LOGINThe Gate wasn't hasty. It was calculating, always.First, the seams would widen—not tear open violently, but gently flex, almost as if made with careful cuts in thin air. Space itself seemed to peel back, layer by careful layer. It showed glimpses of shifting corridors made of both light and deep shadow, bending distance and direction in ways that made no sense. Each corridor emitted a distinct hum, a different frequency that vibrated uncomfortably in my teeth.Aurek shifted. I felt his awakening power pulse outwards, like heat radiating off a blacksmith's forge—unsteady, fierce, barely held in check."Spread out," he snapped. Don't let them corner us.But we were already too late.The first wave emerged from the Gate's depths.What made them so awful wasn't their power, but their variety. Each machine was distinct, modified on the fly. One scuttled low to the floor on insect-like legs, its forearms tipped with blades of pure light. Another floated, its midsection split into spinning
The Gate didn't explode; it did something far stranger.It changed.Imagine a spiderweb, not breaking, but tightening, pulling in on itself. That’s what the Gate did. The glowing rings on the outside, once bright and wild, dimmed. All that light flowed inward, like water down a drain, until it formed a tight, spinning core. This core hung in the air above us, a swirling vortex of pure energy, like a tear in the fabric of reality itself.Then came the silence.But it wasn’t a normal silence. It felt heavy, like something was holding back the sound, pressing down on us.Aurek was the first to move. A snarl, more animal than human, twisted his face. The strange, golden energy he could control flared to life under his skin, making patterns like white-hot brands all over his arms. Without a second thought, he stepped in front of Selene, putting his body between her and whatever was about to happen."Everyone behind me," he ordered, his voice rough.Lysera, usually quick to argue, didn't. S
Agony morphs into a building. Forget feeling; this is about what's real—hard walls, sharp edges, and pressure from above. The Gate? It doesn't sting anymore. It's folded the bad stuff inside, into the very thing that holds me here. My nerves are like wires now, and every breath? Just another calculation in a long series. I'm stuck right in the middle of what's left of this crazy structure.Not tied down. Nah. More like part of the machine.It's a chilling thought—colder than any fear I've ever known.The Gate... it doesn't look at me like I'm a person anymore. I'm just a glitch, a problem it can't fix. No matter how many times I try the math, I keep getting the answer wrong.I'm a mistake that won't go away.I laugh, and my mouth fills with blood.Delightful."Should've finished me off quicker," I cough out.The structure squeezes tighter, light grinding against light, trying to force me into something simple—something that listens, something that dies.It doesn't work.My blood... it rememb
The Gate had one simple rule: silence was expected.That was its first mistake. Thinking it could control everything.The second those locks clicked shut, sealing the Chamber, the Lattice kind of shimmered, then settled, like a living thing finally finding its place. Calm. Serene. Satisfied. A low hum smoothed out, turning into a single, steady note that vibrated through the air. The Chamber seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, like everything was finally in its right place.Balance. Perfect balance achieved.I felt it seep into my bones, chilling me from the inside out. It was unpleasant. I felt it in my teeth.Then—A tiny shiver ran through everything. Barely there.I almost missed it, but I was watching closely.It wasn't a jolt. No explosion. Nothing big like that. It was a flicker.A hesitation.The hum stumbled. Just for a split second, like catching your breath when you're surprised.My head shot up. I was on high alert.Maelreth went rigid beside me. Lysera's hand instinctivel
The Gate didn't bother with announcements; it just shifted gears.A low hum vibrated through the chamber, deepening until it split into layers, like gears grinding before meshing smoothly. Then interlocking tones clicked into position. Runes peeled away from the walls, floating in the air.They clustered together, forming a glowing grid right in front of my face.It was a map.But not of any land I knew.It charted outcomes and consequences.I knew the structure at once, even though I'd never seen it. The comprehension hit me hard, a blast of raw data in my brain.Possible futures. Outcomes were measured and tallied.Acceptable loss margins.I took a slow, steadying breath.Aurek didn’t turn, but I felt the exact moment he picked up on the change.His back stiffened. There was a shift in his awareness, a restless, wary stirring.Maelreth moved closer. “Selene,” he said, his voice cautious, “whatever it’s showing you—”“I see it.”The grid sharpened, focusing.Thousands of points sprang to life—
A chill ran down their spines even before their eyes registered the intrusion. This wasn't some gradual breakdown, a simple crack in the wall. No, this was an incision, a deliberate act. It was clean and precise, the work of someone or something that knew the Gate's precise vulnerabilities at this very moment, applying pressure to that exact spot.Selene's back straightened.A yank, sharp and insistent, pulled at her connection to the Gate. Not painful, not a warning, but a direction.West.Three heartbeats hammered in her chest before the outer defenses screamed their alarm.Lysera was already in motion; her voice, sharp and commanding, echoed down the hallway. Seal off Ring Two! Every sentinel, wake up! I need eyes on everything—stone, air, shadow—nothing moves without us seeing it!Aurek didn't need to be told twice. The instant Selene stumbled, he was gone. Gold light blazed beneath his skin, a wildfire barely contained. "Don't fight it," he barked, his hand gripping her elbow to steady







