Beneath the Gilded Rule
Nyx and Alaric stood at opposite ends of the floor.
No touching. No communication devices.
The screen overhead flashed the parameters.
OBJECTIVE: EXTRACT CORE DATA FROM HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT
CONDITION: SUCCESS REQUIRES SYNCHRONIZATION
Alaric’s gaze found hers across the distance.
Don’t fight me, it said.
Nyx nodded once.
The environment loaded, and dark corridors, shifting walls, threats appear without pattern. Alaric moved with practiced precision, commanding space like it bent for him.
Nyx did not follow.
She cut sideways, creating pressure points, triggering traps early to reroute threats. It was chaotic, but controlled.