Chapter 33 · Into the Lion's Den

"Left. Now. Or we both fry in this hallway," Nyx’s voice snapped inside my skull, sharp enough to draw blood.

I didn't argue. I slammed my shoulder into the reinforced door of the server vault, the metal shrieking as it gave way. I rolled into the room, boots skidding on a polished floor that reflected the cold, blue neon of the core.

"About time," she murmured, her presence sliding through my mind like a silk blade. "I could feel your heart hammering from three floors up. Pathetic."

"Shut up and find the port," I hissed, pressing my back against the wall. I checked the corridor. Empty. For now. "How long before the guards realize their biometric locks just got bypassed?"

"Two minutes. Maybe three if they're lazy," Nyx replied. I could feel her consciousness expanding, probing the room's circuitry. Suddenly, a surge of heat flared in my chest, a phantom pressure that felt like a hand gripping my lungs. "There. The central core. Just a few more feet, Kael."

I moved. Every step felt heavier than the last. The fusion was humming, a low-frequency vibration that made my teeth ache. I reached the pedestal—