The roar came from everywhere at once.
Not loud.
Deep.
So deep it rattled Felix's teeth and vibrated behind his eyes.
The city groaned.
Not metal.
Not stone.
Something organic.
---
The floor split open with a violent crack.
Aya grabbed Lina and yanked her back just as a jagged seam tore through the concrete between them and Ambrose. Heat rushed upward, carrying the smell of burnt cocoa and rot.
Leo screamed.
"THE FLOOR IS NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT."
Tomas dragged him backward.
"MOVE!"
Ambrose staggered for the first time.
His cane struck the floor hard as he caught his balance, eyes flashing—not with fear, but irritation.
"…Unacceptable," he muttered.
The drones wavered midair, their hum shifting into frantic static.
Felix felt it then.
The pull.
Stronger than before.
The key in his chest burned like it had been plunged into molten chocolate.
---
He doubled over.
Nia caught him.
"Felix—!"
"It's calling me," he gasped.
"It's not angry yet."
Aya shouted over the shaking walls.
"YET?!"
Felix looked up, eyes wide.
"It's hungry."
---
The裂 in the floor widened.
From the darkness below, something moved.
A massive black root surged upward, thicker than a subway tunnel, its surface slick and pulsing like muscle under skin. Smaller tendrils followed, scraping against concrete, wrapping around support beams.
The city screamed.
Sirens blared overhead.
Ambrose stared down into the opening, breath caught in his throat.
"…Magnificent."
Aya stared at him like he was insane.
"You did this."
Ambrose didn't deny it.
---
The root shifted.
And then—
It turned.
Not randomly.
Toward Felix.
---
Nia stepped in front of him instantly.
"No."
The root paused.
As if considering.
Felix tasted bitterness so sharp it made his eyes water.
"It recognizes me," he whispered.
Ambrose laughed softly.
"Of course it does. You're keyed to it."
Felix snapped his head up.
"What does that mean?"
Ambrose met his gaze fully for the first time.
"It means you can feed it."
Or starve it."
---
The root surged again.
Faster.
Aya swung her metal rod, smashing it against the tendril. The impact rang like striking a bell, but the root barely recoiled.
Leo grabbed Lina's arm.
"We are outmatched!"
Tomas nodded grimly.
"Then we don't fight it."
---
Felix stepped forward.
Nia tried to stop him.
"Felix, don't—"
"I have to," he said, voice shaking but firm.
"It won't listen to anyone else."
The root halted inches from his face.
Its surface rippled.
A pulse echoed.
Felix closed his eyes.
And tasted everything.
---
The city's history.
Children chosen.
Children lost.
Flavor after flavor layered into one unbearable truth.
The roots weren't evil.
They were starving.
---
Felix pressed his palm against the root.
The key burned white-hot.
The city howled.
Lights across the district flickered.
Ambrose took a step back.
"What are you doing?" he snapped.
Felix opened his eyes.
"Taking something back."
---
The root recoiled.
Violently.
A shockwave blasted outward, hurling drones into walls and throwing Ambrose against a crate. He hit the ground hard, his cane skidding away.
The裂 in the floor began to close.
The root withdrew, retreating into the depths.
Sirens died down.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Shaking.
---
Felix collapsed.
Nia caught him before he hit the ground.
Aya stared at the sealed floor in disbelief.
"…Did we just win?"
Felix shook his head weakly.
"No."
He swallowed.
"We delayed it."
---
Ambrose groaned as he pushed himself up, fury burning in his eyes.
"You don't understand what you've done," he hissed.
Felix met his gaze.
"I understand enough."
Ambrose smiled thinly.
"This city will come apart without it."
Felix's voice was quiet.
"Then we'll rebuild it without sacrificing children."
---
Security boots thundered in the distance.
More coming.
Ambrose adjusted his coat, composure returning.
"This isn't over," he said calmly.
"It's just begun."
He turned and vanished into the smoke-filled corridor.
---
Felix sagged against Nia.
Aya exhaled shakily.
"Okay. We need a plan."
Lina looked up from her sketchbook, eyes sharp for the first time.
"I know where the heart is."
Everyone froze.
She swallowed.
"And it knows me now, too."
Felix closed his eyes.
The key pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Patient.
Hungry.
Waiting.