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Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: The Architect

The silence that followed her words felt like a fuse burning toward something catastrophic.

The woman in the lab coat stepped fully into the white room, the wall sealing shut behind her with a soundless click. Her presence didn't feel hostile — but it didn't feel safe either. It was the kind of composed control that said she didn't need to raise her voice to be dangerous.

"I know you have questions," she said. "But more importantly, I have answers. The kind you've earned."

Thea and Igor stood shoulder to shoulder, eyes locked on her. Neither of them moved.

"Who are you?" Thea asked finally. Her voice was level, but her fists were clenched tight.

The woman smiled faintly. "You may call me Dr. Mireille."

Igor snorted. "Of course it's a mysterious French-sounding name. Let me guess. You're the evil mastermind behind this reality maze?"

Dr. Mireille's smile didn't waver. "Not quite. I designed the framework. The… 'maze,' as you call it. But the directive comes from higher up. Government, corporate, private funders. You know the type. But you two? You were a special file from the beginning."

"We didn't volunteer for this," Thea said coldly.

"No," Mireille replied. "You were selected. Monitored. Observed for years. All your social data, neural patterns, emotional responses — cross-referenced against what we needed for Phase Six."

Thea took a slow step forward. "Which is what?"

"The unsolvable stage," Mireille said simply. "The final loop. Every previous subject eventually broke down. Turned on each other. Took a pill. Tried to escape alone. We wanted to test one more variable."

"Loyalty," Igor murmured.

"Exactly." Mireille's eyes flicked to him, briefly admiring. "We built the levels to mimic trust fractures. Fears. Memory loops. Loss. But you two? You didn't break. You adjusted. You joked through trauma. You refused to follow the binary logic."

"So what now?" Thea asked. "Do we get out?"

Mireille tilted her head slightly. "Do you want out?"

"What kind of question is that?" Igor snapped.

Mireille's smile finally cracked. "You assume there's still a 'world' waiting for you out there. But what if I told you this — all of this — is part of a constructed simulation? Not virtual… real. But curated. And the moment you stepped off that train?"

"You left the real world behind."

For a moment, Thea didn't breathe.

"That's not possible," she said slowly. "We've seen cracks. Power flickers. Mistakes in the system. If this was a perfect illusion—"

"It's not meant to be perfect," Mireille interrupted. "It's meant to feel real enough. Reality is about what you accept. And we've been watching what you accept."

She walked over to the pill cube.

"The third pill wasn't removed. It was never meant to appear for anyone but the pair that passed every level without betraying each other."

She touched the base. A hidden compartment hissed open.

Inside was a small, glowing green pill.

EXIT KEY ENABLED

"Only one pill leads to freedom," Mireille said. "The red and black are distractions. Behavioral triggers. But the green... is the real out."

She held it out.

"But it only works if both of you take it simultaneously. Any attempt to take it alone, or trick the system… and it will fail."

Igor raised a brow. "You're just handing it to us?"

"No," she said. "I'm watching what you do with it."

Thea took the pill and held it between her thumb and forefinger. It pulsed softly. Warm.

Igor stared at it. "Feels like a trap."

"It is," Thea said. "But not the kind we're used to."

Mireille stepped back. "You have one minute. If the pill isn't taken, the level resets. You'll lose your memories of this exchange. And start again."

"Again?" Igor asked, eyes narrowing.

"You've already done it three times," Mireille replied.

The room went still.

Thea's heart skipped.

"Liar," Igor said. But his voice wavered.

"I'm not," Mireille replied calmly. "Each time, you've gotten further. But always… hesitate right here."

Thea looked at Igor.

"Even if it's a lie," she said, "would you do it again?"

He gave a short laugh. "I'd rather loop with you than wake up next to an Ikea chair with opinions."

They both held the pill between them now.

A nod.

They swallowed it together.

The white room dissolved instantly.

And they fell.

Darkness. Static. No ground. Just falling and—

—They slammed into reality.

Hard.

They were back in the train.

Seats vibrating. Lights flickering.

A conductor's voice crackled over the intercom:

"Final stop, please disembark. Final stop."

Thea sat up.

The train was filled with people. Normal people. Staring at their phones. Talking. A kid was playing a game on his tablet. Someone was asleep with their head on the window.

Igor groaned beside her. "Are we dead? If so, death is surprisingly mediocre."

Thea didn't answer.

Because outside the window was the name of the station:

Mireille Point

Her blood turned cold.

Igor saw it too.

"This isn't over," she said.

He nodded.

"No," he said quietly. "This is just another level."

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