Chapter 24 · Apex Loop: Glitch Evolution - Chapter 24: Mind Rip

"Get out of my head." Vivian's voice cracked through the dark. "Now, Kane."

I tightened my grip on the glowing thread in front of me.

"You dragged me in here," I said. "You don't get to throw me out."

The darkness buckled. Vivian's face appeared inches from mine, pale and furious, her silver eyes locked on me. She looked almost human in the void. That was the trick. Every time I reached for her, the illusion peeled back and showed the truth underneath: layers of commands, stolen memories, and black wires wrapped around a mind she had built to control mine.

"This is my system," she hissed. "My lab. My network. My rules."

"Funny. You keep saying that while losing control."

Her hand closed around my throat.

I hit the floor hard enough to crack the empty space beneath me. There was no air, no ground, no body to hurt. Vivian did not need any of that. She owned the rules here. She could turn pressure into pain with one thought.

"You think this is a game?" Her fingers tightened. "Your body is still in my tank. Your nervous system is pinned under twelve restraints.