The tunnel opened into a vast chamber bathed in cold, white light. The walls were alive — not with cables or machines, but with a kind of pulse, like veins carrying light instead of blood. The sound of the place was like breathing — steady, rhythmic, unsettling.
Ethan stepped forward slowly, his reflection stretching across the polished floor. Maya, Hannah, Dr. Taylor, and Dr. Myles followed behind, their weapons drawn though they all knew bullets meant little here.
“This is it,” Dr. Myles whispered. “The central convergence point. The heart of Elysium.”
Dr. Taylor’s voice was cautious. “You said this system was built to control human consciousness. What happens if it realizes we’re inside it?”
Myles’ cybernetic eye flickered nervously. “Then it decides whether we’re intruders or part
