Chapter Fifty-Seven

Ethan stood within the spooky quietness, gazing at the spot where Miriam had been as it were minutes ago. His heart beat in his chest, his breath worn out as the reality of his circumstance sunk within. The shining crystal was smashed, the tower around him decreased to rubble, but the nightmarish landscape remained. The fog still twirled around him, thick and choking, and the sky over still shined with an unnatural ruddy tint.

“Miriam,” he whispered, the sound of her name misplaced within the harsh stillness.

But there was no reaction. She was gone, and Ethan was all alone in this turned dimension, with no plan on how to escape from it. He took a profound breath, driving himself to the center. He stood still trying to focus. He had to discover a way out, for both their sakes.

As he began to move, the ground beneath him trembled, a faint echo of the earlier destruction. Ethan froze, listening intently. The tremors developed more grounded, the ground throbbing as though something gigan