreadable. He flicked his wrist, and the wheel clicked into place. A moment later, the space around him warped, shaping into a new reality.

His eyes—so much like hers—locked onto her, filled with something between sadness and disappointment.

"You're not supposed to be here," he murmured.

Diane's head spun.

No. This isn't real. It's just a trick.

She turned away, clenching her fists, but the abyss wasn't finished with her yet.

Another vision.

A woman—herself—standing before an infinite expanse of nothingness, screaming a name that had already been forgotten.

"Mike—"

The memory collapsed into mist, dissolving into the abyss.

Diane felt it now—the weight of something pressing against her mind, forcing these images into her thoughts.

It was trying to make her believe.

To make her question.

"This isn't real," she said through gritted teeth.

The void trembled.

The masked figure emerged from the darkness, its glowing eyes unreadable.

"Isn't it?"

Diane's pulse pounded.

No. This was a trick. An illusion meant to shake her.

But the images clung to her mind like a sickness.

The golden roulette wheel.

Tom's face.

Her own reflection, shackled and broken.

What if…

No.

She couldn't afford doubt. Not now.

The abyss was playing its game. And she wouldn't be its pawn.

She inhaled sharply, pushing back against the pressure trying to seep into her thoughts. Focus. Remember who you are.

A spark.

A flicker of violet light in the distance.

Nisse.

Diane latched onto it, forcing herself to reach for the bond. The abyss fought back, its shadows lashing out, but she pushed.

"You will be remade," the masked figure intoned, stepping closer.

Diane bared her teeth.

"Try it."

The void shattered.

Light burst outward, violet flames searing through the abyssal tendrils wrapped around her. The force of it sent her tumbling upward, pulled by something beyond her control.

She rose.

Faster.

Brighter.

And then—

Reality snapped back.

Diane gasped as she slammed into solid stone.

---

The Return to Reality

Pain shot through her limbs, but she was alive.

Her breath came in ragged gasps as she rolled onto her side, pressing her palm against the cold floor.

She was back.

The real room. The wizard's lair.

And standing over her—was Ren.

He looked down at her, one brow raised, as if mildly impressed. "Huh," he mused. "You actually came back."

Diane pushed herself onto her elbows, her mind still spinning.

The abyss. The visions.

Tom.

She shook her head. No. Not now. She had to stay focused.

Ren smirked. "Oh, don't look so disturbed. You survived. That's more than most can say."

Diane swallowed hard, forcing her voice to stay steady. "What the hell was that?"

Ren leaned against his desk, regarding her with lazy amusement. "A glimpse. A whisper of things that might have been."

Her hands clenched. "A lie."

The wizard's smirk widened. "Maybe."

But the way he watched her, the way his expression held just a little too much knowing, sent a fresh wave of unease crawling down her spine.

He knew something.

And that terrified her.

Diane exhaled slowly, standing. "You're playing a dangerous game, Ren."

The wizard's smirk didn't waver. "Oh, my dear, I am the game."

Diane tightened her grip on her sword.

This wasn't over.

Not even close.

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