The air grew colder the deeper they walked.
Not freezing—just stale, heavy, untouched by the outside world.
Sector Zero didn't feel abandoned.
It felt paused.
Lights along the ceiling flickered on as they passed, revealing walls smooth and metallic, nothing like the cracked concrete above.
Ash ran a hand along the wall. "This looks newer than the rest."
"It is," Calder said. "Sector Zero was the first part of the facility ever built. The council tried to hide it from the staff, even from researchers like me."
"Why?" Palo asked.
"Because this is where the earliest experiments happened."
Palo's voice shook. "The ones before me?"
"Yes."
They reached a circular chamber with five doorways branching out like spokes.
In the center, a round panel on the floor glowed softly with the same five symbols from the formation.
The flame.
The wave.
The feather.
The stone.
And the spiral.
The children stepped forward and sat down at the edge of the circle—almost ritualistically.
Palo felt a pressure in his chest.
"I've been here before."
Ash looked at him sharply. "When?"
"When I was small," Palo whispered. "We all came here once. They told us to sit around the circle. They asked us questions. Told us to draw what we felt."
Calder nodded grimly.
"The Director wanted to see which children shared the same visions."
Ash frowned. "And Palo did?"
Calder met his eyes.
"Palo saw everything."
The spiral symbol in the center glowed brighter.
The children turned to Palo expectantly.
Palo stepped forward.
And the panel opened beneath him—
not a trap, but an elevator platform descending smoothly.
Ash grabbed him, but Palo shook his head.
"It's okay. Come with me."
Ash stepped on.
Calder followed, trembling.
The platform sank into darkness.