After several failed attempts, we finally cracked the correct sequence. The runes glowed brightly for a fleeting moment before vanishing completely, and the disorientation afflicting us dissipated instantly.
However, our momentary victory was short-lived. The smoke, until then relatively inactive, began to transform into dense fog. It grew thicker, darker, and a sharp metallic odor saturated the air. Before we could react properly, the fog enveloped us completely.
— Stay together! —I ordered urgently. But I received no response.
— Guys? —I called with growing unease.
When I turned, I found myself utterly alone. My friends, who had been by my side just seconds ago, had vanished without a trace.
I exhaled deeply and continued in the direction where they had disappeared. Though the silence around me was absolute, it was impossible for them to have strayed so far in such a short time without my noticing.
I meticulously examined the floor as I advanced through the fog-laden corridor. I began to perceive illusory sounds and fleeting visions, as if experiencing hallucinations. Unaware of what awaited me, I heightened my precautions and proceeded with renewed caution.
— Noah.
Suddenly, a melodious female voice called from behind me.
My heart raced as I recognized that unmistakable voice. I froze and, with extreme slowness, turned around.
Golden hair that shimmered brightly like liquid honey and emerald eyes that evoked the lushness of nature. The woman I had tried to forget countless times over the past years, without ever succeeding.
— Alessia? —I murmured with palpable disbelief.
There stood Alessia, exactly as I remembered her in my most painful dreams.
— I missed you deeply, Noah —she said, looking directly into my eyes and smiling radiantly, like a ray of sunlight piercing my tormented soul.
— Alessia… —her name escaped my lips uncontrollably. My late wife stood there, as beautiful as the fateful day I lost her, with that sweet smile I had so adored.
She wore the same sumptuous scarlet dress that now clung perfectly to her slender figure. I clenched my teeth so hard I felt physical pain.
I understood it was a mere illusion from the first moment. If Alessia had truly returned from the dead to appear before me, she wouldn't look identical to how she was ten years ago.
Yet, I found it impossible to look away as she approached with that smile I had so longed for. It was a cruel illusion that materialized the person I missed desperately. Though I knew full well it was a trap designed to make me wander eternally in the fog, never reaching the artifact.
— Noah, I missed you so much.
Her smile had always shone with the same intensity as the sun itself. And this illusory projection of Alessia also took my hand with utmost tenderness, with the same smile as before.
That smile simultaneously evoked the happiest moments we shared and the most heart-wrenching memories.
I felt my heart shatter painfully. Every fiber of my being yearned to draw closer, to touch her, to embrace her one last time.
It took me a moment to pull her hand away. Then, the illusion of Alessia briefly furrowed her brow, as if not understanding my reaction, and called to me again with infinite affection and a radiant smile.
— Didn't you miss me, Noah? I longed for you intensely. I'm so glad to see you like this.
I remained utterly silent, as if I hadn't heard her words. I knew full well that engaging with an illusion would only entangle me deeper in its deceptive web.
I tried to ignore her and deliberately turned my back on her. I knew I had no time to indulge in these illusions.
Yet, despite having turned away, Alessia inexplicably shifted her position and reappeared in front of me.
My body shuddered violently when I heard her begin to sob.
When ignored, her large crystalline eyes filled with tears. Soon, she began to shed copious tears with a deeply anguished and desolate expression.
— Noah, look at me, I beg you. I am the Alessia who lives in your memories.
I experienced a paralyzing jolt of terror. Had I heard correctly?
— You're not real —I said with trembling lips, though each word felt like a sharp sword piercing my soul—. Alessia died long ago.
Her figure drew closer, her expression becoming indescribably pained.
— Why do you reject me? Wasn't it enough that you caused my death?
Her words struck me like a cruel whip, touching my deepest remorse, the guilt I had never managed to overcome.
— Embrace me like before, darling. You haven't forgotten me to this day —Alessia extended her arms toward me in a pleading gesture.
I closed my eyes tightly, as silent tears streamed down my cheeks. My rational mind battled fiercely against my heart in a devastating, unrelenting struggle.
Memories of my life with Alessia flooded my consciousness. Back then, we were madly in love, we lived for each other, and I would have sacrificed anything for her without hesitation.
— That's right. I've never managed to forget you.
I exhaled with deep resignation.
— See? You still love me —she affirmed with jubilant hope.
— Don't deceive yourself —I looked at the illusion of Alessia with eyes clouded by pain—. The fact that I haven't forgotten you doesn't necessarily mean I still love you.
I was lying blatantly. Each word burned my throat.
— What…?
Upon hearing my declaration, her face reflected profound shock, as if her entire universe had suddenly collapsed. Her eyes began to fill with heartrending sadness.
— Do you feel absolutely nothing for me anymore? That's simply impossible. Remember all the moments we shared, Noah. There's no way you could have forgotten them!
The illusory Alessia approached with eyes brimming with tears, clutching my hand with desperation. Her voice trembled with palpable anguish.
It was truly an illusion of extreme cruelty.
— I loved you deeply, Alessia —I finally confessed, my voice sounding unrecognizable, hoarse with an indescribable existential void—. I will always love you deep in my soul. But you're not real, and I have a crucial mission to fulfill. There are people who need my help now.
I opened my eyes to gaze at the illusion of my wife one last time. With a smile tinged with infinite melancholy, I whispered:
— Goodbye, Alessia. This time, I set you free by my own conscious choice.
When I caught my breath, my pulse gradually normalized, and I regained my composure. Then I could analyze the situation with renewed objectivity.
Sometimes, letting go was the only viable path to move forward. I understood with painful clarity that it's impossible to soar while remaining chained to the past.
Alessia's figure began to fade gradually, and with her, the dense fog that enveloped me. I blinked repeatedly, my vision adjusting progressively as the last wisps of the illusion dissipated from my tormented mind.