Jake had barely caught his breath before the floor beneath him shifted, a deep, grinding tremor vibrating through the entire chamber.The remains of the shattered core pulsed once — a dying heartbeat — then dissolved into a mist of luminous particles that spiraled upward. Lyra raised her visor instinctively, scanning the air.“Jake… the energy’s not dispersing,” she said, voice tight. “It’s transferring.”Kael swore, eyes darting around. “To where?”Before Jake could respond, the particles gathered above them, swirling into a massive column of light that tore open a circular pattern in the ceiling. The chamber reconfigured itself like a living organism — walls folding inward, platforms rearranging, conduits realigning. The glyphs that had once glowed faintly now blazed in patterns of gold and crimson, forming a lattice that led upward.Lyra whispered, “It’s opening a path.”Jake gripped his blade tighter. “No. It’s inviting us.”Kael let out a low growl. “And you want to walk right in

The facility’s corridors felt different now. Jake moved through them with a sense of command, his steps no longer tentative but deliberate, as if the building itself recognized him as a conduit, a living key to its dormant systems.Lyra and Kael fell into step behind him, their caution mingled with awe and unease. They had survived the collapse of the Ascendant nodes, yet the weight of what Jake now carried pressed on all of them.“Are you sure it won’t… wake up?” Lyra asked, voice low, almost a whisper. “I mean, what we did in that chamber—what you did—could have triggered something irreversible.”Jake’s eyes glowed faintly, reflecting the dim luminescence of the energy veins running along the walls. “It won’t ‘wake up’ the way it was before,” he said carefully. “I integrated with it. I understand its logic, its patterns. I can anticipate its moves. That doesn’t mean it’s harmless—it’s alive, Lyra. But I’m connected now.”Kael scoffed. “Connected or not, it’s a ticking time bomb in h

The deeper they went, the more the facility shifted beneath their feet. The walls no longer had consistent structure—crystalline veins intertwined with metallic scaffolding, pulsating softly in colors Jake couldn’t immediately identify. Every step sent ripples through the lattice, the sentient heart of the facility aware of their movement and responding in subtle, almost imperceptible ways.Jake led, his senses stretched beyond normal human perception. He could feel the energy nodes adjusting, recalibrating, as if the building itself were breathing around them. Lyra followed close behind, scanning every surface, her analytical mind piecing together patterns Jake could only sense instinctively. Kael brought up the rear, tense and alert, his weapon ready, though increasingly aware that brute force alone would not save them here.“Stay alert,” Jake warned, his voice low. “This layer isn’t just defensive—it’s experimental. The Ascendant’s original matrix integrated with life forms. We’re

The corridor stretched endlessly, yet it was unlike any corridor Jake had ever walked before. The walls were no longer fixed stone or steel; they shimmered, shifting in response to their presence, as if alive and conscious.Every pulse of light, every subtle change in hue seemed deliberate, guiding—or testing—them. Jake’s senses were on high alert, his mind extending into the Ascendant lattice, feeling for anomalies, disturbances, anything that could indicate danger.Lyra walked beside him, her fingers brushing along the glowing surface. “It’s… almost like the building is breathing,” she said softly. “Like it’s aware of our every thought.”Jake nodded. “It is. And that’s why we have to stay focused. One distraction, one hesitation, and this place will become a trap.”Kael trailed slightly behind, weapon ready but expression tense. “I still don’t get how this thing thinks. Is it alive? Or just… really good at pretending?”Jake allowed himself a small, ironic smile. “A bit of both, prob

The chamber’s brilliance faded gradually, leaving Jake, Lyra, and Kael bathed in a soft luminescence emanating from the crystalline floor. Every pulse of light felt alive, synchronized to a rhythm that Jake could almost follow with his heartbeat. The Ascendant’s core was no longer just an object of energy—it was aware, watching, and, in its own alien way, thinking.Jake took a cautious step forward, his senses alert. The symbol of light that had appeared earlier lingered in his mind, reverberating like a signal he couldn’t quite decipher. Its meaning hovered on the edge of comprehension, as though the Ascendant itself wanted him to understand without revealing everything.“Do you feel that?” Lyra asked, her voice quiet. Her eyes, wide and luminous in the chamber’s glow, tracked the subtle shifts of the crystalline floor. “It’s like it’s… breathing. Or thinking. Or both.”Jake nodded. “It is both. And it’s aware of us, every thought, every intention. This isn’t just a test of skill. It