Calvin’s breath hitched as a sudden flash of green light exploded in the void, cutting through the darkness and the oppressive pull of the fountain. The brilliance was so intense that for a moment, he couldn’t see anything but the blinding glow.Then, through the haze of light, he heard it—Lizzie’s voice.“Calvin, stop!” she screamed, her tone desperate and filled with urgency. “You’ll be trapped forever if you touch that fountain!”The words sliced through Calvin’s daze like a knife. He stumbled, his body still being pulled toward the fountain, but now with a growing sense of dread. Trapped forever? The idea sent chills down his spine, amplifying the alarm that the system had been trying to deliver.“Lizzie!” Calvin shouted, his voice strained with panic. “Lizzie, is that really you? I— I can’t stop! I’m being pulled in! Help me!”He twisted in the void, trying to locate her, but Lizzie wasn’t there. Only the swirling energy of the fountain and the ever-present darkness. Yet, her voi
Calvin’s breath was ragged as he stood in the void, his chest heaving from the exertion of breaking away from the fountain’s pull. He called out to the system, his voice trembling with both fear and urgency, like a man drowning in an ocean of shadows. “System... I need to get out of this dream. Now. I’m losing my grip on reality. This... this place is starting to feel too real."His words echoed in the endless space around him, swallowed by the darkness, leaving only the faint, steady pulse of the system in the background—a barely audible hum, like the beating of a distant heart. Calvin waited, each second stretching into what felt like an eternity, his pulse hammering in his ears as his mind spun, desperately trying to hold onto something solid.Then, finally, the system responded. Its voice was distorted, crackling with static, but beneath the robotic cadence was something Calvin had never heard before—a faint trace of... concern?[Reboot sequence initiated... attempt in progress...
Calvin lay still, his breath shallow, the weight of the dream world pressing down on him like a suffocating blanket. The cold ground beneath him seemed to pulse with the fading echo of the system's reboot message, but despite the promise of escape, his body felt heavier than before. Every muscle in his limbs refused to respond, as though they had surrendered to the dream's grasp.I need to wake up, he thought, but the thought was faint, more like a fading whisper than a command. He tried to move, to force his legs to push him upright, but it was like dragging himself through thick, viscous mud. His limbs felt like they were sinking, not into the ground, but into the very fabric of this reality.The fountain’s distant glow caught his eye again, shimmering with that otherworldly light that had beckoned him before. It no longer felt like a threat—it felt familiar, like an old friend calling him home. Why fight it? a voice in his head whispered. Maybe this is where you belong.Calvin’s he
Calvin's senses swam in and out of focus, as if reality was slipping through his fingers. His ears rang, filling his head with a high-pitched hum that seemed to grow louder, drowning out everything else. His limbs were heavy, leaden, and for a moment he couldn’t tell where his body ended and the world around him began. The remnants of the dream still clung to him, shadowy and indistinct, like whispers just out of reach.Where am I? The thought came sluggishly, his mind still struggling to catch up with the present.Then, through the ringing in his ears, he heard it—a voice. Distant at first, but filled with unmistakable panic."Calvin! Calvin, wake up!"Lizzie. The name snapped into place, anchoring him to reality. He blinked, his vision blurry as he tried to make sense of the shapes around him. Slowly, painfully, the fog began to lift. His heart pounded in his chest, the echo of the dream still a haunting rhythm in his mind.With effort, he blinked again, his sight sharpening as he t
Calvin’s gaze lingered on Lizzie, studying her with newfound intensity. The silence between them grew heavy, charged with the weight of his discovery. He shifted slightly, propping himself up against the pillows with a slow, deliberate motion. His body still ached from the unnatural slumber that had held him captive, but his mind was sharper now, processing the revelations stirring within him.Lizzie, sitting beside him, noticed the subtle shift in his demeanor. She had always been attuned to her brother’s moods, and she could see that something had clicked in his mind. Her concern deepened, but there was also curiosity in her eyes as she waited for him to speak.“Lizzie,” Calvin’s voice cut through the quiet air, soft yet edged with a new sense of urgency. The way he said her name made her heart skip a beat. “Do you know... what caused me to get trapped in that dream?”Lizzie furrowed her brow, her confusion apparent as she stared back at him. She hadn’t expected such a question, not
Calvin's expression darkened as the sound of commotion from outside the house reached their ears. The once quiet atmosphere in the room was quickly replaced by the unmistakable noise of raised voices and shuffling footsteps. He exchanged a glance with Lizzie, whose face had already tightened with concern.“What’s going on out there?” Calvin murmured, his voice still hoarse from his recent ordeal. He shifted, as if to stand up, but his limbs betrayed him, still weak from the three-day slumber. Grimacing, he turned to Lizzie. “I’ll check it out.”Lizzie shot him a sharp look, standing up quickly before he could even think about leaving the bed. “You’re not going anywhere,” she said firmly, holding up a hand to stop him from trying to move. “You’re still too weak, Calvin. Whatever that is, let me handle it. Besides, the bodyguards are out there—they won’t let anything happen.”Calvin hesitated, frustration flickering across his features. “But Lizzie—”“No,” she interrupted, her tone leav
As the bodyguards received the text message, their once stoic expressions shifted. They exchanged brief glances before stepping aside, their firm stance dissolving instantly. Without a word, they allowed Alana through. Lizzie, standing nearby, noticed the abrupt change and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Her arms were tightly crossed over her chest, a mix of annoyance and worry playing on her features as she watched Alana stride past the guards and straight toward Calvin’s room.Alana’s initial frustration was palpable, her lips set in a thin line, and her movements brisk as she entered the room. Her earlier confrontation with the bodyguards had clearly irritated her, and she was still fuming from the altercation. But as soon as her eyes fell on Calvin, lying pale and weak on the bed, her entire demeanor shifted.Her arrogance faltered. The confident air she had carried with her vanished in an instant, replaced by something far more vulnerable. Her breath caught in her throat, and for
Alana crossed her arms, leaning back slightly, her expression a mix of frustration and cold calculation. Her lips curled into a thin, strained smile, but her eyes remained sharp and unyielding, revealing her true intent. "I’ll wait, Calvin," she began, her voice low, almost a whisper, but heavy with the weight of her unspoken threat. "But I can’t wait forever. You know our agreement is binding."Calvin could feel the tension in his chest tightening as her words hit him like a cold gust of wind. The brief moment of vulnerability and empathy he had seen in her earlier, when she first saw him lying weak and sick, was gone. She had returned to the Alana he knew all too well—the one who could wield her power over him with surgical precision.Alana paused, her eyes narrowing slightly, watching him with the intensity of a predator sizing up its prey. "If you don’t hold up your end..." she let her voice trail off, the unspoken consequences hanging in the air between them, before she continued