The Abyss Gate

The bells rang three days later.

It was the Great Purification. The Headmaster announced that the Abyss Gate was opening. Those who were ready could jump into the light and move on to their next life.

Chaos erupted in the Academy. The Shadows surged, the students panicked.

In the confusion, a spark of rebellion flared in Elliot’s chest. It was small, fueled by the terrifying image of the hollow boys in the yearbook. *I don't want to be a husk.*

While Julian was distracted fighting off a particularly large Shadow near the stairwell, Elliot ran.

He ran through the ash courtyard. He ran past the screaming students. He ran toward the blinding white tear in the fabric of the gray sky at the far end of the grounds.

The light coming from the Gate was deafening. It sounded like a choir screaming. It felt like fire.

Elliot reached the edge of the precipice. Below him was swirling white energy. Reincarnation. A fresh start. A chance to try again. To be brave.

But it was so bright. It was so loud. And he didn't know what was on the other side.

"Elliot."

The voice cut through the roar of the Abyss.

Elliot turned. Julian stood ten yards away. He wasn't running. He wasn't fighting. He was just standing there, hands in his pockets, watching.

"Go on then," Julian called out. "Jump."

Elliot looked at the light. It burned his eyes.

"It's hard out there, El," Julian shouted over the wind. "You have to work. You have to hurt. You have to choose. Every single day, you have to choose."

Elliot stepped closer to the edge. His heart hammered. *I can do this.*

"Or," Julian said, taking one hand out of his pocket and extending it. Palm up. An invitation.

"You can come back to the room. I made the bed. I have a new book. It’s warm. It’s quiet. And you never have to worry about anything ever again."

Elliot looked at the hand.

He remembered the panic attacks. He remembered the crushing weight of expectation. He remembered the cold.

Then he looked at Julian. Julian, who brushed his hair. Julian, who fought the monsters. Julian, who made the decisions so Elliot didn't have to.

The fear of the unknown was a physical pain. The light of the Abyss looked less like freedom and more like exposure.

Elliot stepped back from the edge.

He looked at the light one last time, whispered, "I can't," and turned around.

He walked toward Julian.

Julian didn't smile. He didn't gloat. He simply waited until Elliot was within reach, then lowered his hand to rest heavy and possessive on the back of Elliot’s neck.

"There's my good boy," Julian whispered.

Epilogue

The window in Room 214 still looked out on nothing.

The static buzzed in the sky, eternal and unchanging.

Elliot sat on the floor at the foot of Julian’s bed. He held a tin of polish and a soft rag. He moved the rag in small, perfect circles over the leather of Julian’s boots.

* Rub. Rub. Rub.*

His eyes were glassy. The anxiety was gone. The fear was gone. The spark that had driven him to the Gate was gone.

He was hollowed out, a perfect, empty vessel filled only with the will of his master.

Julian lay on the bed, reading. He reached down idly, running his fingers through Elliot’s hair. Elliot leaned into the touch instinctively, like a dog.

"You missed a spot," Julian murmured, not looking up from his book.

"Sorry, Julian," Elliot said, his voice flat and content. "I'll fix it."

He scrubbed harder. He was safe. He was home. He was never leaving.