"There always is."
Riku's words hung in the air like a curse.
No one answered him. The silence that followed was thick, heavy—like the air itself didn't want to move. The faint hum under their boots hadn't stopped. It was slow, steady, rhythmic—almost like breathing.
Ichika rubbed her arms, glancing toward the sealed stairwell. "So… what, we just wait until that thing breaks through?"
"No," Riku said. "We get ahead of it."
Sato frowned. "You're suggesting going deeper?"
"That's where it came from," Riku replied. "If we don't find what's powering this place, we'll be trapped when the generators fail."
Suzune crossed her arms. "And when the power dies, those containment locks might open automatically."
Riku nodded once. "Exactly."
Miko exhaled shakily. "You're saying the only way to keep everyone safe… is to go into the level marked Do Not Open?"
"Pretty much," Ichika muttered.
