The hallway curved again.


    He counted twelve uneven steps before it flattened.


    Stone underfoot felt different now. Less like flooring, more like pressure. Like each block had been placed to hold something underneath.


    Seraphina stayed close.


    Her limp had steadied, but not gone. She hadn''t said anything since the last corner. Merlin didn''t ask. He was still watching the walls.


    Every ten meters, the design shifted.


    New carvings.


    Shallower grooves.


    Some of them circular. Some jagged. Some that didn''t look like patterns at all—just clawed scratches across the surface.


    [SYSTEM CORE: 94%]


    [RESONANCE PATHWAYS: COMPLETE]


    [MANA CHANNELS — RECONNECTED]


    [USER CONDITION: PRIME FUNCTIONALITY (LOCKED)]


    [WARNING: PULSE ZONE AHEAD]


    He slowed.


    ''Pulse zone.''


    Not a trap.


    Worse.


    Living space.