Chapter 19 - The Final Goodbye
It was Thomas.
But he didn't look like the battered, hollow shell with black veins that had died in the mud.
He wore his favorite old flannel shirt, his face warm, bright, and his hazel eyes overflowing with absolute love.
He looked exactly like the man Rachel had married.
"Thomas..." Rachel sobbed into the void, completely overwhelmed by the sight of him.
Thomas smiled at her, a deeply comforting, peaceful smile that grounded her entirely.
He walked past her and stepped directly toward Madison.
The shadow entities chained to the girl shrieked in agony as Thomas’s pure, golden light burned away their smoke.
He placed his hands on Madison’s forehead, right where the violet Abyssal energy was pooled.
"I love you, my little bird," Thomas’s voice echoed powerfully through the endless space.
"Give it back to me now; your watch is over."
The violet light surged out of Madison’s chest and poured directly back into Thomas’s soul.
The black chains completely dissolved into ash.
Thomas looked back at Rachel one last time, and she didn't need to hear his voice to know what his lips were saying.
Live.
He turned around, carrying the full weight of the Abyssal energy, and threw himself directly into the screaming chasm.
The second he crossed the event horizon, a massive shockwave shattered the void, instantly sealing the rift shut.
Rachel felt a violent physical jolt pull her backward.
She gasped for air, her eyes snapping open in the dusty, ruined cabin.
She was lying on the floorboards, holding Madison tightly in her arms.
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The little girl was crying, but it was the normal, healthy cry of a terrified child, and her eyes were a beautiful, clear blue once more.
The door was finally closed.
