Ren didn't slow down.
The path beneath his feet flickered with every step, lines of faint light forming only when he touched them. Behind them, the darkness surged upward in slow, heavy waves—like something enormous was pushing against the space itself.
Lira followed close, her steps tighter now, controlled. "…If we fall, we die."
"…Yeah."
"Just confirming."
"…Good to know."
The branching paths shifted as they ran. Lines appeared, overlapped, then vanished again, as if the Depths were rearranging themselves. Ren didn't look at all of them—only one. The one his core reacted to.
"…Left," he said.
Lira didn't question it. They turned.
The moment they did, the path behind them collapsed. Not breaking. Erasing. Like it had never existed.
"…Okay, that's bad," Lira muttered.
Ren didn't respond. Because the pressure had changed—it wasn't just below them anymore. It was rising. Closing in. His core pulsed sharply, faster now, like it was trying to match something it couldn't fully understand.
"…It's learning," he said.
"…What is?"
"…Whatever's down there."
A low sound followed. Not a roar. Not a growl. Something deeper—like a breath that had waited too long.
Lira's voice dropped. "…It's close."
Ren didn't look back. "…I know."
The path ahead narrowed, the glowing line thinning until it was barely visible. Ren adjusted instantly, slowing just enough to keep balance while maintaining speed. "…Don't hesitate," he said.
"…I'm trying not to die."
"…Same."
The line flickered again—harder this time. Ren felt it slip for a fraction of a second, his foot dipping into nothing before the path caught again. His chest tightened. "…It's rejecting us," he muttered.
"Then why are we still on it?!"
"…Because it hasn't decided yet."
Behind them, the darkness surged upward. Faster. A shape began to form within it—not clear, not defined, but large enough to make everything else feel small.
Lira risked a glance back. Immediately regretted it. "…Ren."
"…Don't describe it."
"…I wasn't going to." But her grip tightened anyway.
The path split again. Three directions. All unstable. All flickering. Ren stopped for half a second. Too long. The line beneath him dimmed sharply. The thing below reacted instantly—the pressure spiked.
"…Move!" Lira snapped.
Ren's core pulsed—then aligned. Not fully. Not perfectly. But enough. One path flared slightly brighter. "…Right," he said.
They moved. Faster now. The line beneath them stabilized just enough to hold their weight.
Behind them, the shape surged upward—a massive distortion pushing through the darkness, warping the space around it. It didn't rush. It didn't need to. It was already everywhere beneath them.
"…It's not chasing," Ren said.
"…What?"
"…It's rising."
That was worse.
The path ahead dipped suddenly, slanting downward at a sharp angle. Ren adjusted instantly, sliding slightly before regaining balance. Lira nearly slipped behind him, catching herself just in time. "…I hate this," she muttered.
"…Noted."
The glow beneath them flickered again. Then something changed. The path ahead ended—not like before. No branching. No continuation. Just nothing.
Ren stopped. "…No."
Lira stepped up beside him. "…Tell me that's not the end."
"…It is."
Behind them, the pressure closed in. The darkness rose. Fast now. No more waiting. No more watching.
"…We don't have time," Lira said.
"…I know."
Ren looked down into the endless black. His core pulsed violently in response. Not fear. Recognition. "…It wants me to jump," he said.
"…Of course it does."
"…And if I don't?"
The answer came immediately—the path beneath them cracked. Not visibly. But the connection weakened.
"…Then it takes us anyway," Lira said.
Ren exhaled slowly. His grip tightened. "…Stay close."
"Ren—"
He stepped forward. Off the path.
Lira cursed under her breath—then followed.
For a split second there was nothing. No ground. No path. No support. Just falling. Then the darkness caught them—not like impact, not like landing. More like being pulled. Dragged downward through something thick and endless.
Lira grabbed his arm tightly. "This was a terrible idea!"
"…Yeah," Ren said. But his eyes were open. Focused. Because as they fell, he could see it—far below, a faint glow. Not like the runes. Not like the fragments. Something else. Something waiting.
His core pulsed. Perfectly in sync.
"…We're not falling randomly," he said.
"…Then what are we doing?!"
Ren's gaze locked onto the light below. "…We're being guided."
The darkness tightened around them. Faster. Deeper. Closer.
And whatever waited below was no longer hiding.