What is the truth?

The void trembled under Ethan's feet.

It wasn't just emptiness; it was alive, a canvas painted with his deepest fears and failures. The shadow-Ethan stood before him, glowing eyes piercing through the darkness like twin embers of a dying fire.

Noah shifted nervously beside him, his breath ragged. "Ethan… whatever this is, we need to get out of here. Now."

But Ethan didn't move.

Because he understood.

They weren't supposed to run.

They were supposed to face it.

Anna and Victoria—The City Fights Back

Anna gritted her teeth as the streets shifted beneath her feet, the ground rippling like water. She and Victoria had been running in circles for what felt like hours, each turn bringing them right back to where they started.

"This city's playing with us," Anna hissed, her fists clenched at her sides.

Victoria's expression remained calm, but Anna could see the tension in her eyes. "It's not just playing," Victoria murmured. "It's testing us."

Anna shot her a sharp look. "Testing us for what?"

Before Victoria could answer, the ground beneath them split open.

Anna barely had time to react before she was falling, the world spinning around her as she tumbled into the darkness.

The Void—Facing the Past

Ethan stared at his shadow, his reflection twisted into something unrecognizable.

"You can't hide from what you've done," the shadow whispered, its voice a cruel echo of Ethan's own.

Ethan's jaw tightened. "I'm not hiding."

The shadow's smile widened. "Then why are you afraid?"

Ethan took a deep breath, forcing himself to meet the shadow's gaze.

"I'm not afraid of you," he said quietly. "I'm afraid of losing myself."

The shadow's glow flickered, the first crack in its otherwise perfect facade.

"You already have."

Ethan stepped forward, his voice growing stronger.

"No," he whispered. "I haven't."

The void shuddered, the darkness pulling back just enough for Ethan to see the faces of those he'd left behind—Anna, Victoria, even Noah.

They were his anchor.

His reason to fight.

And he wasn't going to let the city, or his own fears, define him anymore.

With a surge of determination, Ethan reached out, his hand piercing through the shadow.

The shadow screamed, its form shattering into a million pieces of light.

And just like that—

The void collapsed.

Anna—Falling Into the Unknown

Anna hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the air from her lungs. She gasped, struggling to regain her breath as she looked around.

The world around her was wrong.

The buildings were upside down, the sky a swirling mass of colors that shouldn't exist. The ground pulsed beneath her, alive and watching.

But she didn't care.

All that mattered was finding Ethan.

She pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the pain in her ribs as she moved forward.

Somewhere in this twisted version of reality, Ethan was waiting.

And she wasn't going to let him face it alone.

The City—A New Beginning

Ethan opened his eyes, gasping as the world snapped back into focus.

He was no longer in the void.

The city stretched out before him, its streets pulsing with a new energy.

But it was different now.

The city wasn't just watching.

It was listening.

Noah groaned beside him, pushing himself to his feet. "What… what the hell just happened?"

Ethan didn't answer right away. He could feel it—the shift beneath the surface, the change that had taken root.

He had faced his fears.

But the game wasn't over.

Not yet.

Before he could say anything, a familiar voice echoed through the streets.

"Ethan!"

He turned, his heart leaping into his throat as he saw Anna running toward him.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Ethan smiled.

She had found him.

But as she reached him, the ground beneath their feet trembled.

Because the city had one final move to play.

And this time, it wasn't just about survival.

It was about control.

Victoria—The Final Play

Victoria stood at the edge of the city, watching as the buildings shifted and twisted in the distance.

She could feel it—the endgame was near.

But she wasn't here to save anyone.

She was here to win.

Pulling out a small device from her pocket, she activated it, the screen flickering to life.

A single line of code scrolled across the display, a command she had been waiting to use.

"Initiate override."

The city pulsed, the ground beneath her feet vibrating with a new energy.

And Victoria smiled.

Because while Ethan and Anna were busy fighting the city—

She was going to take control of it.