, eyes wide, li

he repeated, ba

The words clung to the air like frost. "W

nd fell, but it was mechanical-shallow, steady, disconnected from conscious intent. His mi

fracting distorted reflections of the room and its inhabitants. The cracks were no longer jus

nose, crimson beads soaking

ntly lifting one of his eyelids. "Pulse is steady," she said, though her voice was tight, "b

?" Dorian asked,

Not physically. This is something deeper.

ked. "This... 'sh

around her knees. Her eyes were glassy with a kind of distant dread

Her breath felt cold in her throat. "Or

ll, heavy

rrors shimm

ike breath a

, cold and clear a

broken

rved. Containm

ke that, Co

as there - still, inert, yet present. And the next... not

untouched, as if the body had been remove

evolving the rules," she whispered. "T

ted' mean?" Harper asked, her

dn't kill him," E

ad been. "They're holding him. Somewhe

icked to the reflective walls. "Nested control layers.

A soft hum began to r

t on the mirrors but across every visible surface,

ures faster

r walks a

d several degrees. Bre

s jaw clenched. "We're bein

a agreed. "Fracture us bef

p breath. "Well, mi

f anchoring herself. "We can't afford to splinter.

ost all traces of panic. What remained was sharp, clin

Doria

streams. "This isn't just a memory replica. It's a live construct - recu

hack the hous

back into the system, I might be able to map how it pulls memor

gger another purg

said. "But I'm

omething massive stirred just behind them. The light

it was the

he girl you pushed. You said she reminde

e. But she... she looked like a memory. Or a fragment of one. Familiar in a

make us unravel our

o can't be broken,"

chamber in light for the last hour, began to fade

sage mate

ial begins a

rk, the tr

m filled

s fli

warning - the

blac

sensory vacuum. As if they had all been submerged in

e to Elara's ear but w

Elar

rd it, heart

th

behind her, but the voice wa

let he

rtled - each hearing their

ed with fragments

hispered, trembling.

muttered. "That wasn't my shift. I s

cracked. "M

on't fight it. Listen. It wants us t

ound, but sensation. Something moved a

e lit across one

is not wha

lse one, or

moment, n

ice hollow. "Is this anot

f on the wall. "Maybe both

"How do I know I'm not the one? What if I've

"None of us are imposters. That

t who we think we are? We've already seen how the mirrors mani

d a baseline. Something that predates this place.

avine behind our house. My brother climbed down after me. He broke h

ell of salt. My sister used to braid my hair with seash

lo. He used to sleep under my bed.

rned to

esit

don't r

t followed was

ou mean?"

. I've tried, but it's blank. Always has been. I t

"Or maybe they wiped it.

mbled. "Then how d

ssage glow

ds at fu

alse one - or

force an internal memory recall, maybe I

The dark's pressing in. I can feel

hold, and we trust. Until t

er moved acro

e app

yl

wr

too black. His

oke - with

still w

age sh

e tria