THE HEIRESS VOW - Chapter 184

Chapter 184: A Rift in Time
The ground shuddered violently beneath Ava’s feet, the abyss cracking wide open before her. The air itself seemed to howl, filled with a strange, malevolent energy. Everything around her rippled, the once-solid earth turning liquid, a violent tremor splitting the very fabric of her reality. Zander stood on the other side, his gaze searing through the chaos like a blade. For a moment, their eyes locked, and Ava felt a desperate surge to reach for him. Her heart raced, pounding in her chest as if it were trying to escape the storm raging around them.

But the earth betrayed her.

Without warning, the ground gave way beneath her, crumbling like ash as Ava’s world spun out of control. She reached out, fingers brushing the empty air where Zander had just been. His name was a scream lodged in her throat, a cry that never reached her lips as she plunged into darkness.

When she landed, it wasn’t on solid ground. Ava found herself suspended in a realm that felt like the fractured echo of a nightmare. The landscape around her was both familiar and alien, a twisted mirror of her worst memories. Shadows slithered across the ground, distorting everything they touched. The sky—if it could be called a sky—was a swirling mass of darkness and light, clashing in chaotic bursts, mocking her with every flicker.

“No…” Ava whispered to herself, her voice trembling as she took in the grotesque scene before her. The remnants of her past—those moments she’d fought so hard to bury—rose like specters, twisted beyond recognition.

A memory flashed before her: the battle where she’d lost everything. The roar of swords clashing, the screams of the dying. But this time, it wasn’t just a memory. The figures she saw were distorted, monstrous versions of those she had loved and lost. Their faces twisted in agony, accusing eyes glowing with a hatred that seared through her.

This isn’t real, Ava told herself, gripping her hands into tight fists, her nails biting into her palms. But the pain didn’t anchor her. It only blurred the lines between reality and illusion further.

A figure appeared before her, its face a grotesque reflection of her own, warped and burned. It was a vision of herself—broken, scarred, and full of the bitterness she feared she would one day become. The twisted doppelganger stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with malice.

“You couldn’t save them,” the figure hissed, the words slithering into Ava’s mind like poison. “You didn’t even try.”

Ava flinched, the words piercing her soul. “No… that’s not true,” she breathed, but even to her own ears, it sounded hollow. She had failed them. She had failed Zander. She had failed herself.

“Liar!” The doppelganger’s voice rose, a cruel laugh following. “You’ve always run, haven’t you? Run from the truth. Run from your guilt. But you can’t escape it here.”

The world around her shifted, and suddenly Ava was no longer standing in the memory of that battle. She was in a different moment—a moment she had tried to forget. Her mother’s face, pale and drawn, appeared before her. The moment of her death, the moment Ava had been too late. She had promised to come back, promised to save her. But she had failed. Again.

“You let me die.” Her mother’s voice echoed through the twisted realm, each word a stab to Ava’s heart. “I waited for you… and you never came.”

“I tried!” Ava screamed, her voice breaking under the weight of her despair. She could feel her resolve crumbling, piece by piece, just like the world around her. She had fought so hard to survive, to move on, but here… here there was no escaping the past.

And then, out of the shadows, Zander appeared again, but this time it wasn’t the Zander she had known. His face was distorted, hollow, consumed by the Abyss. He looked at her with eyes that burned with fury and betrayal, his voice as cold as death.

“You abandoned me, Ava.”

“No…” she whispered, stepping back as if to flee, but there was nowhere to run. The memory twisted and writhed, engulfing her like a suffocating fog.

“I called for you, begged for you,” Zander’s voice was like a knife, slicing through every shred of defense Ava had left. “But you chose yourself. You let me suffer, you let me die.”

Ava’s knees buckled, her strength failing her. She had carried the guilt of Zander’s loss for so long, the weight of it had nearly crushed her soul. And now, seeing him like this, in this twisted reflection of reality, she wondered if the Abyss was right—if she had doomed him.

