The sea was endless, merciless. The weight of the abyss pressed against their bodies as they sank, its darkness stretching beyond imagination.
Jeremy clutched Asher's limp body, his arms trembling from exertion. Blood coiled in the water, spiraling into the endless black, staining the sea like ink. Asher's body was riddled with deep, pulsating wounds, each a gaping hole where the creature's tentacles had pierced him. The white liquid seeping from them mixed with the water, a sickly contrast against the crimson.
"Asher…" Jeremy whispered, his voice lost in the deep.
Asher's emerald eyes were shut, his silver hair floating like a ghostly halo around him. His lips were slightly parted, his chest barely moving. Jeremy felt his throat tighten. No, this wasn't how it was supposed to be.
Then—the sea rumbled.
A new horror.
Jeremy's ember eyes darted downward, his breath catching as the monstrous entity that had nearly consumed them twisted its grotesque body. The fused corpses wailed, their skeletal fingers clawing at the water as they stretched toward the two sinking figures.
But something was coming.
A new sound—a shrill, high-pitched screech.
Jeremy barely had time to process it before shadows rushed in from above.
Flying abominations.
Their wings were massive, torn and featherless, their bodies resembling nightmarish hybrids of bird and beast. Their sunken eyes burned with a hungry, unnatural light. Dozens—no, hundreds—descended from the depths of the ocean's gloom, their razor-sharp claws extending toward the abominations of the deep.
Then—chaos.
A war erupted beneath the sea.
The flying creatures screeched and lunged, their talons ripping into the writhing tendrils of the sea horrors. The fused corpses shrieked, their disjointed limbs flailing as the winged creatures sank their claws into them, tearing flesh, breaking bones. The red-eyed leviathan roared, its tentacles lashing violently, crushing and splitting its enemies apart.
Jeremy was barely aware of the battle raging around them. His focus was only on Asher. But then—the ocean shifted.
A monstrous wave.
A force so great it sent bodies flying—both living and dead. Jeremy barely had time to take a last breath before the current slammed into them, twisting their bodies in a violent, churning vortex. He tightened his grip on Asher, holding onto him desperately, but the ocean was ruthless.
The wave consumed them.
They were thrown violently, spinning and tumbling through the abyss, saltwater choking their lungs, the force ripping them through the currents. Jeremy fought, but his strength was nothing compared to the ocean's fury.
Then—light.
Blinding.
The moment of impact was brutal.
The wave hurled them out of the sea like ragdolls, slamming them onto solid ground. Jeremy's back hit hard rock, pain bursting through his body as he coughed up seawater. His limbs felt like they'd been shattered, his vision swimming with dizziness.
But he didn't care about any of that.
"Asher?" His voice was hoarse, broken.
He turned.
His breath caught.
Asher lay beside him—silent, unmoving.
Blood pooled around his body, seeping from the deep holes that punctured his flesh. The white liquid continued oozing, mixing into the red, his body a mess of wounds. His silver hair was tangled, matted with blood and seawater, his lips deathly pale. His long lashes rested against his cheeks, unmoving.
He wasn't breathing.
Jeremy froze.
His hands trembled as he reached for Asher's chest, pressing down, trying to force air into his lungs.
"Asher, wake up!" he gasped, voice cracking.
Nothing.
Jeremy pressed again. Harder. Desperation clawed at his throat.
"No, no, no, no—don't do this to me," he whispered, shaking.
Asher didn't stir.
Jeremy felt his chest tighten, his vision blurring.
His lips trembled.
"You did so much for me… and I couldn't save you," he choked out, his hands curling into fists. "Why am I so useless?"
His entire body trembled as he collapsed forward, resting his forehead against Asher's. His tears slipped down, mixing with the blood on Asher's skin.
The world had turned to silence.
Jeremy didn't care if something came to devour him. He didn't care if the horrors of the abyss came crawling from the shadows to finish them off.
His life meant nothing if Asher was gone.
A shaky breath escaped his lips.
He bent down.
And pressed his lips against Asher's.
It was gentle. Tantalizing. Desperate.
Then—light.
A sudden red glow erupted from Asher's body, burning with intensity. Jeremy's eyes widened in shock as a powerful force surged from Asher's skin, slamming into him like a physical wave. He gasped, jerking back as the light engulfed them both.
His vision blurred—his body went numb.
The red light spiraled wildly, searing the ground, illuminating the haunting structures that loomed around them. Jeremy clutched his head, his breath coming in sharp gasps.
"What—what's happening?" he rasped.
His gaze darted to Asher's leg.
Then—realization hit.
The mark.
The twisted, ancient symbol that had always been there. The thing that had drawn monsters to Asher like a curse.
Jeremy's pulse pounded.
They weren't only after Asher.
They were after him because of the cursed mark.
"Asher…?" Jeremy whispered, his voice barely audible.
The red light pulsed again—brighter.
Then—just as suddenly as it came, the glow flickered.
The mark vanished.
Jeremy gasped, his body collapsing beside Asher's. His limbs felt like lead, his breath coming in weak, shallow gulps. His vision swam, the world tilting.
Then—blackness.
Jeremy's last thought before the darkness took him was the warmth of Asher's lips and the echo of a single question.
What the hell just happened?
****************
Jeremy opened his eyes to a world unlike any he had ever seen before. A vast, endless garden stretched before him, bathed in an eerie red glow. The trees had crimson leaves, rustling gently despite the absence of wind. The sky above was a swirling mix of deep purples and burning golds, as if the sun and moon had merged into one celestial being. The air smelled faintly of roses and something nostalgic—something that made Jeremy's heart ache with a longing he couldn't explain.
Then, the realization struck him.
He had been here before.
