The entire underground facility shook like it was alive.
Steel walls groaned under invisible pressure. Warning sirens screamed through the corridors, red emergency lights flashing like blood across every surface.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
Machines sparked.
The ground beneath everyone's feet trembled violently.
And at the center of it all—
The core had broken.
Alexander stood beside Emily, his body tense, his eyes fixed on the massive glowing chamber splitting apart before them.
Something was rising.
Something ancient.
Something that should have remained buried forever.
Daniel stared at the monitors, his face pale.
"I would like to officially resign from whatever nightmare this is."
No one responded.
Because no one could look away.
The chamber cracked open wider.
Golden light mixed with darkness poured upward like smoke, twisting into the air as if it had a mind of its own.
The sound came again.
Low.
Deep.
Not human.
It wasn't a roar.
It was worse.
