The apartment feels smaller now.
Like the walls moved in.
No one speaks for a few seconds.
Then Lyrelle turns.
"Kaida."
Just her name.
Nothing else.
Kaida finally looks at her.
"I was trying to protect you," she says softly.
Lyrelle lets out a small, disbelieving laugh. "By lying to me?"
"I didn't lie—"
"You knew," Lyrelle cuts in. Her voice doesn't rise. That's what makes it worse. "And you stayed quiet."
Kaida swallows. "Because if I told you, it would've broken everything."
Lyrelle steps closer. "So you decided for me?"
Silence.
That lands.
Thorian shifts, ready to step in, but Kaida slightly shakes her head.
"No," Kaida admits. "I was scared."
Lyrelle nods slowly, eyes glassy. "Yeah. Me too."
But she steps back.
That distance says everything.
⸻
Across the room, Jake hasn't moved.
His eyes are on Kyra.
Not angry.
Just… thinking.
"You said it was before us," he says quietly.
Kyra nods quickly. "It was."
His gaze doesn't leave her. "Then why did Kaida look at you like that?"
Kyra's breath catches.
"I— I don't know," she says.
Too fast.
Jake exhales slowly, stepping back just a little.
It's small.
But she feels it.
⸻
Kaida's phone vibrates again.
This time, it's different.
Not a message.
A sharp flash.
She gasps, grabbing her wrist.
Thorian is at her side instantly. "What happened?"
Her screen shows one line:
"PAIN ACKNOWLEDGED."
Kaida's breathing turns uneven. Not dramatic. Just enough to show it's real.
Summer frowns. "Okay I hate that. I really hate that."
Zyren mutters, "It's escalating."
Aurora finally steps forward again.
Closer this time.
Too close.
"You're all still thinking this is random," she says softly.
Prince snaps, "Then explain it."
Aurora looks at him like he asked the wrong question.
"It doesn't pick randomly," she says. "It studies patterns. Reactions. Attachments."
Her eyes flick to Lyrelle.
Then Kyra.
Then back to Prince.
"And then it applies pressure… exactly where it hurts."
Ryan's jaw tightens. "How do you know that?"
Aurora smiles.
"I asked better questions than you did."
That silence again.
Uncomfortable.
Real.
Summer folds her arms. "So what, you're like… working with it?"
Aurora laughs. "No."
A pause.
Then softer:
"But I wanted to understand it."
Zyren's eyes narrow. "At what cost?"
Aurora meets his gaze without flinching.
"We're all about to find out."
⸻
Phones buzz.
All at once.
"NEXT PHASE INITIATED."
Kyra's knees almost give out.
Jake instinctively reaches for her—
Then stops himself.
That hesitation hurts more than anything so far.
Lyrelle notices.
Of course she does.
Everything is lining up now.
Not clear.
But close.
Too close.
Kaida grips the edge of the counter, steadying herself.
Thorian doesn't leave her side.
Summer shifts closer to Zyren again, quieter this time.
Ryan stares at his phone like it might say his name again.
Prince doesn't move at all.
He's watching Lyrelle.
And she's not looking back.
Aurora steps toward the door, opening it slowly.
"Get ready," she says lightly.
"For what?" Jake asks.
She smiles.
"For when the game stops asking… and starts proving."
The lights flicker.
Hard.
Then—
Black.The apartment feels smaller now.
Like the walls moved in.
No one speaks for a few seconds.
Then Lyrelle turns.
"Kaida."
Just her name.
Nothing else.
Kaida finally looks at her.
"I was trying to protect you," she says softly.
Lyrelle lets out a small, disbelieving laugh. "By lying to me?"
"I didn't lie—"
"You knew," Lyrelle cuts in. Her voice doesn't rise. That's what makes it worse. "And you stayed quiet."
Kaida swallows. "Because if I told you, it would've broken everything."
Lyrelle steps closer. "So you decided for me?"
Silence.
That lands.
Thorian shifts, ready to step in, but Kaida slightly shakes her head.
"No," Kaida admits. "I was scared."
Lyrelle nods slowly, eyes glassy. "Yeah. Me too."
But she steps back.
That distance says everything.
⸻
Across the room, Jake hasn't moved.
His eyes are on Kyra.
Not angry.
Just… thinking.
"You said it was before us," he says quietly.
Kyra nods quickly. "It was."
His gaze doesn't leave her. "Then why did Kaida look at you like that?"
Kyra's breath catches.
"I— I don't know," she says.
Too fast.
Jake exhales slowly, stepping back just a little.
It's small.
But she feels it.
⸻
Kaida's phone vibrates again.
This time, it's different.
Not a message.
A sharp flash.
She gasps, grabbing her wrist.
Thorian is at her side instantly. "What happened?"
Her screen shows one line:
"PAIN ACKNOWLEDGED."
Kaida's breathing turns uneven. Not dramatic. Just enough to show it's real.
Summer frowns. "Okay I hate that. I really hate that."
Zyren mutters, "It's escalating."
Aurora finally steps forward again.
Closer this time.
Too close.
"You're all still thinking this is random," she says softly.
Prince snaps, "Then explain it."
Aurora looks at him like he asked the wrong question.
"It doesn't pick randomly," she says. "It studies patterns. Reactions. Attachments."
Her eyes flick to Lyrelle.
Then Kyra.
Then back to Prince.
"And then it applies pressure… exactly where it hurts."
Ryan's jaw tightens. "How do you know that?"
Aurora smiles.
"I asked better questions than you did."
That silence again.
Uncomfortable.
Real.
Summer folds her arms. "So what, you're like… working with it?"
Aurora laughs. "No."
A pause.
Then softer:
"But I wanted to understand it."
Zyren's eyes narrow. "At what cost?"
Aurora meets his gaze without flinching.
"We're all about to find out."
⸻
Phones buzz.
All at once.
"NEXT PHASE INITIATED."
Kyra's knees almost give out.
Jake instinctively reaches for her—
Then stops himself.
That hesitation hurts more than anything so far.
Lyrelle notices.
Of course she does.
Everything is lining up now.
Not clear.
But close.
Too close.
Kaida grips the edge of the counter, steadying herself.
Thorian doesn't leave her side.
Summer shifts closer to Zyren again, quieter this time.
Ryan stares at his phone like it might say his name again.
Prince doesn't move at all.
He's watching Lyrelle.
And she's not looking back.
Aurora steps toward the door, opening it slowly.
"Get ready," she says lightly.
"For what?" Jake asks.
She smiles.
"For when the game stops asking… and starts proving."
The lights flicker.
Hard.
Then—
Black.