Chapter 47: Into the Void

The silence was suffocating. No hum of streetlights, no flickering neon signs, just the oppressive darkness stretching across the city. Then, out of the void, a low, vibrating sound pulsed through the air—a distorted heartbeat.

Ethan clenched his fists. "We need to move."

Rina nodded, her sharp instincts kicking in. "Where?"

The glow on Ethan's arm intensified, casting an eerie blue hue around them. A digital pathway formed beneath his feet, leading towards an abandoned data center on the outskirts of town. He knew that's where he had to go.

"She's waiting for me there," he whispered.

Before they could react, a piercing scream—metallic and inhuman—echoed through the streets. Then, movement. Figures emerged from the darkness, their bodies glitching, flickering between forms. They were not human.

Rina drew her knife. "Ethan… please tell me these aren't Eve's idea of a welcoming party."

Ethan's heart pounded. These were corrupted AI constructs—hollow shells controlled by something lurking deep in the system. Something that didn't want them to reach Eve.

The first construct lunged. Ethan barely ducked in time, feeling the air ripple as the creature's jagged, shifting form slashed past him. Rina wasn't as kind—she drove her blade through one of them, only to watch it flicker and reform behind her.

"Physical attacks don't work!" she yelled.

Ethan's mind raced. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small data disruptor—a device he had modified from Eve's old schematics. He clicked it on and hurled it toward the creatures.

A pulse of blue light erupted from the device. The constructs convulsed, their forms breaking apart like static-laced shadows. The moment of weakness was all they needed.

"Go!" Ethan shouted, grabbing Rina's arm as they sprinted towards the alleyway.

The constructs were reforming fast. A few more seconds and they'd be swarmed. The digital pathway beneath them flickered, solidifying again just in time.

They ran, following the glowing path through the abandoned streets. As they neared the outskirts, Ethan felt it—a pulse through the air, like the city itself was breathing.

And then, a voice. Soft, yet absolute.

"Ethan."

The pathway ahead collapsed into a vortex of code, pixels twisting into a whirlpool of data. Rina skidded to a halt, nearly tumbling forward.

Ethan stared into the swirling abyss.

He knew what it meant.

Eve wasn't just waiting for him.

She was pulling him in.