INICIAR SESIÓNCHAPTER 44 The Monster Beneath the Core (Dual POV: Daniel & Amara) The entire chamber shook violently. Not once. Not twice. Continuously. Like something beneath the core was trying to tear its way upward through the foundation of the holding layer itself. The suspended containment columns trembled around them while screams echoed endlessly through the massive chamber. Some of the glass cylinders began cracking under the pressure, thin fractures spreading slowly across the surface while the people trapped inside convulsed violently. Amara felt frozen in place. Not from fear alone anymore. From overload. The system was inside her now. Not fully. But enough. Every scream inside the chamber scraped against her nerves like she could feel fragments of their pain bleeding into her mind. Daniel immediately noticed her expression changing. Her breathing had become uneven again. Her eyes unfocused slightly. He grabbed her shoulders gently. “Amara.” She blinked hard. But th
CHAPTER 43 The Truth Buried Inside Blood (Dual POV: Daniel & Amara) The screams rolling through the chamber no longer sounded human. They sounded trapped. Like hundreds of souls were being dragged through pain all at once while the core behind the Founder pulsed brighter and brighter, feeding on every second of fear spreading across the holding layer. Amara stood frozen beside Daniel, her chest rising unevenly as the glowing lines beneath her skin intensified. The deeper the system awakened, the stronger the connection became. And now— It wasn’t only connecting to her. It was recognizing her. The Founder watched her quietly with those unnatural black eyes while the suspended bodies throughout the chamber trembled violently inside their containment columns. Daniel stepped slightly forward, shielding her again. The Founder noticed immediately. A faint smile crossed his face. “Protective,” he murmured softly. Daniel’s jaw tightened hard. “Say another word
CHAPTER 42The Selection Begins(Dual POV: Daniel & Amara)The core opened slowly.Too slowly.Like it wanted them to watch every second of it.Metal layers unfolded outward from the massive circular structure at the center of the chamber while deep mechanical sounds echoed through the holding layer. The suspended containment columns around them flickered violently, bathing the entire room in pulses of red light.And the screaming—God.The screaming became unbearable.Hundreds of voices crying out at once. Some begging. Some praying. Some simply breaking apart inside the nightmare they had been trapped in for years.Amara covered her ears instinctively, but it didn’t help.The sound wasn’t only around her anymore.It was inside her head.Daniel stood frozen near his father’s containment chamber, rage and shock fighting inside him so violently that even breathing felt difficult. His father floated weakly behind the glass, blood spreading slowly through the fluid around him while the r
CHAPTER 41 The Heart of the Graveyard (Dual POV: Daniel & Amara) The screams stopped almost as quickly as they began. But the silence afterward was worse. It spread across the core chamber like something heavy settling over the dead. Amara stood frozen beside Daniel, staring at the hundreds of suspended bodies connected to the glowing structure surrounding them. Some looked asleep. Others looked trapped inside nightmares they couldn’t wake from. One woman inside a nearby containment column slowly lifted her head. Her eyes were open. Alive. And full of pain. Amara immediately looked away. Her stomach twisted violently. “This isn’t real,” she whispered. Michael stood a few feet ahead, exhausted eyes fixed on the massive pulsing core in the center of the chamber. “It’s real.” Victor lowered his weapon slowly, like even he didn’t know what shooting would accomplish anymore. “How long has this been happening?” Nobody answered immediately. Then Adrian spoke quietly. “Lon
CHAPTER 39 The Girl Inside the Darkness (Dual POV: Daniel & Amara) The darkness inside the holding layer felt alive. Not empty. Not silent. Alive. Amara couldn’t see anything anymore, yet the little girl’s voice still echoed through the chamber like it was crawling beneath her skin. “Please…” A pause. Then softer— “Don’t let them put me back.” The words wrapped around the darkness in a way that made the entire structure feel haunted. Victor raised his weapon instinctively even though there was nothing visible to aim at. “I officially hate this place.” Nobody answered him. Daniel stood close beside Amara, one hand gripping hers while the other stayed tense at his side. He could feel her shaking slightly now. Not from fear alone. From connection. Whatever lived inside this system was reaching her directly. Michael’s face had gone pale. “She’s awake,” he whispered. Adrian looked disturbed for the first time since entering the holding layer. “That shouldn’t be possibl
CHAPTER 40 The Collector (Dual POV: Daniel & Amara) The thing pulling itself out of the lower layer didn’t move like a machine. It moved like something that used to be human. That was worse. Metal groaned beneath its weight as the massive figure climbed onto the chamber platform fully. Black reinforced plating covered most of its body, but parts of flesh remained exposed between the armor seams—scarred skin fused unnaturally into mechanical restraints. Its breathing echoed through the chamber. Slow. Heavy. Wet. Like every breath hurt. Victor raised his weapon instantly. “Tell me bullets work on that.” Michael didn’t even look at him. “They don’t.” The Collector lifted its head slowly. One glowing red eye fixed directly on Amara. The other side of its face was hidden beneath damaged steel restraints bolted into bone. Amara felt frozen. Not because of fear alone. Recognition. Something deep inside the system connecting her to the creature standing before them. The







