The tunnel stretched on for what felt like miles, weaving through forgotten infrastructure. The air grew colder, thick with moisture and the scent of stagnant water.
When they finally emerged, it wasn't into the open air.
It was into something older.
The space was massive, a cavernous undercity built long before the Architects had seized control. Crumbling structures stood like broken teeth, their facades covered in vines and graffiti. A few dim lights flickered in the distance, powered by something long past its intended lifespan.
Kiera's breath caught.
This place wasn't just abandoned.
It was hidden.
Aerin scanned the surroundings, then nodded as if confirming something to themselves. "We're safe for now. They don't patrol down here. Too unstable."
Marek surveyed the ruins. "And yet, you brought us here. Should I be worried?"
Aerin smirked. "Only if you don't like secrets."
Kiera stepped forward. "What is this place?"
Aerin met her gaze.
"One of the last places the Architects couldn't erase."
Kiera felt something shift inside her.
This city had been rewritten, its history reshaped to fit the Architects' control. But this place—these ruins—had survived.
Just like her.
Aerin gestured for them to follow. "Come on. There's someone you need to meet."
Kiera didn't know what awaited her in the depths of this lost city.
But she was done being afraid.
She was ready to remember.
And, more than that—
She was ready to fight back.