Breaking Boundaries

It was a simple matter of evasion, or so we thought, striding forth to the only possible direction before a thunderous stampede, an echoing cry that signaled many from far ahead of us, halted at once anymore movement from the both of us.

"Surrounded," Jin said quietly, brandishing out his ax in a readied grip.

My teeth in a tight grit, I looked to the darkness both left and right of us, "Seems to fucking happen a lot, I just realized," I gulped down a growing panic. "Plan?"

"Could just force our way through on either side. The problem is we don't know how many there are, run at a side too many and we'll be overwhelmed."

He looked at me, "Yours?"

Knowing the absolute futility of it, still, I drew out my feeble wooden companion, holding it out in front of me, "Well, playing fetch is still always an option."

"Not the time for jokes," He said sternly, "Make one now or we'll go with mine."

I nearly erupted at him for putting me on the spot. Why are you looking for me to come up with something? It was blatantly obvious I didn't have a clue.

"We'll go with yours, then! I don't -"

An oddity stopped me short and left me in bewildering silence. I blinked once, firmly, thinking an overactive imagination was getting the better of me but when that did not lead it to erasure, I was forced to consider another possibility.

"Jin, you cut some areas out of the dungeon, didn't you?"

Jin, who at this point in time, had his attention undivided to the looming threats, spun towards me, evidently agitated beyond belief as he responded, "What?!"

Knowing time was a precious commodity, I cut straight to the point, and pointed straight to the blank solid, chiseled stone wall to the side of us, "Map says we're at the furthest edge of the dungeon, can't get any further than here. Obviously, that's a fucking lie, because it's also saying there's still a huge area behind that wall over there that's inaccessible."

"Cut content," Jin yelled, growing more frantic, "So what?"

"You're a developer, you know the kinks," I ran to the wall and slammed my hand against it, "Glitch us through!"

His eyes grew in a way that showed he understood, his mouth hung loose signifying how outlandish he thought my plan was, but the danger fast approaching and my patience already exceeded cut across him.

"Look, the girl I talked about, Arishia, she did the same thing once. I don't know how she did it, but I'm willing to bet you do. That's my idea, we run with it, or we go with yours."

Uncertainty, doubt, they were all on full display, an exhibit of indecision clear as day. Death wailed at us once more from both sides and that more than anything locked his resolve tight.

"You better hope to God he hasn't patched this yet," He said, stomping forward with his ax held high above his head.

"What are you…?"

Jin let it plummet, effort exerted in a loud yell, as spark erupted upon contact with the hard surface. He retracted it, heaved once, and hurled again, the jagged edge towards the wall.

The clangor resonated far and wide, drowning out almost the ever-vocal shrieks that were descending upon us.

"Hit a surface hard enough, your weapon gets stuck," Jin grunted through the heavy swings of his ax, "Get it stuck, it starts clipping inwards and its physics begins to break. You keep hold and continue pushing it in and eventually, it'll drag you along with it."

As he swung, I couldn't help but feel a semblance of familiarity. Jin's explanation and the way it was executed bore a striking resemblance to someone else's.

Someone I knew who did the exact same thing, the difference being, he sunk his weapon to the floor as opposed to the wall, and that he did it by pure accident, whereas Jin struck with deliberate intent.

Now I couldn't help wonder hypothetically, what would have happened if I had been so kind as to retrieve Tayuma's sword for him that day. I would have probably sunk to the ground like quicksand and fallen through the world and into an inescapable void.

Mmm, not exactly a happy thought. Good thing I chose the selfish route that day.

Jin hissed, baring wide his clenched teeth, "It's not sticking!"

"No, keep trying!" I urged him on, spurring to replicate his actions, winding my weapon with both hands, "I know for a damn fact this will work. I saw it."

I swung, hitting the surface with a hefty thwack and felt the initial impact surged through my arms inducing a throbbing pain.

Again, even harder, more forceful, tight in my grip, swelled the ache in increments.

Jin looked to the side, breath heavy, "They're here."

I followed his gaze, ten to the left, armed to the teeth, the closest only mere meters away from contact.

My sword struck the stone once more, "Jin, swing!"

"Sora, it's too late!" He fired back, treading backward, "The other way, run, there's probably - "

A synergized growl expelled out the lips of nearly a dozen emerging rapidly from the right, faces warped into sickening displays of insanity as they barraged towards us with ear-splitting shrieks.

I pummeled my blade with all I had, "SWING!"

Then an explosion. A rumble. A tremor. I felt vibrations escalating in sheer intensity. The blade shook uncontrollably in my hand and immediately I knew. Instantly, I drove it deeper with all my might and felt it and most of myself sink into the wall without warning.

Forward was a sight of utter darkness, as it was, phasing into a solid object. Halfway through, I turned backward, precious seconds until the horde descended upon Jin, fleeting moments only, to reach out and grab hold of his hand before I was truly, fully consumed.

I felt the clasp of his hand on my own and gripped it tightly as the darkness devoured my sight and yanked it towards me, shouting out loud yet unable to produce any sound within the confines of solidity.

It was a sensation without any feeling, lasting briefly despite it feeling like an eternity. I popped out the other side overwhelmed by a view of a familiar pure white.

I toppled to the surfaceless ground gasping desperately for air, squinting my eyes to the blinding scene.

The unmistakable white of an out-of-bounds area. Just like the developer room.

The absence of color seemed to stretch to infinity, instead of the compact box from before, a void without end greeted us, save for the wall we sprung out from that also stretched endlessly.

Behind me, Jin's hand remained unclasped to mine, a tight grip that seemed to carry the same intensity from before.

"Jin…" I said, feeling the relief washed down on me, "You can let go now. We did it."

But he didn't let go.

I glanced at his direction, "Jin, I said you can -"

Deep heavy breaths trying to compose himself. Wide-open eyes disbelieving of our accomplishment. Things I expected to see but did not.

Jin wasn't there. The only thing that fronted me then was the chiseled wall inches away.

Confusion, only for a second before my eyes glimpsed upon the horror.

I felt the air escape me. My senses leave me.

Felt as if reality itself came crashing down all around me.

My hand, I raised in front of me. The sensation of his touch still a continuous presence. Jin's severed hand laid lifeless atop of my own, his hold on me still tight, the weight of his fingers still interlocked with my wrist.

Never once letting go.