The hallways stretched before them, shifting ever so slightly in the dim emergency lighting. Every step felt uncertain, as if the Oldest House itself was deciding whether to let them through. The metallic groaning that had haunted their movements grew sporadic, no longer a distant warning but a presence breathing down their necks.
Darling's scanner let out an urgent beep. "We're close to another Control Point—if it's still stable, we can recalibrate."
Trench nodded, signaling for silence. His eyes flicked to Emily, who had gone rigid, her gaze locked on the far end of the corridor.
"They're here," she murmured.
Before Trench could respond, the world around them bent.
The walls of the Bureau twisted, the floor tilting beneath them as if gravity had momentarily lost its hold. A ripple of distortion spread from a point just ahead—an open doorway leading to what should have been a maintenance sector. But beyond the threshold was something else entirely.
A yawning void, fractured at the edges like broken glass. The space inside it pulsed with the eerie, monochrome glow of the Astral Plane.
Darling stumbled back. "This—this isn't possible."
Trench took a step forward, weapon raised. The unnatural gateway shimmered, shapes moving just beyond its veil. He could feel the weight of their gaze, pressing into his skull like an unseen hand.
Emily exhaled slowly, steadying herself. "They want us to see this."
A sudden burst of static crackled through their radios again. The same fragmented voice from before, only this time, clearer:
"—containment breach—do not engage—repeat, do not—"
Then, silence.
Trench exchanged a glance with Darling. "We don't have a choice."
Darling hesitated, glancing at the scanner's readings before gritting his teeth. "I hate that you're right."
Emily stepped forward first, crossing the threshold before either of them could stop her. The moment she did, the world seemed to pull inward, drawing them into the unknown.
And then, the void swallowed them whole.