He runs.
The city warps beneath him… folding… twisting… shattering into impossible angles.But he doesn't stop.
Because the Tower calls.
Tall. Black. Silent.
It doesn't loom.
It waits.
Each step feels heavier now. Like time thickens around him.
[Warning: Temporal Pressure Increasing – Reality Integrity at 74%][The closer you get, the less the world believes you exist.]
He keeps going.
Cars flicker in and out of existence.People scream without mouths.Clock hands spin backward until they snap.
He reaches the edge of the last street.
Beyond it… only shadow.
The Tower stands in the center.No windows. No sound.No entrance.
Just smooth obsidian rising forever.
He pulls the bone key from his pocket.
It pulses.
Soft… slow…
And then it burns.
He drops to one knee. Jaw clenched.
The key splits.
Not cracks. Multiplies.
Now there are three.
Each pointing in a different direction.
Left. Right. Down.
No "up."
The city howls.
And then the ground beneath him shifts—opens—collapses.
He falls.
No scream.
Only silence.
Until—
He lands.
Soft. Wet. Cold.
Breathing walls pulse around him. Flesh? Metal?
[Location: Heart of the Forgotten Loop – Core Depths][Warning: You Are Now Inside the Architect's Mind.]
He stands.
His feet sink into the floor. Ink coats his skin.
Memories bleed from the walls.
He touches one—
—A boy tied to a chair. Eyes wired open.The Architect whispering: "You'll never be alone again. I'll make sure of it."
He rips his hand away.
Behind him—
A voice.
Male.
Smooth.
Too smooth.
"You weren't supposed to come here."
He turns.
The Architect stands there.
Not the twisted version from the screen.
This one's clean. Elegant. White suit. Black veins under skin. Gold eyes.
"I built this world to hold her," he says calmly. "But you keep letting her out."
Yurei says nothing.
"You broke the system. You shattered the mask. Now… you want to shatter me."
He steps forward.
And the world trembles.
"You're not a hero," the Architect says. "You're a catalyst. A fracture."
Yurei smirks.
"Good."
He throws the first punch.
But the Architect doesn't block it.
The blow passes through him.
And hits something else.
The world behind him cracks.
Reality ripples.
"Fighting me here?" the Architect says, tone amused. "You're inside my skull."
He raises a hand—
Yurei's chest caves in.
No blood. Just light.
He collapses.
Gasping.
Broken.
"Every time one of you tries to climb the Tower," the Architect whispers, kneeling beside him, "you forget the only rule."
He leans in.
"There are no doors. Because there's no escape."
Yurei reaches for the key.
Fingers trembling.
The Architect grabs his wrist.
Too late.
Too slow.
But then—
A voice.
Her voice.
"You lied to me," she whispers.
The Architect freezes.
Turns.
And she's there.
The girl.
No longer smiling.
Eyes black. Dress soaked in ink. Hair floating like she's underwater.
"You said he'd break."
She lifts a finger.
Points at Yurei.
"He didn't."
The Architect screams.
Not a sound of pain.
A sound of unraveling.
The world begins to peel.
Like paper soaked in acid.
And Yurei…
He gets up.
Key glowing.
Burning.
Alive.
He steps forward.
Drives the key into the Architect's chest.
Twists.
And—
[LOCK BREACHED.][True Tower Access Unlocked.]
The world ends.
And begins.
He opens his eyes.
Standing now…
In a new place.
No sky.
No floor.
Only stairs—
Leading up…
And up…
And up.
He breathes.
And climbs.
Because above it all…
Is the final secret.
And he's not afraid anymore.
To be continued…