The tunnel stayed quiet for a long time.
Too quiet.
Elyon sat on the cold floor, back against the pillar, breathing slowly. Each breath felt earned. His head hurt. His chest felt tight, like he had held something back for too long.
Rin stood nearby, watching the darkness where the hunters had disappeared.
"They won't forget this," Rin said.
Elyon nodded. "I figured."
The band on his wrist stayed dim, but not silent. It felt… alert. Like it was waiting for him to slip.
Rin finally turned to him. "You understand what you did, right?"
"I said no," Elyon replied.
Rin shook their head. "You said no at the wrong time."
Elyon looked up. "There's a right time?"
"For them," Rin said. "Always."
Elyon pushed himself to his feet. His legs trembled, but they held. "If saying no breaks things, then maybe things deserve to break."
Rin studied him for a moment. Then they laughed—short and tired. "You really don't know when to quit."
"Neither do you," Elyon said.
Rin didn't deny it.
They moved deeper into the lower tunnels.
Rin led the way now, moving with quiet confidence. They knew this place. Every turn. Every loose panel. Every spot where the ground felt hollow.
"People used to hide down here," Rin said as they walked. "Before the city learned how to look."
"What happened to them?" Elyon asked.
Rin slowed. "Some were found. Some were taken. Some became useful."
Elyon didn't like the sound of that.
They stopped at a sealed door covered in old warning signs. Rin pressed their mechanical hand against it. The door clicked and slid open just enough to slip through.
Inside was a small chamber with old equipment stacked along the walls. Most of it was dead. Some of it still hummed softly.
"This place dampens scans," Rin said. "Not perfectly. But enough."
Elyon stepped inside and felt it immediately.
The pressure eased.
The static in his head dropped to a faint whisper.
He almost cried.
"This is what quiet feels like now," he said.
Rin closed the door behind them. "Don't get used to it."
They sat on opposite sides of the room.
For a while, neither spoke.
Finally, Rin broke the silence. "How long have you had it?"
Elyon looked at his wrist. "Since last night. Since the alley."
Rin's eyes widened slightly. "That fast?"
Elyon frowned. "Fast?"
Rin leaned back against the wall. "It usually takes longer. Days. Weeks. Sometimes more."
"For what?"
"For people to stop reacting like people," Rin said quietly.
Elyon felt cold. "Is that what happened to you?"
Rin looked down at their mechanical arm. "I reacted too much. Too often. I survived by using it."
"And the cost?" Elyon asked.
Rin met his eyes. "You stop knowing where your choices end and the system begins."
The band pulsed faintly.
—CHOICE INFLUENCE: MINIMAL—
Elyon swallowed. "So refusing… that helps?"
Rin nodded. "It confuses them. Slows them down."
"But it hurts," Elyon said.
"Yes," Rin replied. "Because you're going against something that wants to be used."
A low vibration rolled through the chamber.
Not close.
But not far either.
Rin stood up instantly. "They adjusted."
Elyon's heart sank. "Already?"
"They always learn," Rin said. "That's their strength."
The band warmed.
Not burning.
Warning.
—SEARCH GRID: REFOCUSED—
Elyon clenched his fists. "So what do we do now?"
Rin grabbed a small pack from the wall and tossed it to him. "We move. Again."
"Where?"
Rin hesitated. "There's a place deeper down. Older than the city. Older than most systems."
"And safer?"
"No," Rin said honestly. "But different."
Different felt better than hunted.
They opened another exit, leading into a narrow passage sloping downward. The air grew colder as they walked. The hum beneath everything grew stronger.
"This place feels wrong," Elyon said.
Rin nodded. "That's why they don't like it."
They reached the end of the passage and stepped into a massive open space.
Elyon stopped.
The chamber was enormous. The ceiling disappeared into darkness. Old structures rose from the floor like ribs. Faded symbols were carved into the walls—not glowing, not active, just there.
The band went completely quiet.
Elyon's breath caught. "Why can't I feel it here?"
Rin looked uneasy. "Because this place doesn't answer back."
A deep sound rolled through the chamber.
Not a warning.
Not a threat.
A presence.
Elyon felt it in his bones.
Something here did not belong to the system.
And it had noticed him.
The ground beneath his feet shifted slightly, as if adjusting to his weight.
Rin stepped back slowly. "Elyon…"
"What?" he asked.
Rin's voice was low. Careful. "This place chooses too."
The band stayed silent.
For the first time since the alley,
no system spoke.
And that scared Elyon more than anything before.