The air in the room grew thick with tension, the space between Matilda and Jayden stretching into an insurmountable chasm. Riven's taunts echoed in her mind, but she refused to let them define her actions. She couldn't lose him, not like this.
"Jayden," she said softly, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and determination. "You're not alone. You're never alone."
Jayden's eyes flickered toward her, but there was nothing in his gaze that resembled the warmth and love he once held for her. It was as if something inside of him had broken, and the pieces were scattered across a floor she couldn't reach.
"You don't get it, Matilda," Jayden whispered, his voice hollow and distant. "You don't understand how far I've fallen."
Riven stepped closer, a grin playing at the edges of his lips. "Oh, he understands perfectly, Matilda. Jayden and I are more alike than you realize. We've both been lost in the shadows for far too long."
Matilda's breath hitched as she watched Jayden, unsure if his words were his own or if Riven had poisoned his mind even further. "Don't listen to him," she begged. "He's lying to you, Jayden. He's been manipulating you from the start."
Jayden's lips curled into a bitter smile. "You really think it's all that simple? You think I've just been a pawn in someone else's game?" His voice grew louder, the pain and frustration evident in each word. "I've made my own choices, Matilda. I've walked this path willingly. And now... now I see everything clearly."
The words cut through her like a blade, each one leaving a scar deeper than the last. "No," she whispered, shaking her head. "Please, don't say that. You're not like him. You're not like Riven."
Jayden looked at her, his gaze piercing, cold. "Maybe I am, Matilda. Maybe I always have been."
Riven chuckled, his voice low and ominous. "There it is. The truth, Jayden. You were always destined to fall, just like me."
But Matilda refused to let Riven control the narrative. She reached out, grabbing Jayden's hand, her grip desperate but strong. "You don't have to do this. We can fight together. Whatever he's promised you, whatever lies he's fed you, we can stop it."
For a moment, Jayden's hand trembled in hers, as if the weight of her words was reaching him. But then, just as quickly, his expression hardened again, and he yanked his hand away.
"I don't need your help anymore, Matilda," Jayden said, his voice filled with cold finality. "I've made my choice. And there's no going back now."
Matilda's heart shattered. She couldn't understand it, couldn't reconcile the man she loved with the one standing before her now. Had he truly chosen this path? Had Riven's manipulation taken him so far that there was no way back?
"No!" she cried, her voice cracking. "Jayden, please. I know you're still in there. You're not this person."
Jayden's eyes flickered with something—something fleeting, something almost human—but before Matilda could grasp onto it, it was gone. He turned away from her, his back now facing her completely.
"Matilda," Riven's voice was like a dark melody, coaxing her, pulling her towards him. "You've lost him. You're the last one who doesn't see it. You're clinging to a ghost, while I've already moved on. Jayden is mine now."
The words settled in her chest like a stone, heavy and suffocating. But even in the face of defeat, Matilda couldn't stop fighting. She had to try—no matter the cost. She had to reach Jayden, to pull him from the abyss he was descending into, no matter how far gone he seemed.
But then, a sudden shift. The ground beneath their feet trembled, as if the world itself was shifting. The air was charged with an electric pulse, and everything in the room stilled.
Jayden stiffened, his eyes darting to the doorway, his expression shifting from cold indifference to something darker—something ancient.
A figure appeared in the doorway, cloaked in shadow. The air around them seemed to distort, like the very fabric of reality was bending. The figure stepped forward, their presence overwhelming, commanding.
Matilda's breath caught in her throat as she recognized the figure's silhouette. "No... it can't be."
Jayden turned toward the newcomer, his entire demeanor changing in an instant. The coldness in his eyes disappeared, replaced with an unreadable emptiness. It was as if whatever flicker of humanity had been left inside him was now extinguished by the arrival of this person.
"Riven," the figure's voice was deep, resonating with power. "It's time."
Riven's grin faltered for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he took in the newcomer. "I didn't expect you to show up so soon."
The figure chuckled, a dark, guttural sound. "The game is nearly over. We've waited long enough."
Matilda watched in confusion, her mind racing to understand what was happening. Who was this new person? And why had their appearance caused such a dramatic shift in Jayden?
Jayden stepped forward, his eyes now filled with an unspoken understanding, an allegiance that Matilda could only guess at. "It's time to end this," he said, his voice resolute, but there was something else beneath it—something chilling.
Matilda's heart sank as she realized the truth.
She wasn't fighting against Riven alone anymore. She was fighting against Jayden as well.
---