The air in the tunnel didn't just vibrate; it shattered. When my blood touched the Second Key, the sound wasn't digital static—it was the sound of a tectonic plate snapping. A ten-foot circle of the Root's damp, ancient soil instantly transmuted into a shimmering, golden glass.
The three Suits stopped dead. Their red 'X' eyes flickered, the pixels in their pupils scrambling as they tried to process a surface that shouldn't exist in the physical world.
"Error," the lead Suit droned, its voice glitching into a bass-heavy growl. "Environment... non-compliant. Physics... unauthorized."
"Leo, what are you doing?" Mara shouted, backing away as the golden glass spread toward her boots. "The ground... it’s not solid! It’s humming!"
"It’s a sandbox!" I yelled, my voice cracking from the strain.
