The moment she said “core,” something inside me reacted like it had heard its own name.
My breath slowed as the network around me pulsed again, stronger than before, and this time, it did not feel distant or scattered. It felt focused on me.
“You feel it,” she said. “Yes,” I replied. Because there was no point denying it. The connection tightened, not painfully, but with intent, as if something far beyond what I had already accessed was now aware of me and choosing to respond.
The presence inside me spoke again.“Core layer initiating contact.” What is the core? I asked. Her eyes did not leave mine. “It is the origin,” she said.
Everything inside me stilled for a moment. Because that meant everything I had felt so far was only the surface. The network pulsed again.
A sudden pressure fi
