The Invisible String Theory

Chapter 9 - Not Yet

And with that, I turned from him, walking into the breaking storm. And the moment my foot crossed the threshold of Loki's unraveling spell, the void had swallowed me whole.

He felt the tether vanish. And this time, it didn't flicker back.

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The void was endless.

A space suspended between memory and oblivion, where time no longer obeyed and light refused to reach.

I floated– no, I fought upright in the space I was dragged into by the Hollow. It's presence was a seeping rot, bleeding through every inch of my soul. My shield was already up, but it cracked each time its claws crashed into it, each blow forcing me backward, step by step, toward the edge of despair.

Then came the worst of it.

It stopped clawing... and began to speak.

The air shimmered. The he appeared.

Dad.

At least, the face of him– tall and kind-eyed dressed in ceremonial attire, just as I remembered him that day.

"You failed us."

My chest cinched tight. "You're not real."

"You let our people down. You let me down."

"I tried–"

"And now you'll lose yourself too. Just like the others did."

Behind him more emerged. Dozens of Elyardi– friends, mentors, children– each with eyes dimmed like dying stars. They surrounded me. Whispering. Condemning.

Too much power.

No control.

You were supposed to protect it.

My shield flickered.

The Hollow bared its fangs through my father's face, grinning with cruel satisfaction. "You were the last, and even you are hollow."

Crack.

My knees hit the floor of whatever mindscape this was, the relic pulsing dully in my hand, like it too had given up. My vision blurred as the tears started to gather in my eyes.

Maybe I had.

Maybe he was right.

Maybe–

Then...

A warm hand touched my shoulder.

Solid. Real.

I gasped and turned.

Not the Hollow's imitation– him.

Dad stood before me now, clearer than ever, his eyes soft with tears that didn't fall. His smile trembled. Behind him... the real faces of my people. Their energy shimmered around me, a constellation of souls caught in golden mist.

"I'm sorry you had to carry it all," he said gently. "And it was never your fault."

Tears began to stream down my face now. "I don't know how to fix it. I– I tried–"

"And you endured, even when it hurt. Even when you were alone." He reached up, cupping my cheek like he used to when I was small. "But you were never alone, not completely. It's not your time, my love."

"But the Hollow–"

He shook his head. "This is your power. Your legacy. Not this prison. You must be the stream. The Heartstream lives in you now."