The corridor outside Pattern Lab feels narrower than it did on the way in.
Not physically. The Array doesn’t change its architecture on a whim.
But my skin feels too close to my bones, and my resonance keeps brushing the walls like it’s checking for exits.
I walk fast.
Too fast, probably. Aetherion black boots striking glass-metal flooring in clipped, military rhythm. Anyone watching would clock it instantly—Echo-Warden trying to outrun her own head.
Cassian’s door seals behind me with a soft hiss.
That should be the end of it.
Instead, the hum inside my chest shifts. Not louder. Not sharper. Just… different. Like something settled into place without asking permission.
I pass a mirrored panel and catch my reflection by accident. Dark hair still damp at the nape of my neck. My ring
