The red light pulsing from the Core was not merely a warning; it was a rhythmic contraction of reality. With every throb of the tower, the grey void beneath their feet shriveled, the non-existent horizon pulling inward like a closing eye. Malphas and Lyra ran, but distance had become a suggestion. The Core seemed to recede whenever they neared it, its geometry shifting to maintain an impossible, agonizing gap.
"It’s not just a tower!" Malphas shouted, his voice cracking as he forced his legs to move despite the numbing cold. "It’s a anchor point for the entire dimension. If we reach it, we don't just stop the purge. We have to rewrite the anchor, or the void will collapse on top of us!"
Lyra’s breath came in ragged, painful stabs. Her skin was turning translucent at the edges, a terrifyi
