The Core hummed low, veins of light shifting like breathing, watching. Every corridor, every pulse, every flicker of shadow was aligned with inevitability. The Detective stood across from me, calm as if the world had been waiting for this moment alone.
Drip… hum… metallic scrape…
"One move," he said, voice measured. "One choice." Not a threat. Not a warning. Just fact.
I swallowed, fingers tightening around the blade. Sarcasm rose briefly, sharp as a knife. "Oh, fantastic. One choice. Because that's ever worked out well for anyone."
He didn't flinch. Didn't respond. Just watched. Calm. Patient. Expectant.
My mind raced through every betrayal, every manipulation, every fire I'd started and fed. The city, the Syndicate, Elliot, Carrow, Krain every piece had led here. Every joke I'd made, every smirk I'd thrown, every laugh meant nothing now.
Click… soft hiss… low metallic groan…
I circled him, boots echoing on steel, breathing measured, heartbeat thrumming. Time stretched, thick with tension. I saw the past flashing behind my eyelids: tunnels, corpses, flickering lights, shattered alliances. And yet, the future pressed forward, a razor-edge ahead.
"Guess endings aren't my style," I muttered, voice low, almost bitter. "So let's skip the dramatics."
The Detective's eyes didn't waver. Calm, unreadable. I stepped closer, the blade reflecting veins of light, my reflection fractured across the polished steel.
And then I moved.
A swift arc, precise, unavoidable. Metal sang, cutting through the moment. He reacted as expected just enough to confirm the inevitability. Impact. Silence.
Drip… hum… the Core itself seemed to hold its breath.
I stood over him, chest heaving. Hands slick with the reality of my choice, heart hammering, adrenaline raw. Nothing in this world had felt this finite, this absolute.
The Core pulsed, veins of light softening as if acknowledging my claim.
"You're done," I muttered, voice rough, almost to myself. "And I… I still get to call the shots."
A distorted, calm voice threaded through the chamber. "And so the pawn becomes the piece that matters."
I let the blade fall, metal kissing the floor with a hollow echo. My reflection on the Core walls stared back at me, unbroken, unrepentant.
I'd crossed the line. The joke was over. The game had shifted. And now… I was no longer just playing.
I smirked faintly, letting the weight sink in. "Well… look at me. Upgraded. Hard to believe, isn't it?"
Silence answered. But this time, it was mine.