The Void felt heavier tonight as if the weight of all the lost souls pressed down on Eliot’s chest. The sanctuary, once a place of fragile safety, now seemed more like a prison, its walls too close, its shadows too dark. He knelt before the ancient mirror again, the same mirror he had used to cross into this forsaken realm.
Blood still stained its cracked surface from the last ritual, but tonight, Eliot would try something far more dangerous.
His hand shook as he cut his palm once more, the cold bite of the blade barely registering through the numbness that had settled over him. He was running out of time. Ida was slipping further away, and every moment he hesitated, she drifted closer to oblivion.
The sanctuary’s protective powers were weakening. The shadows in the corners seemed darker, thicker like they were slowly creeping upon him, waiting for him to falter.
Taking a deep breath, Eliot pressed his bloodied hand to the glass again. The mirror rippled under his touch, the surface undulating like water. He closed his eyes and whispered the words he had learned from the forgotten texts, the language foreign and heavy on his tongue.
“Bring her back,” he murmured, his voice hoarse. “Please. Bring her back.”
For a moment, nothing happened. The mirror remained still, the Void silent around him. But then, slowly, the glass began to shimmer, glowing faintly as if something—someone—was stirring on the other side. The air in the room shifted, growing cold, and Eliot could feel a faint but familiar presence brushing against the edges of his consciousness.
“Ida,” he whispered, his heart pounding.
A soft voice echoed back, faint and distant. “Eliot…”
His breath caught in his throat as the figure materialized before him. At first, it was just a silhouette, a faint outline barely visible in the dim light. But then, slowly, the details began to fill in—the curve of her shoulders, the delicate shape of her face, the dark hair that framed her pale features. Ida stood before him, fragile and translucent, like a reflection in water.
For a moment, Eliot couldn’t move. His heart surged with relief and terror as he looked at her—she was here, standing right before him. But something was wrong. Ida’s form flickered, her body fading in and out of focus as if she were struggling to hold on to her existence.
“Ida,” he said again, stepping closer. “It’s me. It’s Eliot.”
She blinked, her eyes unfocused, distant, as though she were looking through him, not at him. “Eliot?” Her voice was soft, confused. “I… I don’t…”
“It’s me,” he repeated, his voice breaking. “Do you remember? We’ve known each other for years. I’ve been looking for you. I’ve been trying to bring you back.”
Ida’s brow furrowed, and for a moment, it seemed she didn’t recognize him. But then, something shifted in her gaze. She blinked again, her eyes locking onto his, and a flicker of recognition passed over her face.
“Eliot,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I remember… I remember you.”
Eliot exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, his heart aching with relief. “Yes, yes! It’s me. You’re back. You’re here.”
But even as she spoke his name, Ida’s form wavered, her body flickering like a dying flame. She looked down at her hands, her expression growing fearful as she watched her fingers begin to blur and dissolve. “What’s happening to me?” she whispered, her voice cracking with fear. “Why… why can’t I stay?”
Eliot stepped forward, reaching out to her, but his hand passed through her arm as if she were made of mist. He cursed under his breath. “You’re tethered to this place,” he said, his voice thick with frustration. “The Void. It’s holding you here. You’re not fully back yet.”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide and pleading. “I don’t understand. I feel… lost. I don’t know where I am. I don’t know what happened.”
Eliot’s throat tightened. “You were taken, Ida. The Forgotten—they targeted you. They erase people, wipe them from existence if they get too close to understanding this place.”
She looked at him in confusion, her brow furrowed. “The Forgotten?”
Eliot nodded, stepping closer. “You must have stumbled onto something that brought you into their sights. They take people who get too close. That’s why no one remembers you. That’s why you disappeared.”
Ida’s face paled further, and she shook her head slowly. “I… I remember something. It’s like a dream, but it’s all fragments. I was running, I was hiding… from something.” She winced, her hands clutching her temples as if the memories were too painful to bear. “But it’s all so hazy. I don’t know what’s real anymore.”
Eliot’s heart ached as he watched her struggle. She was so close, yet so far. Every time she spoke, her voice seemed to weaken, her form fading more and more. He couldn’t lose her again, not now, not after everything he had done to find her.
“We have to get out of here,” Eliot said, urgency creeping into his voice. “If we stay here any longer, you’ll fade. And if you fade…”
“I’ll be gone,” she finished her voice barely above a whisper.
Eliot nodded grimly. “We need to find a way out. There has to be a way back to the real world.”
But even as he spoke, the shadows in the room deepened. Once a place of relative safety, the sanctuary was no longer immune to the creeping darkness. The air grew cold, and a deep, guttural sound echoed through the walls—a low, rumbling growl that sent chills down Eliot’s spine.
Ida’s eyes widened, and she backed away, her translucent form flickering violently. “They’re here,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “The Forgotten. They’re coming for me.”
Eliot’s blood ran cold. He could feel them, too, the dark, hulking figures moving just beyond the room’s edges, circling like predators. The sanctuary’s protective power had faltered, and now, the Forgotten were closing in, their presence suffocating.
“We have to move,” Eliot said, grabbing Ida’s hand. Though his fingers passed through her, he could still feel her presence, faint but there. We need to find a way out.”
The two of them rushed toward the entrance of the sanctuary, but the building seemed to twist and warp, the walls bending and shifting like a maze designed to trap them. The once-familiar layout of the sanctuary was now a distorted labyrinth, the doors leading to nowhere, the hallways stretching into infinity.
The growling grew louder, the shadows closer. Eliot could see them now—dark, humanoid figures with eyes like empty voids, their mouths twisted into cruel, gaping grins. The Forgotten were relentless, feeding off the fear that clung to the air.
“Eliot,” Ida’s voice came, weak and frightened. “I… I can’t…”
He turned to her, his heart dropping into his stomach. She was flickering more violently now, her form breaking apart like glass shattering into the wind.
“No!” he shouted, grabbing her hand again. “You’re not fading, do you hear me? You’re staying with me.”
But Ida shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. “It’s too late, Eliot. I’m slipping. I can feel it.”
“No,” he growled. “I won’t lose you again.”
To Be Continued …
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God Is In The Radio 
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