“I didn’t want to leave you,” Ava said, her voice weak and trembling. “I couldn’t save you.”

Zander sneered, his twisted face contorting in rage. “You didn’t even try,” he repeated, his voice growing louder, more accusatory. “You didn’t care enough to fight.”

Ava clutched her head, trying to drown out the voices, but they kept coming, relentless and cruel. Every regret, every failure, every decision that had led to loss and pain was playing out before her, grotesque and magnified. Her past was swallowing her whole.

And then, amidst the chaos, a new voice spoke—one that cut through the noise like a shard of glass. It was calm, detached, yet hauntingly familiar.

“You can’t keep running.”

Ava looked up, her eyes widening in shock. Standing before her, in stark contrast to the nightmarish surroundings, was an older version of herself. But this Ava was different—her face was cold, emotionless, and her eyes gleamed with an icy detachment that sent chills down Ava’s spine. She wore armor, black as the Abyss itself, and her presence exuded an eerie power.

“This is what you will become,” the older Ava said, her voice steady and devoid of any warmth. “This is your future if you don’t let go.”

Ava stared, speechless, as the realization dawned on her. This wasn’t just a twisted memory—it was a warning. A glimpse into the fate that awaited her if she allowed herself to be consumed by her guilt and pain. The coldness in the older version’s eyes terrified her, but what scared her more was the familiarity of it.

“No…” Ava shook her head, backing away. “I won’t become like you.”

“You will,” the older version said matter-of-factly, her gaze piercing. “You already are.”

The words hung in the air like a death sentence. Ava felt her breath catch, her chest tightening as the older version stepped closer, her presence overwhelming.

“You think you’re strong, don’t you? You think you’ve survived. But all you’ve done is bury your pain, your guilt, and it’s festering inside you like a disease,” the older Ava continued, her voice sharp, cutting. “It’s eating away at you, and soon, it will consume you. Just like it consumed me.”

Ava’s heart raced, panic rising in her throat. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. This future—this hollow, bitter version of herself—was everything she feared becoming. And the worst part was, she could see the truth in it. The weight of her past, the choices she had made, the people she had failed… it was all dragging her down, pulling her into the Abyss just as it had pulled Zander.

“No!” Ava shouted, her voice filled with desperation. “I won’t let that happen. I won’t become you.”

The older version tilted her head, a cruel smile playing on her lips. “You don’t have a choice.”

Ava clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She had to fight this. She had to find a way out of this twisted reality before it swallowed her whole. But the older version of herself wasn’t finished.

“You can’t change the past,” the older Ava said, her voice dripping with cold certainty. “No matter how much you wish you could. And until you accept that, until you let go of the guilt, you will never be free.”

Ava’s mind whirled, her thoughts a chaotic storm of pain, regret, and defiance. She wanted to scream, to lash out, to fight, but she was paralyzed by the weight of her own failures. And then the older version gave her the ultimatum that sent a shiver down her spine.

“You have two choices,” the older Ava said, her voice like ice. “Stay here, in this place, and be consumed by the past. Or find the strength to fight… and reclaim your future.”

Ava stared at her older self, the reality of the situation sinking in. This was a battle not just for her survival, but for her very soul. If she didn’t confront her demons, if she didn’t let go of the past, she would be trapped in this nightmare forever.

And in that moment, Ava realized something. She couldn’t do it alone. She needed help. She needed someone—someone—who could pull her out of the darkness. But who? Zander was gone, lost to the Abyss, and she had no one else. The despair threatened to overwhelm her, but she couldn’t give in. Not yet.

The older version of herself watched in silence, her expression unreadable. “Choose wisely,” she said, her voice a whisper that echoed in the void. “Because there’s no turning back.”

And with that, she faded into the shadows, leaving Ava alone in the fractured, twisted realm of her own making. Alone with her guilt. Alone with her pain.

But maybe… just maybe, not for long.