Kael stepped into the terminal once more.
He didn't speak.
He didn't react to the whispers or shadows.
But he again spoke accidentally and again he was sent back to the terminal.
Kael stepped back into the hidden path for the third time.
The shadows whispered.
Faint, broken voices echoed around him, just like before—
"Help me…"
"I want to leave…"
"Don't forget me…"
He kept his hood low and walked straight ahead, ignoring the illusions. His heart pounded, but he stayed silent. This time, he was prepared.
(Don't speak. No matter what happens—don't respond.)
He moved through the ghostly forms like wind through smoke.
Minutes passed. Or maybe hours.
Time twisted strangely here. His watch spun faster again, reminding him that he was in a realm where logic bent and reality frayed.
Then it happened—
A voice.
It didn't whisper like the others.
It spoke clearly.
Firmly.
And it sounded exactly like his own.
"You know this will never work, right?"
