As Orin and Liora ventured further into the crystalline field, a faint echo reached their ears. It wasn’t just a sound; it resonated like the hum of the world itself, shifting in pitch and tone, almost like a voice trying to speak. The distant structure that pulsed with life grew brighter with every step, casting long shadows across the shimmering grass. The air felt charged, like static before a storm.
“What if we’re not the first to be here?” Liora wondered aloud, glancing at Orin.
Orin tightened his grip on the device in his pocket—a tool that didn’t exist back in the lab, yet somehow felt familiar in his hand. “We need to find out what’s causing that light,” he said. “It could be the source of this… glitch.”
As they walked, they noticed the landscape changing. The ground beneath the crystalline grass began to shift, as if the world itself was rewriting. Strange symbols flickered in and out of sight along the ground, glowing faintly before vanishing again. It was like walking through a broken code.
Suddenly, the light from the distant structure flared intensely, and the echo grew louder, resolving into a coherent sound. It was a voice—soft, but unmistakable.
“Welcome,” it whispered. “You are not alone.”
Liora stopped in her tracks. “Did you hear that?”
Orin nodded, his pulse quickening. The light faded back to its original glow, but the sense of being watched remained. Whatever had spoken, it was aware of them, and it wasn’t just a glitch in the simulation.
Something—or someone—was waiting for them.
