The figure continued to form.
Slowly.
Unnaturally.
Like something forcing itself into existence.
The air grew heavier with each passing second.
The distorted space around them pulsed—
Once.
Then again.
Aarav didn't move.
Didn't speak.
He just watched.
"…This is the source," he said quietly.
Mira's expression tightened.
"…You're sure?"
"…Yeah."
Because everything—
The movement.
The instability.
The behavior—
All pointed to one thing.
Control.
The shapes around them stayed still.
Waiting.
As if connected.
As if part of it.
"…It's not just creating them," Mira said.
"…No," Aarav replied.
"It is them."
Silence.
The realization hit instantly.
This wasn't a group.
This wasn't a swarm.
This was—
One entity.
The figure stepped forward.
Incomplete.
Distorted.
But aware.
Its form shifted constantly, like it couldn't decide what it wanted to be.
And then—
It looked at Aarav.
Directly.
Mira felt it immediately.
"…It's focused on you."
"…I know."
The screen flickered violently.
Stronger than ever before.
[ E R R O R ]
[ E R R O R ]
[ C O R E D E T E C T E D ]
Aarav's eyes narrowed.
"…Core."
That word mattered.
A lot.
"…So that's what you are."
The entity moved.
Not fast.
Not aggressive.
Just—
Forward.
The space around it warped with every step.
"…Don't get close," Mira said.
"…Too late."
The entity raised something—
An arm.
Or what looked like one.
And the moment it moved—
Everything reacted.
The shapes surged again.
All at once.
More aggressive than before.
The team broke instantly.
"…Fall back!" someone shouted.
But Aarav didn't move.
"…There's no point."
Mira turned toward him.
"…What?"
Aarav's gaze stayed locked on the entity.
"…As long as that thing exists…"
He paused.
"…This won't stop."
The screen flickered again.
Hard.
[ C O R E S T A B L E ]
[ D E S T R U C T I O N R E Q U I R E D ]
Aarav exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah."
"That confirms it."
Mira stepped beside him.
"…Then we destroy it."
Aarav nodded slightly.
"…Exactly."
The entity moved again.
Faster this time.
The ground cracked beneath it.
The distortion spread.
The pressure—
Overwhelming.
Mira prepared her attack.
Energy gathered.
Focused.
Controlled.
"…We hit it together," she said.
"…No."
Mira frowned.
"…What?"
Aarav stepped forward.
"…I go in."
"…That's suicide."
"…Probably."
"…Then why—"
"…Because it's reacting to me."
Silence.
Mira hesitated.
Just for a second.
Aarav's eyes sharpened.
"…Trust me."
That word hung in the air.
Heavy.
Important.
Mira clenched her fist.
Then—
"…Fine."
Aarav smirked faintly.
"…Good choice."
Because this—
Was the moment.
The turning point.
The end of this phase.
He stepped forward.
Toward the core.
Toward the entity.
Toward something that shouldn't exist.
And for the first time—
It reacted.
Not as a system.
Not as an anomaly.
But as something that—
Recognized him.