Chapter 25: The Twisting

The child's hand burned like a brand in Jax's grip as they fled through the ruins of Sector 12. The air tasted wrong—thick with the metallic tang of spilled blood and something darker, something that clung to the back of his throat like oil.

Behind them, the mutated Cleaner units shrieked in chorus, their voices warping and distorting as they gave chase. Jax risked a glance back and immediately wished he hadn't. The creatures moved all wrong—limbs bending in impossible directions, their armored shells splitting open to reveal pulsing, vein-covered musculature beneath.

"Where are we—" Jax began, but the child yanked him sharply left into a narrow alley.

The moment they crossed the threshold, the world *shifted*.

The alley stretched impossibly long before them, the walls breathing like living things. Rust-colored vines crawled across the surfaces, their tendrils twitching as they passed. The child moved with purpose, her bare feet leaving faint glowing footprints that faded after a few seconds.

Jax's wrist-console sparked weakly.

**[System Alert: Local Reality Integrity Compromised]**

**[Warning: Unknown Energy Signature Detected]**

"Almost there," the child whispered.

The alley terminated at a dead end—or what should have been one. Instead, the brick wall shimmered like a heat mirage. Without hesitation, the child stepped through.

Jax hesitated for only a second before following.

The space beyond defied comprehension.

They stood in what might have once been a subway tunnel, but the walls had become transparent, revealing swirling galaxies beyond. The ground beneath their feet pulsed with a slow, rhythmic throb. Strange symbols—the same spiraling patterns from the Broadcast Tower—glowed faintly along the curved surfaces.

At the center of the chamber stood a figure.

Jax's breath caught.

Eiden.

Or something wearing his face.

The figure turned, and Jax recoiled. The eyes were all wrong—too large, too black, with faint pinpricks of light swirling deep within like distant stars. The skin around them had begun to crack, revealing glimpses of something luminous beneath.

"Hello, Jax," the figure said, and the voice was Eiden's, but layered with something vast and ancient. "I've been waiting for you."

The child released Jax's hand and stepped forward. "He's ready," she said solemnly.

The thing that wasn't Eiden smiled, and the cracks spread further.

"Good," it said. "Because the Spiral is waking up."

Behind them, the tunnel walls began to bleed.