A strange familiarity settled in his bones, wrapping around him like an old, forgotten dream. He turned his head slowly, scanning the endless red garden, and that was when he saw it—a figure, moving through the crimson leaves, walking toward something in the distance.
Jeremy's breath caught in his throat.
"Asher…"
The figure moved with purpose, gliding through the garden like a shadow. Jeremy's chest tightened when he recognized the silver hair flowing behind the figure like strands of moonlight. His stomach clenched as Asher continued forward, his emerald eyes fixed on something far ahead.
Jeremy followed his gaze—
And saw it.
It was a towering structure, a door so massive it seemed to scrape the heavens. Its surface was black as obsidian, adorned with intricate carvings that sent chills down Jeremy's spine. The engravings depicted agonized faces—twisted in eternal torment, their hollow eyes screaming silently. Skeletal hands reached out from the door's frame, their bony fingers curled in desperate pleas. Chains wrapped around the door like monstrous serpents, their rusted surfaces engraved with unreadable ancient symbols.
A thick, suffocating darkness pulsed from within, leaking through the cracks like an unholy mist. The door did not simply exist—it breathed, as if it were alive, waiting to swallow whoever dared step beyond it.
And Asher was walking straight toward it.
"Asher, Don't Leave Me!"
Panic surged through Jeremy's veins. He ran, his feet barely making a sound against the red-leafed ground. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
"Asher!" he cried, reaching out.
Asher did not turn.
Jeremy's fingers grazed his wrist, and with a desperate yank, he grasped Asher's hand tightly.
"Asher, don't leave me! I'm not going to make it alone!" Jeremy's voice cracked, his eyes burning with unshed tears. "Remember? We promised—we promised to stand together, through the highs and the lows. Please don't go!"
For a moment, Asher stopped.
Jeremy's hope flared. But then, slowly, Asher turned to face him—and Jeremy's breath hitched.
Asher looked dead.
His silver hair, once luminous, was dull and lifeless. His once-vivid emerald eyes were now dim, clouded with something unreadable. His skin was ashen, far too pale, as if the life had been drained from him. His lips were slightly parted, his expression blank, emotionless.
"Asher…" Jeremy whispered, his voice barely a breath.
Then Asher moved.
With a gentle yet firm motion, he pried Jeremy's trembling hands off his wrist.
"Asher, please," Jeremy choked, stepping forward again. "You've saved me so many times—back at school, in the darkest moments—you even died for me, Asher. No! I won't let you do it again!"
The words died for me suddenly rang in Jeremy's ears like an explosion.
His body stiffened.
They had died.
The truth crashed over him like a tidal wave. They had been killed.
And suddenly, memories came flooding back—
—The laughter and whispers in the halls of Paradise High.
—The cruel taunts, the way Jeremy was ridiculed, humiliated.
—Asher disguising himself as a girl to protect Jeremy.
—The revelation of Asher's secret. The scandal that followed.
—Emily's twisted smile.
—Rowan's sharp blade.
—Simon's merciless hands.
—The blood. The screaming.
—Their deaths.
Jeremy staggered back, his heart slamming against his ribs. "Why—why am I only remembering now?"
Asher's lifeless eyes locked onto him. "Because you weren't ready."
Jeremy's hands clenched into fists. He shook his head violently, tears spilling down his face. "No. No one is sacrificing anyone! And you, Asher, are NOT going anywhere!"
Before Asher could take another step toward the door, Jeremy lunged.
His arms wrapped around Asher's waist, pulling him close, and before Asher could push him away—Jeremy pressed his lips to Asher's.
The world shattered.
It wasn't just a kiss—it was everything.
Jeremy's fingers tangled in Asher's silver hair, his body pressing desperately against him, as if holding him close could keep him from slipping away. Asher tasted like rain and something beautifully unexplainable, like the remnants of a dream that Jeremy never wanted to wake from.
A warmth, deep and overwhelming, surged through them. Jeremy's heart pounded against Asher's chest, but beneath it, he could feel something else.
Memories.
Asher's breath hitched against his lips. His fingers trembled.
And then—Paradise High returned.
Images flooded their minds—
Jeremy gasping as he was shoved into a locker.
Asher laughing softly beside him, his voice like a melody.
The school halls. The cafeteria. The nights spent sneaking out to the rooftop, gazing at the stars which was Jeremy favourite hobby.
Their whispers. Their secrets.
The betrayal. The ambush.
The pain.
The deaths.
A pulse of energy erupted between them, shattering the illusion of the red garden.
A voice—ancient, angelic—echoed through the air, unseen yet omnipresent.
"You have remembered what led to your deaths. Move forward."
The crimson leaves of the garden began to fall.
The landscape shifted, transformed.
The air became thicker, warmer. The scent of red leaves faded into something earthy, rich, alive.
Suddenly, they were no longer in the endless red garden.
They stood in a vast forest—but it was unlike any forest they had ever seen.
Towering trees surrounded them, their bark shimmering with hues of gold and silver. Leaves of every color imaginable rustled in a sound like distant whispers. The air pulsed with a mystical energy, humming softly, carrying an unspoken promise.
And in the center of it all—
A colossal red oak tree.
Its roots coiled like ancient serpents, stretching toward the heavens. The trunk was vast, its bark carved with intricate symbols that glowed faintly. Its branches spread far and wide, their tips vanishing into the sky, as though they touched the very stars.
Jeremy and Asher stood before it, side by side, their hands still entwined.
Jeremy, still breathless, turned to Asher.
"Wow what… is this place?" he whispered.
Asher, his emerald eyes wide, stared at the red oak, his lips parted in stunned realization.
"I… I don't know but whatever it's is sure is great," he murmured.
But deep in his soul, something whispered.
This is where it all begins.