The Origin's revelation lingered like a haunting melody.
Marcus couldn't shake the words from his mind. The thing beyond the door is not an enemy. It is a reflection. A mirror. It shows you what you fear most. For so long, they had fought against shadows, against projections of their own fear. But now that they understood, now that they could see the truth, something else was happening.
Something was changing.
The threads of connection pulsed with a new energy—not threatening, but uncertain. The Foundation was evolving, reaching toward the doorway that the Origin had spoken of. But with each passing day, Marcus felt something else slipping away. A presence. A connection. A part of himself that was fading.
Anna noticed it too. She arrived at the clock tower one evening, her face pale, h
