The city map on the main screen looked like a patient's failing heartbeat—red pulses spreading, each one a wound in reality. Mira stared at it, jaw clenched, her mind racing through possibilities. The knot's spiral still flickered in her vision, burned into her memory from the dive.
Linh's voice was tight, strained. "Stabilizers are holding for now, but the knot's energy is dropping. If the anomalies keep multiplying, we'll lose containment in under an hour."
Felix, hunched over his console, didn't look up. "I've rerouted power from the backup grid. It's buying us time, but not much. The shadow's using the city's infrastructure—phones, cameras, even traffic lights. It's everywhere."
Kiran hovered by the window, peering out at the city. The skyline was fractured, some buildings flickering between states—whole one moment, half-erased the next. "It's like reality's become a patchwork quilt. I can see my old school from here, but it's… wrong. The colors are faded, and the playground is missing."
Arjun checked the external sensors, sweat beading on his brow. "We've got movement outside. People are wandering the streets, confused. Some are just… standing still, like they're sleepwalking."
Mira's hands tightened into fists. "It's feeding on memories, not just ours—everyone's. It's rewriting the city, one regret at a time."
The knot in the center of the lab pulsed, threads of gold and black writhing in a silent struggle. Mira felt a pang of guilt. She'd opened the door, let the shadow in. Now it was her responsibility to stop it.
"We need to split up," she said, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her insides. "The anomalies are targeting places tied to our pasts. If we can confront what the shadow is using against us, maybe we can weaken its hold."
Felix shot her a skeptical look. "You want us to walk into our own nightmares?"
Mira met his gaze. "If we don't, the city falls. Maybe the world."
A heavy silence settled over the team.
Linh broke it first, her jaw set. "I'll take the university district. That's where I lost my brother. If the shadow's using that against me, I'll face it."
Felix nodded, determination flickering in his eyes. "The old stadium for me. I haven't been back since the accident. Guess it's time."
Kiran swallowed, his voice barely above a whisper. "The library. That's where I… where my mother disappeared."
Arjun checked his gear. "The riverfront. My father's last message came from there. If the shadow's waiting, I'll find it."
Mira looked at each of them, pride and worry warring in her chest. "Stay in contact. If anything feels wrong, pull back. We're not losing anyone tonight."
The team dispersed, each heading for their personal battleground. Mira lingered in the lab, staring at the knot. The spiral had slowed, but the darkness was still there, coiling at the edges.
She keyed her comm. "Felix, status?"
His voice crackled back, tense. "I'm at the stadium. The stands are empty, but I keep hearing the crowd. It's like the past is bleeding through."
Linh checked in next. "University gates. The shadow's here—I can feel it. It's cold, Mira. Like winter in my bones."
Kiran's voice was shaky. "Library's locked, but I see someone inside. Looks like my mom, but… older. I'm going in."
Arjun's report was terse. "Riverfront's deserted. Except for a man on the bench. He's wearing my father's coat."
Mira's heart pounded. The shadow was using their regrets, their grief, to anchor itself. She couldn't let it win.
She turned to the map. Her own anomaly still pulsed at the old research facility—where she'd first met Elara, where everything had gone wrong.
Time to finish what I started, she thought.
She left the lab, the city's broken skyline looming ahead. The streets were eerily quiet, the only sound her footsteps echoing off shattered glass and warped pavement. Shadows flickered in the corners of her vision, whispering half-remembered words.
At the facility's entrance, the doors stood open, darkness spilling out like ink. Mira hesitated, then stepped inside.
The hallway was just as she remembered—sterile white walls, the faint hum of machinery. But the air was thick with sorrow, the spiral pattern etched into every surface.
She followed the corridor to the lab where she and Elara had worked. The door creaked open, revealing a room frozen in time. Papers scattered across the floor, a broken watch on the desk, and in the center, the shadow—wearing Elara's face.
"Mira," it said, voice layered with pain and accusation. "You left me here."
Mira's throat tightened. "I tried to save you. I tried—"
The shadow's eyes glowed, the spiral burning in their depths. "You ran. You always run."
Mira forced herself to stand tall. "Not this time."
The shadow surged forward, darkness spilling from its form, twisting the room into a nightmare of regret. Mira braced herself, memories crashing over her—Elara's laughter, her scream, the moment the knot first fractured.
But Mira held her ground. "I'm sorry. I remember. And I won't let you win."
The knot's spiral flared in her mind, gold battling shadow. For a moment, the darkness wavered.
Across the city, her team faced their own shadows, each fighting to reclaim their memories, their hope.
Mira reached out, her hand trembling. "Elara, please. Let go."
The shadow screamed, the spiral shattering into a thousand shards of light.
And then—silence.
Mira collapsed to her knees, breath ragged. The knot's pulse steadied, the darkness receding.
But as she looked up, she saw a new fracture forming in the spiral—deeper, darker than before.
The battle wasn't over. It had only just begun.