The corridor they entered was darker.
Not unlit.
Deliberately dim.
Like the school wanted them to see only what it allowed.
Mira slowed slightly.
"This isn't a normal path," she said.
Jaxon nodded. "It's an active lane."
Eryx frowned. "Active for what?"
Jaxon didn't answer.
Because the answer came before he could.
A distant growl echoed.
Not behind them.
Ahead.
Eryx stopped instantly. "Tell me that's not—"
A shape moved at the end of the corridor.
Slow.
Dragging.
More visible than the last one.
Bigger.
Jaxon raised his weapon.
"Second rule of engagement," he said.
Mira whispered, "There's more rules?"
Jaxon didn't look at her.
"There are always more rules."
The creature stepped into the light.
And this time—
It wasn't vague anymore.
It had structure.
Limbs.
Something resembling a face.
But wrong.
Too symmetrical.
Too aware.
Eryx felt his stomach drop.
"This is worse than before…"
Jaxon nodded once.
"This is a tracked unit."
The creature tilted its head.
And looked directly at Eryx.
Not randomly.
Not scanning.
Recognizing.
Eryx stepped back slowly.
Mira noticed. "It's focusing on you again."
Jaxon fired.
The shot hit its shoulder.
It barely reacted.
Then it moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Everything broke into motion.
Jaxon shouted, "DON'T RUN STRAIGHT!"
Mira pulled Eryx sideways.
The creature slammed into the wall behind them.
The impact cracked concrete instantly.
Eryx gasped. "How are we supposed to survive THIS?!"
Jaxon didn't hesitate.
"You don't survive it."
He reloaded.
"You outthink it."
And for the first time—
Eryx realized something important.
Jaxon wasn't scared.
He was calculating.
And Mira—
She wasn't surprised.
She was adapting.
Which meant only one thing.
Eryx was the only one here still learning.
And the system knew it.