Chapter 146: The Descent into the Unknown

Evryn’s heart was pounding in her chest as the world around her continued to crumble. The metallic walls buckled and shattered in slow motion, as though time itself had been distorted, stretched to its limit. She could feel the very fabric of reality slipping away from her grasp. The ground beneath her feet trembled, and with every second, it seemed the Nexus was unraveling further.

She had no idea what Aurex had meant by his cryptic words, but there was one thing she knew for sure: nothing was as it seemed. The Architect's twisted game had led her here, and now, more than ever, she understood that there was no escape from this nightmarish labyrinth. But why her? Why had she been chosen?

As the room around her cracked, revealing only darkness beyond, Evryn pushed forward, desperate to find a way out. There had to be something—some way to escape, to piece together the truth that the Architect had hidden from her.

Her hands pressed against the shattered walls, but it was no use. The walls continued to break apart, disintegrating into ash-like dust as though they had never existed in the first place. The energy lines beneath her feet fizzled out one by one, snuffing out the last remnants of light.

The cold air cut through her like a blade, and her breath misted in the air. She staggered forward, her mind scrambling for answers, for something that would make sense of this nightmare.

Suddenly, the darkness in front of her split open. A deep rumbling sound echoed from beyond, growing louder by the second. The cracks widened, revealing a vast chasm of swirling shadows, a yawning void that seemed to stretch on forever. She could feel it—whatever lay beyond the rift was not of this world. It was ancient. Powerful. And it was calling to her.

Evryn hesitated for a moment, her instincts screaming at her to turn back. But there was no going back now. The Nexus was collapsing, the walls falling away, and the rift beckoned her. She had no choice but to leap into the unknown.

With one last glance over her shoulder, she plunged into the abyss.

The sensation of falling was even more intense this time. The world around her spun, twisting like a vortex of light and shadow, and the air turned ice-cold as she hurtled downward. Her heart raced in her chest, and her limbs felt numb. She reached out into the darkness, trying to grasp something—anything—before she was swallowed whole.

And then, as if the very world itself had opened its jaws, she crashed into the ground with a violent jolt.

Her body collided with something soft, but not soft enough to ease the pain that shot through her spine. Groaning, Evryn pushed herself up, her vision blurred. Her head throbbed, and she fought to steady herself, trying to regain control of her thoughts. The air around her was thick, oppressive, and she struggled to breathe as she slowly pushed to her feet.

The landscape before her was nothing like anything she had ever seen. It wasn’t the metallic, artificial world of the Nexus. This place felt... alive. The very ground beneath her feet pulsed with energy, and in the distance, towering structures loomed like sentinels, their surfaces covered in strange runes that glowed faintly in the dim light.

A familiar voice echoed in her head.

“You’ve crossed the threshold, Evryn. Welcome to the origin.”

It was the Architect.

Evryn’s heart skipped a beat. She had been so focused on the chaos, on the rift, that she hadn’t considered the possibility of being followed. She was trapped, and now the Architect had found her once again. But this time, there was something different—something far more sinister in his voice.

The ground beneath her trembled again, and she turned just in time to see a figure emerging from the shadows. A woman. Her silhouette was imposing, tall, and dressed in a dark cloak that billowed around her as though it were alive. Her features were hidden in the darkness, but Evryn could feel the weight of her presence, the power radiating from her like a force field.

“You’re not alone anymore,” the woman said, her voice low and chilling.

Evryn’s pulse quickened. “Who are you?”

The woman stepped forward, revealing her face. And Evryn’s blood ran cold.

It was her.

Or at least, it looked like her.

The woman had the same features—same eyes, same dark hair, but the expression on her face was twisted, cold, unrecognizable. There was no warmth in her gaze. No trace of humanity.

“You’ve finally come to understand, haven’t you?” the woman said, her voice tinged with mockery. “All this time, you thought you were special. You thought you were the key. But in the end, you were just another test subject. A vessel for something far more dangerous.”

Evryn’s breath caught in her throat. “What do you mean?”

The woman smiled, but it wasn’t a smile of kindness. It was a smile of something darker—something ancient.

“You’ve been a part of the Architect’s plan all along, Evryn. You were created as the key to unlocking the power of the Nexus. You’re the catalyst, the one who will either save us all—or doom us forever.”

Evryn’s mind raced. She didn’t understand. None of it made sense. But one thing was certain: this woman—this twisted version of herself—wasn’t here to help her. She was here to destroy everything.

“You don’t have to do this,” Evryn pleaded, her voice shaking. “There’s still time. We can stop this.”

The woman’s eyes flashed with cold amusement. “It’s too late for you, Evryn. The Nexus is already unraveling. And you, my dear, are the reason why.”

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from behind her. Evryn spun around to see a crack in the air—a tear in reality itself. And emerging from it was a figure she hadn’t seen in what felt like an eternity.

Kai.

But his eyes were different now—burning with an intensity she had never seen before.

“You!” the woman hissed, her eyes narrowing. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Evryn felt the weight of the moment press in on her. The woman—her doppelgänger—was dangerous, but Kai’s presence was the only thing that might tip the balance. If only she could reach him.

But before she could take another step toward him, the ground trembled again. The entire world around them shifted, as though the fabric of reality itself was breaking apart.

And then, as if the very air itself had ruptured, a burst of energy exploded from the center of the Nexus.

Evryn’s body was thrown backward, and she felt herself being pulled into the rift once more. The woman’s laughter echoed in her ears as everything around her dissolved into chaos.

“I warned you, Evryn,” the woman’s voice called out, fading into the distance. “There is no escape. You belong to the Nexus now.”

And then, everything went black.