CHAPTER 121: POINT

Marcus woke up to Irene screaming on the phone. Her voice was raw with emotion and desperation, cutting through his grogginess like a knife.

"You never cared about me! What I feel! I did everything you wanted!" Irene shouted into the phone, pacing around the small apartment like a caged animal.

Marcus sat up quickly, immediately alert despite the disorientation of switching worlds. Something was very wrong.

"No! You listen to me for once!" Irene continued. "You can't even listen to what I'm saying! I won't go again!"

"Irene, is everything okay?" Marcus asked, though it was obvious that nothing was okay.

Irene turned toward him with tears streaming down her face. "My dad is coming. He learned I relapsed and wants to send me to rehab again."

Marcus felt his heart sink. After everything they'd shared yesterday, after the progress she'd been making, the crisis was escalating in exactly the way he'd feared.

"What do you think?" Marcus asked carefully, knowing that her decision had to be her own.

"I can't go again. I don't want to," Irene said, her voice breaking with exhaustion and fear.

Marcus stood up and moved toward her. "Then you don't have to."

"He's coming here. We have to leave," Irene said, already grabbing clothes and stuffing them into a bag with shaking hands.

"Let's go to my place," Marcus suggested, though he knew it was only a temporary solution.

Irene packed her bag while Marcus gathered his few belongings. His phone had been ringing constantly, and when he checked it, he saw multiple missed calls from Mr. Pressley and Alex. The situation was spiraling completely out of control.

They left Irene's apartment building just as Marcus spotted Mr. Pressley's truck turning into the parking lot. They managed to avoid being seen by taking the back exit, but Marcus knew this was only buying them time.

During the drive to his apartment, Marcus's phone continued ringing. He ignored the calls, focusing on getting Irene somewhere safe where they could figure out what to do next.

When they entered Marcus's apartment, Tyler was waiting with his arms crossed and an expression of barely controlled anger.

Tyler stopped Marcus and confronted him about ruining his life and the situation with the 'wrecked' Irene. He blocked their path into the living room.

"His father called. I don't know how he got my number. But you can't pull someone from therapy," Tyler continued, his voice getting louder with each word.

Marcus felt defensive anger rising. "You don't know her. Just believe in me."

"Believe what? As a brilliant student, you live like a homeless person and you won't explain anything!" Tyler shot back, gesturing at the messy apartment and Marcus's obviously deteriorating condition.

Marcus felt like he was standing at the edge of a cliff. Everything he'd tried to keep separate was colliding, and he couldn't maintain the lies anymore.

"There is something you are not telling me. Are you using too? Are you schizophrenic, bi-polar. Give me some logical explanation."

Marcus couldn't contain himself anymore. The stress of dual world responsibilities, the cosmic mission, the relationship with Irene, and now Tyler's confrontation pushed him past his breaking point.

"I am a two worlder!" Marcus shouted, the words erupting from him like a dam breaking.

Tyler stared at him with obvious confusion. "What the hell does that mean?"

Marcus tried to explain, but the words came out in a clumsy rush. "I have to live like this because I'm dealing with an invasion! I have a plan to raid a dark wizard's facility! Every time I sleep, I switch between here and another world where I'm fighting to save millions of people!"

Tyler's expression shifted from anger to genuine concern. "Marcus, you've gone bonkers."

"I'm not crazy!" Marcus screamed, desperation making his voice crack.

Tyler shook his head sadly. "I didn't even know you were this deep. I called your parents. They need to get involved in your life before you completely lose it."

Marcus felt panic rising. His parents getting involved would destroy everything he'd worked for. They would try to force him back to back to a life that ignored his cosmic responsibilities maybe commit him to hospital.

"I am not crazy!" Marcus repeated, but he could see that Tyler didn't believe him.

At that exact moment, as if summoned by his desperation to prove his sanity, a portal opened in the middle of Marcus's body. Green and purple energy swirled in the air, creating a window into another world that defied everything Tyler thought he knew about reality.