The air in the room was thick with silence.
The light from the CD case had faded, leaving them standing in a barren, desolate space. The walls had returned to their dark, unyielding form. The floor beneath them felt cold, as if the heat of battle had drained every ounce of warmth from the place. They were still caught in this strange, distorted world, but something was different now — the Watcher's oppressive presence was gone.
For a moment, they stood still, catching their breath. It felt like the calm after a storm, though the thunder was still echoing in their chests.
"Is she gone?" Niall's voice was shaky as he looked around, unsure if the battle was truly over.
Liam nodded, his eyes still scanning the room. "I think so. But I don't trust it. Not yet."
Zayn's grip on the CD case tightened. "The light from the case… It felt like it broke something inside her. But there's no telling what might be left behind."
Harry furrowed his brow. "The Watcher said we were 'always meant to be here.' What if she was telling the truth?"
Louis shook his head. "No, she lied. We weren't meant to be here. We belong in the world we left behind."
The words felt heavy. His voice lacked the usual sarcasm. This time, he was certain. They had to find their way back.
Zayn sighed and let the CD case fall limp in his hand. "So what now? If she's gone, what else is left to keep us here?"
The room seemed to hum with an energy that wasn't entirely natural, as if it were waiting for something — or someone — to make the next move.
"I don't know," Liam said, taking a step toward the center of the room. His feet felt like they were moving on their own, drawn to something just beyond his reach. "But I think we're supposed to move forward."
They followed his lead, stepping carefully through the now-empty space, which was once teeming with shadows and noise. Every step they took brought them closer to a shimmering portal in the distance, faint and nearly invisible at first, like a thin veil between realities.
"We're close," Harry whispered.
Louis stared ahead, his expression filled with uncertainty and longing. "Do you think we'll even recognize our world when we get there?"
"It's the only world we've ever known," Niall replied, his voice steady, though a flicker of doubt lingered in his eyes.
The portal pulsed softly, beckoning them. It looked almost like a reflection — a shimmering mirror of their world — but just out of reach. Each of them could feel the pull, the desire to step through and return, but there was no clear way to know if this was the final step.
"What if it's a trap?" Zayn asked, his voice a little more guarded now.
Liam turned toward him, his gaze unwavering. "Then we face it. Together."
There was a long pause before Niall spoke up, his voice slightly more hopeful. "We've made it this far, right? We've faced every twist and turn. I think we can handle one last challenge."
Louis grinned, despite the doubt in his heart. "At this point, we're running on stubbornness and bad decisions."
Liam smiled faintly, the tension lifting just a little. "That's exactly how we've always made it through."
The portal flickered, a soft hum in the air. It was clear now: it was waiting for them.
"I think it's time," Harry said, stepping forward.
One by one, they moved toward the shimmering veil. As they approached, the world around them seemed to fade — the walls of the room, the floor beneath them, the last remnants of the Watcher's world all dissolved into light. It was like stepping into a dream, and the closer they came to the portal, the more real their own world seemed.
Niall reached out first, his hand brushing against the veil. There was a sudden spark — electricity in the air, crackling like static — but nothing that felt dangerous.
"Ready?" Zayn asked, looking at them all.
They nodded.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the world around them shifted.
⸻
It was as though the air finally returned to their lungs.
The familiar scent of pine, rain, and fresh earth filled their senses. The world felt alive again — real again. But as the light cleared, they realized they weren't in the same place they had left.
They were… outside.
Liam looked around, confused. "This isn't… where we were."
The landscape was vast, but it felt familiar, like the world they had known before had shifted just a little. They were standing on a hill, overlooking a sprawling city below. But it wasn't the city they remembered.
Zayn squinted into the distance. "Something's… off."
Louis' brow furrowed. "Where's the studio? The house we were in?"
They were all too quiet for a moment, looking at the unfamiliar skyline, trying to place it. But then Niall's voice broke through the silence, low and hesitant.
"It's… different."
"Is this our world?" Harry asked, his tone uncertain. "Or is this… another version of it?"
They all exchanged looks. The answer wasn't obvious. There were echoes of their world here — the architecture, the people they could faintly make out in the distance — but there was something slightly askew. The streets weren't the same. The buildings weren't arranged how they remembered. Even the colors of the sky seemed more muted, as if everything were tinged with a faded memory.
They stood there, not knowing what to do next.
Then, out of nowhere, a voice rang through the air, so familiar it made Liam's heart stop.
"You're home."
The group turned to see a figure emerging from the distance. She stepped forward, her silhouette sharp against the backdrop of the city. Roxy.
Her voice came again, clearer this time.
"But home is never what it seems. Not now. Not anymore."
The wind picked up, carrying her words with it.
"We've missed you, Liam," she continued, her figure growing clearer. "But time… time is never as it was."
The others stared at her, confusion still etched on their faces.
"You're not… real," Liam said, taking a step back.
Her smile was soft. "In a way… maybe not. But I am still a part of you. Part of your world."
A chill ran down Liam's spine. "But how? How are you here?"
Roxy's expression softened as she looked at the group. "I've been here the whole time. Watching, waiting. You're in the right place. But this… this version of your world is more fragile than you think."
The reality around them flickered again — like it was on the verge of collapsing.
"What's happening?" Zayn demanded, his eyes searching the skyline, now turning a darker shade of purple.
"You're standing at the edge of what could have been," Roxy explained. "The Watcher never gave up on manipulating you. You may have escaped her grasp, but she left you in this new reality. A place where memories blur, where the truth is twisted."
Harry looked back at Roxy, his voice trembling with the weight of everything that had happened. "Are we stuck here?"
Roxy's gaze hardened. "Not yet. There's one more choice to make. One final step to take."
The ground beneath them began to rumble as cracks appeared in the sky.
The journey wasn't over.
They had to make their final choice.
And time was running out.