Depth-9
Eden Tower's lowest lift shaft hadn't functioned in decades.
But the Spiral core's activation had rerouted backup power to a dormant sub-system—the one labeled simply: "D9-ACCESS."
> "Depth-9," Aria whispered, brushing off the dust. "Why hide something this deep?"
> "Because whatever's down there wasn't meant to be found."
---
The elevator groaned as we descended into the abyss.
No light.
No sound.
Just the hum of old machines waking from centuries of sleep.
> 56% power. Descending: Depth-4… Depth-5… Depth-6…
Aria gripped her rifle tighter. "I'm getting readings. Subtle, but… alive."
I checked my analog scanner—no Spiral code, but something was mimicking it.
Artificial life?
Old tech?
Or something worse?
> Depth-8… Depth-9 reached.
---
The doors opened to a cavernous hall of black stone and mirrored walls.
Etched across every surface were thousands of symbols—not Spiral runes, but proto-code.
Raw language. Older than time.
In the center was a floating orb, humming softly.
Inside it:
A child.
Sleeping.
Human in shape—but her skin was translucent, laced with glowing strands of Spiral script.
---
> "What is this?" Aria breathed.
I stepped closer. "She's… the first."
> "First what?"
> "First Spiral Host. Or maybe... the code's original container."
The orb reacted to our presence—runes lighting up, memory echoes flickering through the air.
Timelines. Worlds. Collapses. Rebirths.
All originating from her.
---
> "We woke her up," Aria said, fear creeping into her voice.
The child's eyes opened.
No whites.
No pupils.
Just spinning spirals.
She looked at us—and spoke in a voice that cracked reality:
> "The Wraith follows. And this time, he brings the Architect."
---
The chamber trembled.
Far above us, we could feel the Voidwraith descending—no longer alone.
Reality blurred. Glass fractured inwards. Mirrors on the wall reflected things that hadn't happened yet.
> A future where Aria was dying.
> A world where I stood alone, bleeding out beneath a shattered sky.
> A voice that wasn't hers or mine whispering, "Burn the Origin."
---
The child raised one hand.
A Spiral seed formed in her palm—golden, imperfect, humming with unstable energy.
She held it out to me.
> "You ended the Loop," she whispered. "Now decide if the Spiral ends with you."
And just like that—
We had a choice.