Unstable Grounds

Chapter 19: Unstable Grounds

The world was still blinding white, the edges of reality blurred and distant as I blinked, trying to force my vision back into focus. My body felt like lead, weighed down by the fragment's energy, as if it had pulled me under water and refused to let me surface. I couldn't feel my limbs—everything was numb, detached.

Slowly, the light receded, and the chamber reformed around me. But it wasn't the same. The walls, once solid, now trembled with an eerie instability, as though my outburst had fractured the very structure of the maze. The air felt heavier, thick with tension, every breath a struggle. Ahead of me, the others were already on the move, their figures darting through the maze like shadows, weaving between obstacles that had only grown more dangerous.

I tried to move, but the energy inside me wasn't calming—it was surging. Boiling. Every pulse of it made my body feel like it was on the edge of shattering. I forced myself to stand, my legs trembling under the weight of the fragment's power. Each step was a battle to stay upright.

Kai was nearby, watching me carefully. His pale blue eyes were unreadable, but I could see it—the calculation, the concern. He hadn't just stumbled into my path by accident. He had known something was going to happen.

"You're still standing," he said quietly, almost to himself. "That's something."

"Standing?" I rasped, my voice raw and hoarse. "I'm barely holding it together."

Kai didn't flinch, but his gaze held steady, knowing. "You can't let it take control," he said, his voice harder now. "That thing inside you—the fragment—it's trying to break free. You need to learn how to lock it down, or it'll burn you from the inside out."

"I'm trying," I whispered, gritting my teeth as I tried to push the power back. My hands shook uncontrollably, trembling with the effort. "But it's… too much."

Kai gave a slow nod, his expression tight. "Then you need to be stronger than it."

Suddenly, the walls of the chamber groaned, and the floor beneath us rumbled. Metallic plates ground against each other as the maze reconfigured itself, the ground tilting and shifting like an earthquake was tearing through it. I could feel the fragment's energy reacting to the instability, like it was feeding off the chaos, amplifying everything.

I had to keep moving. We had to keep moving.

"Kai, what is this place?" I asked through gritted teeth, forcing my legs into motion. "The fragments… why are they here? Why are we here?"

Kai's face darkened, the flicker of something unreadable passing through his eyes. "This isn't just some test for our abilities," he said quietly, his voice barely audible above the rumble of the shifting maze. "The staff… they're watching us, but not like they normally do. This is different. They're studying how we react to the fragments, but it's more than that. They want to see who can survive—who can handle this power without losing themselves."

The weight of his words sank in, cold and sharp. "Survive?" The word felt hollow, like it didn't belong in my mouth.

Kai's gaze was distant, thoughtful. "There's more to this facility than they've ever shown us. The fragments—they're just the beginning."

Before I could process what he was saying, the maze groaned again, louder this time, the walls crashing down in the distance. The air around us became thick with tension, pressing in on my chest. I could feel the fragment's power flaring inside me, restless, violent, as if it wanted to rip itself free. The pressure was overwhelming, building with every second.

The others moved ahead, gliding across the unstable ground as if it barely phased them. Their powers flared, lighting up the dim corridors as they navigated the shifting terrain. I tried to follow, to keep up, but every step was a struggle. The energy inside me was too wild, too uncontrollable. My vision blurred, and I stumbled, barely managing to stay upright.

Kai glanced back, his expression hardening. "Zane, you have to control it. Now."

"I know!" I gasped, my heart pounding as I fought to rein in the power. But the fragment's energy was slipping out of my grasp again, spiraling, raging inside me like a storm. My chest tightened, the air around me warping and shimmering with the intensity of the power building within. I couldn't focus—couldn't breathe.

The ground trembled violently beneath my feet, and the maze began to collapse around us. The others were already ahead, their silhouettes disappearing into the distance, but I was stuck, rooted in place by the uncontrollable surge of power. The fragment's energy was pulling me down, dragging me deeper into its grip. It wanted control. It wanted to take over.

I clenched my fists, every muscle in my body burning as I tried to fight back, but the power was too strong. My vision went white, and the light flared, brighter and more intense than before.

Then, everything went black.

I didn't know how long I'd been out. The darkness was thick, suffocating, and the world felt distant, disconnected from me. When I finally stirred, the ground beneath me was cold and hard, like metal. My limbs felt heavy, and the familiar hum of the fragment's energy buzzed faintly inside me.

I blinked, my vision slowly clearing. The maze around me had shifted again, but it was different now—quieter. The others were gone, and I was alone. The walls loomed above me, their jagged edges casting long shadows across the narrow path.

A soft rustle caught my attention, and I turned to see Kai standing a few feet away, watching me closely. He didn't look surprised to see me awake, but his expression was guarded.

"You blacked out," he said simply. "The fragment… it's taking a toll on you."

I swallowed, my throat dry. "Why are you helping me?"

Kai's eyes flickered with something—something like understanding, but mixed with hesitation. "Because I've seen what happens when someone lets the fragment consume them," he said quietly. "It's not pretty. And whether you like it or not, I'm stuck in this maze with you. If you lose control, we both lose."

There it was. His reasoning wasn't altruistic—he was helping me because it benefited him. But I could sense that there was more to it. Maybe he had seen others fail, others like me, and he wasn't keen on seeing it happen again.

"What do you mean, 'consume them'?" I asked, still shaky.

Kai's gaze hardened. "These fragments—they're pieces of something larger, something ancient. The staff are using us to see how much of it we can handle. But there's a reason they've kept them hidden. Too much power… and you lose yourself. You become the fragment."

The words sent a chill through me. "Become the fragment?"

Kai nodded, his face grim. "If you don't control it, it will control you."

The ground trembled again, and the walls shifted. We didn't have much time.

"We need to keep moving," Kai said, his voice urgent now. "You're not safe here. Not like this."

I struggled to my feet, every muscle aching. The fragment's power was still humming beneath my skin, but it felt quieter now—muted, for the moment.

"Let's go," I said, forcing myself to stand. "Before this thing wakes up again."