The closer they drew to the engine’s heart, the less the world resembled anything Jason could call reality.The scaffolding warped into spirals, beams curling back upon themselves, ladders twisting into Möbius strips. Light no longer traveled in straight lines—it bent, refracted, broke apart into prisms that floated like ash.Jason gritted his teeth as his boots struck a stair that shouldn’t have existed yet carried him upward. “Stay focused. Don’t look too long at what doesn’t make sense.”Callen stumbled behind him, sweat streaming down his pale face. “You’re asking me to ignore the fact we’re walking through equations that shouldn’t solve.”“Then treat it like a broken puzzle,” Jason snapped. “Step. Breathe. Keep moving.”Yara brought up the rear, blades drawn, eyes locked on every flickering shadow. “If either of you start seeing cracks in the air whispering your name, say it out loud. I’ll know if you’re lying.”Jason almost smiled at that. Almost.***They emerged into a chamber