“This place is alive,” she whispered.“No. Not alive.” Jared’s voice darkened. “Awake.”A low hum filled the room. Not sound, not exactly—more like resonance, vibrating in their bones.Then the lights shifted. Patterns ignited across the walls, forming lines, paths—circuits designed for one thing.Containment.“Something was kept here,” Jared said. “Not stored. Not hidden. Imprisoned.”Emeria’s hands curled around the edges of the altar. “The Syndromic Core?”“No,” he said, stepping closer to a mural that now glowed. It showed a figure—faceless, arms stretched, body broken and remade in a loop of transformations. “Not the Core. The Origin.”Her breath caught.“You think—”“I think Lazarus knew this place existed long before the Fold. And I think he designed the Fold… not to protect the world from the Syndrome, but to refine it. To replicate what was buried here.”Emeria’s throat went dry. “But if this is the original source…”“Then everything we know about the Tyr God’s Syndrome is a l

Theodore’s breath hung heavy in the cold air of the cavern. The flickering torchlight cast long, jittering shadows across the jagged walls. His team moved with practiced caution — every step a careful negotiation with the unknown.Emeria led the way, eyes sharp, senses stretched to their limits. Jared flanked her, silent and watchful, his yellow eyes glowing faintly in the gloom. Behind them, a handful of the Fold’s most trusted allies followed: Cier, with her uncanny ability to sense dimensional shifts; and Mikael, the group’s tactician, fingers twitching near the hilt of his blade.Ahead, the tunnel abruptly widened. The narrow path gave way to a vast chamber that seemed to pulse with a slow, mechanical heartbeat — ancient and alien.Theodore’s heart raced as he stepped forward. He could feel the hum beneath his feet — a vibration, subtle but persistent, like a whispered memory buried deep in the stone.Before them, sprawled across the chamber like the guts of a sleeping beast, lay a

“Their shadows crawl like poison across our ranks,” Emeria’s voice was a low murmur, barely rising above the wind’s mournful howl as she looked over the war-worn horizon from the Citadel’s crumbling battlements. The twilight deepened, smearing the world with bruises of purple and ink, as if the sky itself bled with foreboding.Behind her, Theodore stood rigid, his sharp eyes scanning the darkened valley below where the remnants of the Fold had taken shelter. The weight of leadership bore down on him like iron chains tightening with every breath. Yet his gaze betrayed cracks — doubts he hid too well, but which those closest could see like cracks in ancient stone.“They come faster than we expected,” Emeria said, voice barely steady. “The Veil of Silence… they’ve found us.”A sudden crash echoed from the outer walls—shouts, the clash of steel, and then the whisper of deadly psionic strikes slicing through the air. The assault was merciless, like shadows tearing at the flesh of the earth

"Well then, so what is your purpose to meet at this hour?” Asked Helena."I want to talk about it this afternoon," Bastian paused his sentence for a moment. He looked hesitant. After exhaling a little rough, he continued to say to Helena. "I looked at the CCTV footage and saw clearly what was going on between you and Sonia," Bastian said."Ah, that one... So?"Helena asked as if what had just been said by Bastian was not then something important, even seemed ordinary. Helena doesn't look disturbed.Bastian noticed Helena, who continued the activity of eating super spicy cup noodles in front of the girl. Even Bastian, who is opposite Helena, can smell the spicy scent of noodles consumed by Helena. He was quite surprised that people like spicy food so much when it can negatively impact health. But it was only a brief thought that crossed Bastian's mind because he had to focus on his discussion."I admit Sonia was wrong. But I have a question for you." After seeing Helena nodding as a ge

"I'm sorry for forcing you.""Request denied!" rejected Helena quickly."Why?" asked Bastian, confused. He has not even explained in detail but has already received a refusal from Helena."Why? I should have asked you that, Sir!""What do you mean? Please don't confuse," Bastian pleaded with Helena in frustration."I'm not confusing!""Then what do you mean?" asked Bastian, frustrated just by talking to Helena."Why are you apologizing? You don't have any mistake until you ask for forgiveness," explained Helena.Bastian was silent for a moment. One question bothered him of the many questions that flashed through his mind. Although he hesitated, Bastian finally asked."Then, why are you avoiding me?" Bastian asked without looking at Helena."Because of that rumor!""What rumors?" again, Bastian did not understand."You have to apologize for causing me to get involved in rumors!" Helena shouted suddenly.Bastian, who initially looked outside the car, was immediately surprised. He turned