"Find the key."
The words echoed inside Emily's mind.
Soft.
Gentle.
Ancient.
And then they were gone.
Emily stood frozen.
Her heart hammered against her chest.
The Core continued pulsing.
The facility continued shaking.
Everyone around her was talking.
Moving.
Reacting.
Yet their voices felt distant.
Muffled.
Because her entire focus remained on those three words.
Find the key.
"Emily."
Alexander's voice finally broke through the haze.
She blinked.
"What?"
His eyes narrowed immediately.
The concern on his face was impossible to miss.
"You went pale."
Daniel stepped closer.
"Please tell me the ancient glowing sphere didn't just put another voice in your head."
Nobody laughed.
Not even Daniel.
The situation was too serious.
Emily swallowed.
Then slowly nodded.
The chamber fell silent.
Alexander's expression darkened.
"What did it say?"
Emily hesitated.
Then answered.
"Not the Core."
Everyone froze.
The first child looked up sharply.
