The survivors finally found a place that didn’t want them dead.

  The wooden doors creaked open with a sound like a dying animal, hinges screaming as if protesting the intrusion. Beyond them lay a wide chamber swallowed by age. Dust blanketed the stone floor. Cobwebs clung to the ceiling like decaying banners. At the center of the room stood a fountain—cracked, moss-covered, yet still faintly flowing.

  Water trickled from its broken spout.

  Reinhardt crouched beside it, running a handheld scanner over the surface. The device hummed softly. After a moment, he nodded.

  “The water is clean,” he said. “No toxins. No corruption.”

  A collective exhale rippled through the room.

  Nathan glanced at his watch, the digital numbers glowing faintly in the gloom. “We’ve got about eleven hours left in this dungeon,” he said. “We rest here. Short shifts. No one wanders alone.”

  No one argued.

  Jason rummaged through his pack and pulled out several wrapped rations he'd been saving. Protein bars. Dried fruit. A few pieces of stale bread from the tutorial supplies.

  "Not much," he said, forcing a smile, "but it's something."

  He distributed what he had. Some survivors took it gratefully. Others just stared at the meager portions.

  Jason's hands glowed faintly as he tried—again—to summon more food. Nothing appeared. The light flickered and died.

  He lowered his hands, jaw tight.

  "Sorry," he muttered. "Still can't get it to work."

  A few survivors explored farther into the chamber and discovered a shallow underground lake. Pale fish swam sluggishly through dark water. They caught what they could and cooked them over a small campfire.

  The fire didn’t crackle like it should.

  The flames burned low and blue, whispering instead of popping. The fish tasted… metallic. Not rotten. Not poisoned. Just wrong.

  No one complained.

  After eating, exhaustion claimed most of them. Bodies curled against walls. Helmets became pillows. Weapons rested loosely in tired hands.

  Michael didn’t sleep.

  He sat near the campfire, staring into the distorted flames, eyes unfocused.

  Nathan approached quietly and stopped beside him. “You’ve got a lot on your mind, don’t you?”

  Michael didn’t look up. “No. I’m fine.”

  Nathan studied him for a moment. “You don’t have to stay awake. Me and the SWAT team will handle watch.”

  Michael didn’t answer.

  Didn’t move.

  Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a worn photograph.

  A family photo.

  Kevin’s voice stirred in his mind, softer than usual.

  {Is that your—}

  “Step family,” Michael replied internally. His thumb brushed over the image. “Mom, Dad, Evan, and Lily. They took me in when things… fell apart.”

  He stared at the picture. “Mom was way too talkative. Dad’s extremely sceptical. Evan’s quiet, introverted, but he tries. He’s a good guy. And Lily? She's always questions where I'm from. ”

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  Kevin paused.

  {Who’s that one? Is that Evan?}

  Michael shook his head slightly. “No. That’s Christopher.”

  Kevin’s tone shifted, curious. {Your brother?}

  “My real brother,” Michael said. “Smarter than all of us. Straight A+’s. Cold. Distant. Always looks pissed off.”

  {Why does he look so grumpy?}

  Michael let out a breath that was almost a laugh. “Government grabbed him. Forced recruitment. Intelligence division, I think.”

  {Why didn’t you complain?}

  “What would that change?” Michael murmured. “He barely comes home. Never answers messages. We fight when he does.”

  His grip tightened on the photo.

  “…Still hope he’s okay.”

  The campfire flickered.

  Then—

  Something shifted.

  Michael stiffened.

  “Kevin… w—”

  {Shit.} Kevin’s voice distorted, static ripping through it. {I didn’t know they’d go this f—}

  “Kevin?” Michael snapped internally. “Kevin, answer me!”

  Static.

  Silence.

  “…Shit.”

  Michael stood abruptly, drawing his bow.

  Nathan noticed instantly. “Michael, what’s wr—”

  “Something’s here,” Michael said sharply.

  The fire went out.

  Darkness poured into the room like ink.

  Michael turned—

  Nathan was gone.

  Everyone was gone.

  The chamber stretched endlessly, walls dissolving into shadow.

  “Nathan?” Michael shouted. “Hello?!”

  His voice echoed back wrong—delayed, warped.

  Then—

  RAAAHHHHHHH—

  Something screamed directly into his face.

  Michael fell backward, heart slamming, vision flashing white.

  He blinked.

  The room was back.

  The survivors lay where they were—but unconscious. Every single one.

  A presence loomed before him.

  Tall. Wrong. Its form flickered like corrupted data, edges refusing to settle. Its voice crawled through the air, demonic and distorted.

  “You still fall for the same trick as before.”

  Michael forced himself upright. “Who are you? What do you want?!”

  The ground trembled.

  “Who am I?” the thing mocked. “You forgot me?”

  It tilted its head. “Well. That sucks.”

  The air warped as it stepped closer.

  “Consider me an intruder. One who could easily turn this sector into nothing more than hell.”

  Michael clenched his bow. “What do you want?”

  The thing pointed at his chest.

  “Kevin.”

  Michael’s breath hitched. “How do you know him?”

  “None of your business.” The thing’s smile widened. “Here’s the deal. Give me Kevin, and I’ll give you freedom. No more glitches. No more voices. No more weird things.”

  Its gaze bored into him. “You’ve noticed, haven’t you? Kevin is the source.”

  Kevin’s voice returned, panicked.

  {Please don’t. You can live without me—but you won’t be your true self.}

  Michael hesitated. “How do I know you won’t kill me?”

  The thing laughed. “Why would I waste power killing an insect? I have better uses for it.”

  A thought formed.

  If Kevin leaves… maybe everyone else is safe.

  Kevin’s power was unstable. Dangerous.

  Maybe he’s the reason everything is wrong.

  Michael stepped forward.

  “Fine,” he said quietly. “I accept.”

  {NO—!}

  Kevin was torn out.

  Not gently.

  Reality screamed as something ripped through Michael’s chest. Kevin struggled, resisted—but it was inevitable.

  Then—

  Michael’s heart beat.

  His real heart.

  Warm. Human.

  For one brief moment, he felt normal.

  Then—

  Something pierced it.

  “I don’t need you anymore,” the thing said calmly.

  Michael collapsed.

  {MICHAEL! NO!!}

  Reality flickered violently.

  Kevin broke free.

  He surged back—not as a passenger.

  As a force.

  Dark-blue light erupted around Michael’s body. His spine arched. His scream ripped the air apart.

  Kevin felt Michael resisting.

  But resistance was not an option.

  Michael’s eyes opened.

  They were no longer his.

  Kevin had taken over.

  He doesn't say anything. There was only one thing in his mind.

  Survive.