Chapter Ninety-One

The air hung overwhelming within the repercussions of Clara's sacrifice, an spooky quietness filling the once chaotic cavern. Marcus stood solidified at the edge of the abyss, his eyes bolted on the spot where she had vanished. His breath came in brief pants, his heart beating in his chest as though attempting to deny the reality of what had just happened.

Ethan, still catching his breath, slowly approached Marcus. “She can’t be gone… not like that,” Ethan said, his voice raw. He couldn't accept it. Clara had been their light, their hope in the fight against the darkness. For her to disappear into the abyss appeared like a pitiless turn of destiny.

Marcus's hands clenched firmly, his knuckles white. “She didn't need to do this… I ought to have stopped her.” His voice was thick with pain, but underneath that, there was something more profound, outrage, dissatisfaction, and a developing sense of defenselessness.

Ethan put a hand on Marcus's bear. “We do not know what's happened. There