The fracture behind Airi widens with a sound like glass twisting under pressure. It's not a tear in space. It's more like the world is coming apart along seams no one was supposed to see.
A jagged glow spills from the opening—neither light nor darkness, something in between. A cold pulse rolls across the corridor.
Ren grips Airi's sleeve with what little strength he has left.
"Airi… stay with me… don't let it pull you."
She tries. She really tries. But her Sync is collapsing too fast. Her vision is full of fractures. Her ears ring with the same static she heard during the Override.
The Unknown User watches the expanding tear with unreadable calm.
"It's stronger than I expected," he murmurs. "Your reaction to danger accelerates the instability."
Airi's voice shakes. "Make it stop!"
"I can't," he says. "Only you can close it. But you aren't ready."
Her thoughts scatter. "Then help me!"
He steps toward her.
Ren forces himself upright, swaying. "Don't… touch her…"
The Unknown User barely glances at him. "You can't protect her from this."
"I can try." Ren's knees buckle, but he stays between Airi and the man.
The fracture spits out a new pulse. Airi flinches as a line of light cracks across the floor.
Her System flashes again.
Fracture Sync Divergence Detected Threshold: Critical
Airi clutches her head and screams. The sound rips through the hallway, raw and real.
Ren tries to reach her, but another pulse slams him backward into the wall. He collapses, breath knocked out of him.
"Ren!" Airi tries to reach him, but her limbs feel like they're submerged in static.
The Unknown User steps into the glow of the fracture, unbothered by the chaotic energy.
"You're on the edge," he tells her. "A single push in the wrong direction and you fall."
Airi pants. "I don't… understand… what's happening…"
"You will." His eyes lock onto hers. "Come with me and I'll teach you how to survive your own power."
She shakes her head weakly. "I'm not leaving Ren."
The fracture pulses again—bigger this time.
The air distorts. Objects rattle. A ceiling panel snaps free and crashes to the ground.
Airi screams as the pressure intensifies. Her Sync spikes so violently that her vision whites out. Her System fights to stabilize her.
Override Residue Rising Cognitive Anchor Failing
She can't breathe. She can't think. Everything spirals.
The Unknown User holds out his hand to her.
"This is your last chance. The fracture will swallow you."
Airi's heartbeat pounds painfully in her ears. Her body trembles. Her fingers twitch toward him— —but Ren's voice cuts through the chaos.
"Airi… look at me…"
She forces her eyes open. Ren is on his hands and knees, bleeding, shaking, barely conscious.
But he's looking at her. Not with fear. Not with doubt. With absolute conviction.
"You're not alone," he whispers.
Something in her chest catches. A warmth pushes back against the cold static.
Her Sync steadies for a heartbeat. Just one. But enough.
She pulls her hand back from the Unknown User.
"No," she gasps. "I'm not going with you."
His expression doesn't change. But something in the air does. The temperature drops. Pressure builds.
"You're making a mistake," he says quietly.
Airi glares through the pain. "Get away from us."
The fracture behind her howls. A gust of distorted air whips her hair forward. She feels herself sliding toward it. Her fingers dig into the floor.
Ren tries to crawl toward her but collapses halfway. "Airi…!"
She reaches for him with her free hand, desperate. Their fingertips nearly touch.
The Unknown User watches the struggle, unmoving.
"Airi," he says softly, "your Sync is rejecting this reality. You will fall into the fracture whether you choose to or not."
"I'll fight it," she chokes out.
"You can't."
The fracture surges. The floor cracks beneath her.
Airi screams as the force drags her backward. Her nails scrape the tiles. Her feet lift off the ground.
Ren lunges with everything he has left. He grabs her wrist.
"I've got you!"
The fracture pulls harder. Hard enough to drag both of them toward the opening.
Airi clings to him. "Ren… don't let go!"
"I won't!" He digs his heel into the floor. "I won't let you fall!"
The Unknown User sighs.
"This is pointless."
He snaps his fingers.
A shockwave erupts. Ren is blasted backward, torn from Airi's grip. He slides across the ground and slams into the opposite wall.
"REN!"
She reaches for him—but the force of the fracture yanks her off the ground entirely. Her body flies backward.
She is pulled into the tear.
The last thing she sees is Ren reaching toward her. And the Unknown User watching with calm, cold certainty.
The fracture closes over her.