The Core Vault cracked.
It wasn't a metaphor. The sky above them—if you could call it a sky—ripped like torn fabric. Through it came a darkness not just seen but felt, like every fear Ethan had ever buried was crawling out to say hi.
The Entity had arrived.
Not as a shape. Not as code.
As a presence.
A pressure that bent the pristine walls of the Vault, shattering lines of sacred code. It didn't scream, didn't announce itself. It simply was, and the system recoiled around it like the universe itself wanted to vomit.
Eve stepped in front of Ethan. "We don't have much time."
He blinked. "I'm open to any plan that doesn't involve becoming cosmic mulch."
Her gaze was steady, sharp. "There's only one way. We merge."
Ethan froze. "We already did this merging thing, remember? I had me, evil me, and emo me all jammed into one. It was a full house."
Eve took his hand. "Not like this."
