The Heart cracked beneath Evelyn's feet, jagged light spilling into the black veins, searing the edges of the carriage. The pulse slowed—but it wasn't defeated. Not yet.
A low, guttural rumble rolled through the air. The walls, floor, and ceiling melted into one living, writhing mass. Shadows erupted from the fissure in the Heart, forming a storm of figures—passengers she knew, strangers, twisted versions of herself—all screaming, laughing, and pleading at once.
Then the trap revealed itself.
From the fissure, a shadowy tendril shot upward, splitting in a thousand strands. Each strand reached for her, wrapping around her limbs, her lantern, her throat. But the worst was the whispers—the voices of her friends, Alex, Sophie, Leo—pleading with her to stop.
"Evelyn… don't… don't fight… it's too late…""Join us… it's safer…""You'll destroy yourself if you keep going…"
The Heart's pulse accelerated violently, a thunderous roar shaking the carriage to its foundations. The tendrils pulled her toward the fissure, dragging her down into the glowing crack.
Her lantern flared, but the shadows coiled faster, each tendril slicing across her skin, sapping her strength, forcing doubt into her mind. She screamed, fighting every instinct to give in.
"I won't!" she yelled, tears streaking her face. "You took them all from me! I'll burn for them if I have to!"
The lantern exploded into a white inferno, flames licking every tendril, melting the shadows into ash. The Heart convulsed, shrieking in agony as cracks spread, veins snapping, pulsing wildly.
The voices of Alex, Sophie, and Leo screamed one last time—not in pleading, but in encouragement:"Fight! Fight!"
Evelyn pushed, swinging the lantern with everything she had, driving it into the Heart's fissure. Flames erupted from inside, pure and white-hot, shredding the darkness from the inside out.
The train roared, shaking violently as if it were alive and in pain. But Evelyn, battered, bleeding, and trembling, didn't stop. She held the lantern high, defiant.
For the first time, lil sis… she felt the Heart waver.
It wasn't just the fear anymore. It wasn't just the pain. Evelyn's resolve was stronger than the train's hunger.
And now, it had no choice but to react.