Andy moved.
Not stepped. Not charged.
He vanished and reappeared halfway down the tunnel in a single blink, the ground behind him collapsing inward from the force of his acceleration. The walls screamed as his presence tore pressure through the air.
"Move," Tara shouted.
They ran.
Xin's lungs burned instantly. His injured hand throbbed with every heartbeat. Rion kept pace beside him, but even he knew it was pointless. Andy was faster. Not just faster than them. Faster than escape itself.
Behind them, Andy laughed.
It echoed closer with every second.
"You think distance matters," Andy called out. "You think running means something."
The tunnel ahead bent sharply left.
They would not make it.
Andy appeared again, closer now, his massive frame tearing through supports like paper. Tentacles ripped forward, slicing the air, already reaching.
Xin turned halfway, instinct screaming to fight anyway.
Then everything stopped.
The sound died first.
No footsteps.
No breathing.
No echoes.
Xin froze mid-step.
Dust hung motionless in the air. Andy's tentacles were inches from reaching them, stretched forward like frozen blades. Even the light stopped flickering.
Time had been cut.
Reality itself held its breath.
A woman stepped out of nothing.
She did not arrive with force or distortion. She was simply there, as if the universe had always planned for her to stand in that spot.
Selena Veyra.
Her form was calm and terrible all at once. Long dark hair flowed despite the absence of motion. Her eyes were deep and glowing faintly, like something ancient was looking out through them. The air around her bent subtly, like it did not fully accept her presence.
She walked past Andy without even looking at him.
Straight toward Rion.
She stopped inches in front of him and studied his face.
"So this is where he is living now," she said softly.
Rion could not move. Could not speak. But something inside him reacted.
Kurai stirred.
Selena smiled faintly. "Yes. I feel you too."
She turned her head slowly and looked at Xin.
Her gaze lingered longer there.
"So this is the kid who lost his sister," she said. "The Skate."
Xin felt it then.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Like something had just looked through him instead of at him.
Selena tilted her head slightly. "You carry too many threads for someone so young."
She stepped back and raised both hands.
She clapped once.
The sound did not echo.
The world folded.
Xin gasped.
Air rushed into his lungs violently. He stumbled forward and nearly fell. The ground beneath him was solid. Familiar. Cold concrete.
He looked up.
The base.
They were back at the resistance base entrance. Lights flickered overhead. People stared at them in shock.
Tara spun around instantly, weapon raised.
"What just happened," she demanded.
Alaric looked around wildly. "We were in the tunnels. We were about to die."
Rion said nothing.
Xin looked at his hands. Still bleeding. Still real.
"She moved us," Xin said quietly.
"Who," Tara asked.
Before anyone could answer, a pressure washed over the base briefly, like a distant shadow passing overhead.
Then it was gone.
Selena was gone.
Time continued as if nothing had ever stopped.
Far away.
Deep underground.
Andy stood alone.
The tunnel around him was intact again, untouched by the moment that had stolen his prey. He looked around slowly, confused at first.
Then his expression darkened.
He felt it.
They were gone.
Andy growled low in his throat.
"Running again," he muttered.
The black bloom around him pulsed in response, spreading into cracks and veins through the earth, crawling outward like a living network.
He raised his head.
"I will consume everything," Andy said to the empty dark. "Cities. People. Hope."
Tentacles unfurled behind him, stretching wide.
"The world will rot," he continued. "And I will rule what remains."
His laughter echoed through the depths.
Above, far beyond him, threads moved.
And something ancient watched both the hunter and the hunted with quiet interest.