The shockwave from Jack's burst of power rippled through the collapsing facility, momentarily stabilizing the gravitational field around him. He staggered but remained on his feet, his entire body thrumming with energy.
Rhea gaped at him. "What the hell was that?"
Jack clenched his fists, feeling the gravity respond to his will. "I don't know," he admitted, still trying to grasp the magnitude of what had just happened. "But I think…I think I'm starting to understand."
The facility continued to collapse around them. Sparks rained from overhead cables, and the floor beneath them cracked as gravitational shifts tore the structure apart. There was no time to process what had just transpired—if they didn't leave now, they wouldn't leave at all.
"Come on!" Jack grabbed Rhea's arm, pulling her toward the only visible exit. The once-massive corridor was now a maze of crumbling metal and flickering emergency lights.
Behind them, a deep, resonating hum filled the air.
Jack glanced over his shoulder—and froze.
Amid the destruction, the Architect still hovered, untouched by the chaos. Its featureless form remained unreadable, but something about its presence had changed. It was no longer merely observing.
It was…watching. Calculating.
"You have taken the first step," the Architect's voice resonated through the crumbling walls. "But your journey is far from over."
Jack didn't respond. He couldn't. He turned and ran, dragging Rhea with him as the last remnants of the facility began to implode.
They sprinted through the wreckage, leaping over fallen beams and dodging collapsing walls. The gravitational instability made every step unpredictable—one moment, they felt weightless, the next, they were nearly crushed by sudden surges of force.
Jack could feel it all. The shifting gravity. The pull and push of unseen forces.
And, instinctively, he began to adjust.
As another section of the corridor collapsed, Jack reached out—not with his hands, but with his mind. The falling debris slowed just enough for them to slip through. The moment they were clear, it crashed down behind them, sealing off the path.
Rhea panted, glancing at him. "You just did that, didn't you?"
Jack didn't answer. He didn't have to.
The exit was just ahead. The dim glow of the outside world seeped through the fractured walls, promising escape.
Then—Jack felt it.
A shift. A ripple in space itself.
Something was coming.
He turned sharply, eyes narrowing. A figure emerged from the smoke and debris, moving with impossible grace. It wasn't the Architect.
It was something else.
A new player in the game.
The figure wore a sleek, obsidian-colored suit lined with faintly glowing circuitry. A mask covered their face, but their posture radiated confidence. Power.
Jack's instincts screamed at him. This person was dangerous.
The figure stepped forward, their voice smooth and measured.
"You're not supposed to be alive, Jack."
Rhea swore under her breath, reaching for her weapon.
Jack squared his shoulders, his fingers flexing as he felt the gravitational energy still coursing through him.
"I get that a lot," he muttered.
The figure tilted their head slightly. "Then let's correct that mistake."
In the next instant, they attacked.