God's Blessing is a Curse

The boy was gone.

Not defeated. Not banished. Just—absent. As though he'd never stood in front of me at all. But the pain in my ribs, the blood in my mouth, the ringing in my skull—they remembered him.

I stood slowly. The station was still shifting, like it hadn't decided if it wanted to remain real.

A corridor to my left collapsed inward. The clock above it ticked once, then stopped.

I turned—no sign of the others.

"Clara?"

No answer.

I moved. The floor groaned. Dust scattered.

Then, a pulse.

Faint—like a breath.

I followed it.