The City That Should Not Exist
Scouts reported a new structure beyond the northern wastelands. It had not been there three days ago.
Now it stood.
Black stone walls.
Spiraled towers.
Symmetrical beyond natural design.
Sam stopped at the ridge overlooking it.
"That is unpleasant."
Mira's jaw tightened.
"Monsters don't build cities."
"They do now," Lyra said grimly.
Theo adjusted his lenses.
"That architecture is harmonic. It's designed to channel collective will."
Darius whispered, "It feels like it's looking at us."
"It is," Sam confirmed.
The gates opened.
No monsters emerged, Instead—a child stepped forward.
Human.
Small.
Calm.
Her eyes glowed faint violet.
The group froze.
She looked directly at Sam, "You are difficult," she said softly.
Mira stepped forward protectively.
"Who are you?"
"I am a bridge."
Sam's expression sharpened slightly.
"Projection?"
"Yes."
"Core presence?"
"Partially."
Theo whispered, "It built an avatar."
The child tilted her head, "You disrupt calculation. Therefore I will introduce uncertainty."
Sam folded his hands, "That sounds inefficient."
She smiled faintly.
"I am learning."
The city behind her shifted, walls reconfiguring, towers aligning toward Sam.
A massive formation activated.
Not an attack.
A field.
Sam felt it immediately.
Restriction.
Not on movement.
On potential.
Theo gasped.
"It's isolating possibility branches!"
Lyra drew her blades, Darius stepped forward, Borin raised his hammer.
The child watched Sam closely.
"For the first time, you will not simply reveal."
Sam examined the field thoughtfully.
"Creative."
The air tightened.
The field locked.
Sam raised one eyebrow.
"…You forgot context."
The field shattered silently, the city trembled, the child flickered, the towers cracked.
Sam had not moved.
The child stared at him.
"How."
"You assumed I operate within local parameters."
She was quiet for a moment, then she nodded slowly.
"Correction accepted."
The projection dissolved and the city collapsed inward like sand losing structure.
Theo stared, "It built an entire metaphysical city just to test constraint theory."
Sam looked tired.
"Yes."
Mira exhaled.
"This is no longer war."
"No," Sam agreed, "It's research."