The Loop Shop

The Pull of the Void

The shadow hand closed tight around Maya's shoulder and yanked her backward into the dark opening of the golden door.

Julian!" Maya called out, her voice cutting through the rushing wind as she disappeared into the thick smoke.

Julian did not think. He did not care about the rules of time or the ancient kings who wanted him locked away. He lunged forward off the stone platform, diving straight into the dark gateway after her.

A heavy wave of cold air hit his face, freezing his breath. He fell through a blinding storm of white light and floating stone blocks, reaching out blindly with his hands. His fingers brushed against leather. He grabbed hard, catching the sleeve of Maya's jacket, and pulled her toward him as they tumbled together through the endless void.

They crashed onto a hard, flat surface of black glass that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

Julian rolled to his feet, coughing as the heavy smoke cleared from his lungs. He looked down. Maya lay on her back on the glass floor, gasping for air. Her dark hair was messy, and her leather jacket was torn at the shoulder, but she was alive.

Before Julian could help her up, heavy footsteps echoed across the glass.

Commander Eleanor Vance and Old Man Marrow dropped out of the air a few yards away, landing hard on their boots. Eleanor held her broken silver sword ready in her right hand, while Marrow gripped his massive iron axe. They looked around the wide, open space with wide eyes.

The dark space looked like an ancient throne room floating in the middle of nowhere. Massive stone pillars rose up into a black sky filled with millions of spinning clocks. At the far end of the hall stood a high throne carved from black iron and white bone, the exact same throne Julian had seen on the glowing screen inside the Red Syndicate base.

We made it inside the inner core, Eleanor said, her voice tight and warning. Malakor, step away from her. She opened the gate. She brought us right into the trap.

Maya pushed herself up from the floor, wiping a streak of dust from her cheek. She did not look scared. She looked angry, her dark eyes flashing with a cold, sharp light as she glared at Eleanor and Marrow.

I did not bring you into a trap, Maya said, her voice steady and clear. I brought you to the only place where we can end this for good.

Marrow stepped forward, his cloudy eyes narrowed. End what, girl? You just let the shadow guards through the golden door into New Oxford. The city is going to fall.

The city was already falling, Maya shot back, standing tall and facing the old shopkeeper without backing down. "The Vance family built New Oxford on top of our prison. They fed us fake lives, fake memories, and fake pain for five hundred years just to keep our power locked away. I played my part. I pretended to be sick, I played the poor little sister, and I let Julian bleed in the train tunnels every single night so I could gather the pieces of the core.

Julian stared at her, a sharp pain twisting in his chest. You lied to me every single day, Maya. You let me think you were dying.

If I told you the truth, you would have tried to play the hero and gotten us both killed on day one, Maya said, turning her head to look straight into his eyes. Her voice softened just a little bit, losing its hard edge. I had to keep you safe, Julian. Even if it meant breaking your heart.

That is enough talking, a deep, cold voice echoed from the shadows behind the black throne.

Everyone froze.

The air in the vast hall grew freezing cold, turning their breath into white smoke. The millions of spinning clocks in the sky suddenly stopped all at once, creating a heavy, dead silence.

From behind the iron throne, a tall figure stepped out into the light.

He wore a long coat made of shimmering silver scales that reflected no light. His face was pale, smooth, and ageless, with two sharp horns curving back from his forehead. His eyes were entirely white, shining like two cold moons in the dark.

Julian felt a sudden, massive wave of pressure hit his chest, forcing him down onto one knee.

Lord Vane," Eleanor whispered, her face turning pale as she dropped her sword.

The ancient ruler of the Vance family looked down at them with a look of pure, quiet boredom. He slowly walked down the stone steps from the throne, his boots clicking softly against the glass floor.

You children, have made quite a mess of my prison, Lord Vane said, his voice sounding like ice sliding across a frozen lake. Malakor thinks he can wake up and reclaim his throne. Maya thinks she can use the core to burn down our empire. And you, Eleanor, failed to keep the door shut.

Julian gritted his teeth, fighting against the heavy pressure pushing him down to the floor. He pushed his hands against the glass, letting the purple magic rise up inside his arms to fight back against the cold.

You stole our lives, Julian said, his voice straining as he glared up at Lord Vane. "You locked us in a loop of endless pain.

"We locked you away because you were dangerous, Lord Vane replied smoothly, taking another step closer. And now, to fix the damage you caused, the loop must be reset permanently. But this time, nobody wakes up.

Lord Vane raised his hand, and a long blade of pure white light formed in his palm. He pointed the sharp tip straight at Maya's chest.

Let us start with the little traitor, Lord Vane said softly.

Before Julian could stand up, Maya moved faster than he had ever seen anyone move. She did not run away. Instead, she reached into her pocket, pulled out a small glass vial filled with glowing blue liquid, and threw it hard against the glass floor right at Lord Vane's feet.

The vial shattered, releasing a blinding flash of blue fire that filled the entire hall.