The descent toward the Core chamber did not begin with footsteps.
It began with a heartbeat.
Seo Jin's.
Unsteady. Fragile. Flickering between human warmth and the cold pulse of the Core embedded inside him.
Li Ran felt that heartbeat through their joined hands as they began walking down the rusted metal ramp leading into the deepest part of the research wing. The air grew colder, the light dimmer, the walls humming with an unnatural energy that made Seo Jin's skin glow faintly beneath his collar.
"Ran…" Seo Jin murmured.
Li Ran squeezed his hand immediately. "Still with me?"
Seo Jin nodded. "I'm trying."
"Trying is enough," Li Ran said. "Just don't let go."
Seo Jin exhaled shakily. "I won't."
But his steps faltered—his limbs heavier, his vision blurring at the edges. The Core was waking up. Calling him.
Drawing him.
The ramp vibrated beneath them with a slow, rising pulse.
DOOM.
DOOM.
DOOM.
The Core syncing to his heartbeat.
