Farewell

The world around him seemed colder, emptier, as the portal snapped shut with a final, resounding hum. Oliver blinked, his surroundings coming into focus, but it all felt surreal. He was back—back in front of the old mansion where it had all begun. The towering, decaying structure loomed above him, its broken windows staring down like hollow eyes. Silence pressed against his ears, and the air felt stark, devoid of the strange, vibrant magic that had colored his senses so intensely in the Breach Between.

He stumbled forward, his legs heavy and numb as he made his way out of the mansion. Leaves crunched under his boots. There felt colder than he remembered. Oliver’s car was still parked on the road in front of the house, covered in a thick layer of fallen leaves. How long have I actually been gone? His hands shook as he brushed off the leaves, his mind reeling with the realization that he was really, truly, back.

He slid into the driver’s seat, the familiar scent of the worn cloth and stale cheeseburger of a meal he never finished greeted him, and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. It felt so strange, so colorless here. The seats weren’t warm like Lilith’s embrace, or cool like Nina’s teasing caress; the air was empty, lacking the subtle, intoxicating scents of Lilith’s perfume. Everything felt muted, and a wave of sadness crashed over him, making him feel hollow and tired.

Oliver closed his eyes, trying to steady his breath. He found his phone where he had thrown it on the passenger seat thinking he wouldn’t need it. It was dead. It took a moment for it to charge, but as the screen flickered on, a torrent of notifications came through, making his heart ache. He scrolled through the messages, each one from his family, friends, and even some from his editor, all of them full of worry and questions.

It had been a month. An entire month.

He swallowed hard. This was why he’d come back, wasn’t it? His family, his friends, his life—he had people here who cared about him. He missed them, and yet, he couldn’t ignore the ache in his chest, the feeling that he had left something vital behind. The magic of that world, the friends he’d made, the strange, exhilarating experiences all felt more vivid and real than the world around him now.

With a shuddering sigh, Oliver started the car, the engine’s rumble breaking the quiet. He gripped the wheel, his knuckles white as he pulled out, the leaves crunching under the tires as he drove down the winding driveway. He paused at the end, the mansion shrinking behind him, but he couldn’t shake the urge to look back.

He stopped, putting the car in park, and turned to stare at the mansion one last time. His heart twisted, and his throat tightened. It may have been a month, but in the Breach Between, he’d experienced a lifetime’s worth of emotions. He could still feel the warmth of Lilith’s final embrace, her heartbeat close to his. Oliver missed them—missed them fiercely, in a way that felt almost painful. Something he had not expected. The mansion stood there, silent and foreboding, as if it were waiting for him, calling to him. He wondered if he could ever find his way back, if leaving had actually been a mistake.

Oliver’s phone chimed softly, breaking through his thoughts, and he glanced down at a new message from his sister, begging him to answer and how much she missed him. It was the reminder he needed, the anchor that pulled him back to reality. He took a deep breath, letting the cool air fill his lungs as he closed his eyes.

As he drove down the winding road, the mansion fading into the distance, Oliver couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d left a piece of himself behind. The world around him seemed muted, ordinary, and for the first time, he wondered if he could ever truly feel at home here again.

He would carry the memories of Lilith, Nina, and Misty with him, wherever he went. And maybe, just maybe, he would find a way back to them, back to the world that had stolen his heart, where the nights were filled with danger and wonder, and where he had truly felt alive.

Oliver now knew magic existed.

Who knew what was now possible?