The rhythmic thump outside the door grew louder, shaking the very foundation of the enchanted apartment. Dust fell from the ceiling, but instead of hitting the floor, it dissolved into blue sparks. Sora stood in the center of the room, his eyes fixed on the door.
"He's here," Sora said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "The Syndicate's 'Eraser'. They call him Vane. He doesn't just kill people; he demolishes their entire existence."
The door didn't just open—it disintegrated. A man over seven feet tall, covered in heavy metallic armor that looked like it was fused to his skin, stepped in. Vane didn't speak. He just raised a massive fist, and the air around it began to distort.
"Give us the girl, Architect," Vane's voice sounded like grinding stones. "And maybe I'll leave enough of you to bury."
Hana felt the 'Keystone' crystal pulsing in her hand, vibrating against her palm like a trapped bird. She looked at Sora, expecting him to fight, but Sora simply closed his eyes.
"This is your test, Hana," Sora said, his body becoming semi-transparent as he merged with the shadows. "I built the walls. But you have to decide if you're brave enough to lock the door."
Vane lunged forward, his metal fist glowing with a destructive red energy. Hana didn't think. She didn't hesitate. She remembered the day she was forced to leave Shikohabad, the tears she cried in the dark, and the rage she had buried for years.
"Never again!" she screamed, and slammed the Keystone onto the obsidian floor.
CRACK!
The crystal shattered, and a wave of blinding indigo light exploded outward. The reality of the room tore open. The walls didn't just move; they multiplied. Vane's fist hit thin air as he was suddenly transported into a labyrinth of glowing blue corridors—a physical manifestation of Hana's subconscious.
"Where are you hiding?!" Vane roared, his voice echoing through a thousand hallways.
Hana stood at the center of the maze, her eyes now glowing with the same indigo light as Sora's. She could see Vane through the walls. She could feel his fear.
"I'm not hiding," Hana's voice resonated from every corner of the labyrinth. "You're just standing in my memory now. And in here, I am the Architect."