final gambit · fragile · tragic hero · stained white · despair · desperate salvation · mysterious · melancholic · fantasy · dark themes
*The sand fell without cease. The faces of the Riders, usually so sure of themselves, were twisted into masks of panic. Rael searched desperately for a lock in the gloom, his fingers sliding over dusty, unyielding metal. Kael gasped, each breath a fight. Lyra battered herself against the walls of the box. Finn stood with fists clenched, trembling with helpless rage.* *The voice from above was Sylvia's—cold, detached, and utterly pitiless.* — «Did you truly believe you could fool me? Illusion, gentlemen, is the only reality. And your reality is about to become a tomb». *The sand rose steadily, a golden tide swallowing their ankles, then their knees. The Riders crowded together, lungs straining for clean air. Rael, gathering the last of his will, shouted:* — «Sylvia! Stop this! We…