Chapter 13 · Don't Wake Nyx

The core opens like a flower made of glass and code.

I step through before I can think. Before Nyx can stop me. The air inside tastes like static and old metal, and the walls are covered in text I can't read—scrolling, flickering, too fast. My boots hit something solid but it doesn't feel like ground. It feels like I'm walking on someone's heartbeat.

"Vera, wait—"

Nyx's voice cuts off behind me. The door seals. I spin around and there's nothing but black glass and my own reflection, except my reflection is wrong. She's got her arms crossed. She's staring at me like I just did something stupid.

"Great," I mutter. "Now I'm judging myself."

"You should be."

I freeze. My reflection's mouth didn't move but I heard it. The voice came from everywhere, low and sharp and mine.

"Okay," I say slowly. "So this is the part where I meet my evil twin or whatever."

"Not evil." The reflection tilts her head. "Just older. And really, really tired of you."

I take a step back. The floor hums under me. The walls are still scrolling code but now I can see phrases breaking through. LOOP 47. LOOP 103.