The lights did not dim gradually or flicker as if warning them.
They vanished all at once.
One heartbeat, the room still held shadows—soft, uneven, but readable. The next, everything dissolved into a darkness so complete that it felt unnatural, as though the space itself had been swallowed whole.
Vanessa dropped instinctively, her body reacting faster than conscious thought. Her knee hit the floor with a controlled motion, her balance shifting low and stable, her grip tightening around her weapon. The faint scent of dust lifted from the carpet, and somewhere to her left Marco exhaled sharply as he adjusted his footing.
"Alright," he muttered, trying—and failing—to sound casual, "this is officially the worst version of hide-and-seek I've ever been part of."
Vanessa didn't respond.
Her world had already narrowed.
Not to fear.
To precision.
