Veyra followed the tunnel indicated by the holographic map, her steps quick but cautious.
The air grew colder, the walls closing in until she had to turn sideways to squeeze through narrow gaps.
The gene-seeds in her pack pulsed softly, their warmth a constant reminder of the power she carried—and the danger it brought.
The voice in the chamber had called them "seeds of the Void," and its warning about the Void's hunger sent a chill down her spine.
She didn't know what the Void was, but she could feel its presence, a shadow at the edge of her mind.
The tunnel began to slope downward, the ground slick with moisture.
Veyra's boots slipped, and she caught herself against the wall, her injured arm throbbing. The makeshift bandage was soaked with blood, and the pain was getting harder to ignore.
The gene-seeds' energy had dulled it at first, but now it was a constant ache, slowing her down. She needed to find a place to rest, to treat the wound properly, but the labyrinth offered no safe havens.
A faint sound echoed through the tunnel—a low, rhythmic scraping, like metal on stone.
Veyra froze, her hand on her knife.
The sound was coming from behind her, growing louder with each passing second. She turned, her glowing hands casting a faint light down the tunnel.
A shape emerged from the darkness—a small, spider-like drone, its legs clicking against the stone. Its body was sleek, black, and bore the Gene Lords' sigil.
A scout drone, sent to track her.
Veyra's heart raced. She couldn't let it report her location.
She raised her hands, summoning a burst of light, but the drone was fast, dodging the attack with a skittering leap. It lunged at her, its legs sharp as blades.
Veyra ducked, slashing with her knife, and managed to sever one of its legs.
The drone screeched, a high-pitched sound that echoed through the tunnel, and Veyra knew it was calling for backup.
She fired another burst of light, this time hitting the drone square in its body. It exploded in a shower of sparks, its legs twitching as it died.
Veyra didn't wait to see if more were coming. She turned and ran, her injured arm slowing her down.
The tunnel twisted and turned, the path from the map leading her deeper underground.
The air grew heavier, the scent of ozone returning, and Veyra's senses tingled with a strange energy.
The tunnel opened into a larger chamber, its walls covered in more glowing symbols.
These were different from the ones in the previous chamber—sharper, more angular, and they pulsed with a red light.
In the center of the chamber was a stone archway, its surface carved with the same symbols.
The gene-seeds in her pack pulsed stronger, their energy resonating with the archway.
Veyra approached, her heart pounding.
This had to be the entrance to the Sanctum of Echoes.
She stepped through the archway, and the air shimmered.
The chamber disappeared, and Veyra found herself in a vast, cavernous space.
The walls were made of a strange, crystalline material that reflected her glowing hands in a thousand directions.
The air hummed with energy, and Veyra felt the gene-seeds' power surge within her.
In the center of the cavern was a massive crystal, its surface swirling with the same iridescent light as the gene-seeds.
The voice spoke again, its tone resonant and commanding.
"Welcome to the Sanctum of Echoes, child of the Void," it said. "Here, you will face the first trial of your evolution."
Veyra's stomach dropped.
A trial?
She wasn't ready for this—not with her injury, not with the Gene Lords hunting her.
But the crystal began to glow brighter, and the ground beneath her shook.
She had no choice.
Whatever this trial was, she had to face it—or die trying.