Obsidian Genesis

e dim light. I can't bring myself to blink, not even to breathe. This... this isn't poss

ere h

ance is marred by decay, his features too sharp, too empty, like something

e tighter, my knuckles

and hollow, the kind of voice you would expect from a ghos

omach twist. No, this can't be real. Auren is dead. H

are his. Auren's eyes. But they're em

t pounding. "No... no, this

ch his eyes. "You always were quick to judge, Seraphine. But did you ever

, the memories of when he created me, of when I thought I was his perfec

back the panic threatening to drown

e? You think I would let myself die like that?" He steps closer, his gaze piercing into me like he's dissecting

He's not wrong. He was the architect of the very world I've tried to escape, t

hisper, but the intensity of it seems to suffocate me. "Everything

can stop it. My voice cracks with the weight of it, re

control. You think you're the one in charge now, after everything you've done, after all the

Auren, the man who shaped me, twisted me into this t

, almost lovingly, as if caressing the very idea. "I creat

aying he can undo the work I've done to free myself from

again. This time, the flicker isn't random. It's deliberate, rhythmic. The who

"What the hell is happening?"

seek answers, Seraphine. But what if the truth you'v

s frozen, caught in some unseen trap. The hum of th

iefest moment, I feel like the entire world is crumbling around me. Then, in t

s. Heavy and deliberate. Someth

ce is the last thing I hear before

re, Seraphine," he whis

ld touch of metal against my skin, like fingers cu

'm falling or if

w if I can

ow long I've b

move, to reach for something, anything, to orient myself, but the world around me feels as if it's shifting with every passing second. My hands brush against the

ng fo

ds echo in my head, a twisted lullaby I can't escape. "You're not alone anymore, Seraphine." What d

I feel a chill creeping along my spine. But I refuse to

the trembling floor. My hand instinctively reaches for the blade I dropped earlier

rd before, the ones that felt like they were closing in on me, are n

he answers I'm looking for. It's the key to unlocking everything

ems to be in sync with my heartbeat. I don't know if I'm imagining it, but the darknes

t again. A whisper

aphi

, it's Auren's again. His voice is everywhere, hau

you, you

or what I hope is the exit. But the further I go, the more oppressive the atmosphere becomes. The walls seem to clos

can feel it, like the walls are alive, responding to my movements. I try to force my way through t

trap

lls tremble once again, but this time, the

in, more distinct this time. "I

h me. I'm not alone anymore. There's s

arkest corner of t

ker of

it's there. A glimmer that pulls m

ser I get, the more the light intensifies, until it's almost

ucture, its shape familiar yet unrecognizable.

tity at the center of the Circuit. The walls surrounding it seem to be made

lickers, casting strange shadows across the walls. As I draw closer,

lt is o

urge to step inside. It's as if the Vault it

forward. But as my foot crosses

ault

with a deafening roa

r once again, and

ing goe

ating. I can't breathe. I can't move. The walls feel like t

nes. But it's not the hum I know

me, and I whip around,

hear his v

ne, Seraphine. The one

's still no one.

lish place with only the hum o

I know I'm no

ows louder, I feel it. The cold touch of so

d blade in my hand, bu

the Vault, and the sound of Auren'