Chapter 17 - Beyond the Threshold

The silence was deafening.

Elise's breath came in slow, measured gasps as she forced herself to take in her surroundings. The battle, the shifting cityscape, the flickering reality—all of it was gone. In its place stood a vast, endless corridor, stretching infinitely in both directions. The walls pulsed with a strange, rhythmic energy, neither solid nor liquid, as if they were made of something beyond conventional matter.

The others were stirring. Mark rolled onto his knees, shaking his head to clear the dizziness. Aaron was already on his feet, his gun drawn, though it was unclear whether there was even anything to point it at. Nadia's fingers brushed against the strange material of the walls, her face set in deep concentration.

And then there was the figure before them.

Elise forced herself to meet its gaze—if it even had one. The being stood tall, its form vaguely humanoid, but its surface was a shifting cascade of colors and textures, as if it existed in multiple states at once. Its voice, when it spoke, was neither male nor female, neither mechanical nor organic.

"You should not have come here."

Mark was the first to react, stepping protectively in front of Elise. "We didn't have much of a choice."

The entity tilted its head, as if considering his words. "There are no choices here. Only outcomes."

Aaron tightened his grip on his weapon. "That's cryptic as hell."

Elise took a step forward, ignoring the tension. "Who are you?"

The entity hesitated, then simply said, "I am the one who maintains the illusion."

A cold chill ran down Elise's spine. "The illusion?"

"The framework you know as reality. The Archive. The Core. You were never meant to breach its threshold."

Nadia narrowed her eyes. "Then why let us?"

The entity did not answer. Instead, it raised a hand, and the corridor around them shifted.

The walls peeled away like fabric, revealing glimpses into countless other places—some familiar, some alien. They saw moments from their past, echoes of battles fought, choices made, secrets buried. Then, for a brief second, a vision flashed before them:

A tower, unlike anything they had ever seen. A structure that seemed to extend infinitely upward, pulsing with a power beyond comprehension. It was ancient, mechanical, alive. And at its base, shrouded figures worked tirelessly, manipulating its energy, twisting its purpose.

Then it was gone.

Elise's voice was barely a whisper. "That's the Core, isn't it?"

The entity did not confirm, but neither did it deny. "You seek answers, but answers are dangerous. Knowledge has a cost."

Aaron scoffed. "We've been paying that price for a long time."

The entity's form shimmered, almost flickering like a faulty transmission. "Then you must understand. If you move forward, there is no returning to ignorance. No undoing what is learned."

Elise felt the weight of the words. This was the point of no return.

She exchanged glances with the others. Mark's expression was resolute. Aaron's grip tightened. Nadia's gaze was firm. They had come too far, lost too much, to turn away now.

Elise took a deep breath. "Show us."

The entity nodded once. The corridor collapsed.

The team was plunged into darkness, weightless, falling without falling. Time had no meaning, direction ceased to exist. And then—

They arrived.

The space around them was vast, mechanical, impossibly intricate. They stood on what felt like an observation platform, overlooking an imposing, pulsating machine—the Core, alive and thrumming with raw energy. But they were not alone.

Figures moved through the structure. Scientists? Engineers? No… something more. The rival faction Prometheus had warned them about. They were here.

Mark gritted his teeth. "So it's true. They've been manipulating this from the start."

Nadia exhaled sharply. "Then it's worse than we thought."

Aaron's gun was already raised. "We end this. Now."

But Elise couldn't shake the feeling that something was still missing. They were staring at the heart of everything—but were they truly seeing the full picture? As the first enemy turned toward them, alarms blaring, she realized something else.

Someone—or something—had been guiding them here.

But why?

And more importantly—who was waiting for them at the top of the tower?