The Road glowed in the surrounding darkness like a candle, luring fragile insects into its scorching flame. Thousands of tiny sparks whirled at its core, constantly being born and dying again in the bluish glow, casting long, flickering shadows across the room. It pulsed. It breathed. It waited.


The Soldier stepped closer and laid his hand against the cold metal of the massive frame. He was here. Finally.


“I made it,” he whispered and though no one answered, he had the distinct feeling the Road understood.


Time was running out. He’d been watching the timer on the console; he knew that less than an hour remained until sunrise. Then the Shadows would return from their hunt, and they would find him. He wasn’t going to wait that long.


He shrugged off his heavy jacket, folded it neatly, and set down his helmet beside it. He wouldn’t need either anymore. From his pack, he pulled two long cables and, with practiced precision, connected them to the panel beside the Road. Only one step remained.


And that was where he hesitated.


The connection itself was simple. What came after wasn’t. He had to plug in, lower his mental defenses, let the current flood him and the entire structure. He knew exactly what would happen. They’d rehearsed it a thousand times.


And still...his hand wouldn’t move.


Because there was another way.


He could turn around. Step through the Road. Disappear. No one would come looking. No one would miss him. To those who had sent him, he was just a number. Another failed attempt.


His tag bore the number 31.


Which meant thirty others had come before. Thirty failures. And if he failed now, they’d send 32. And then 33. And 34. Until someone finally arrived who was willing to do what had to be done.


Or he could be the one.


He thought of the Civilian. Everything that kid had risked. He’d dangled over a void for him. Could’ve died.


If he turned and ran now, he’d betray all of it.


He took a deep breath.


Gripped the connectors and plugged them into the ports behind his left ear.


The first wave of energy knocked him to his knees.


It didn’t hurt. It was like opening your mind to a storm the size of a planet. The room vanished. There was only him and the endless vortex of light.


He had to focus.


With every ounce of will, he pushed through one barrier after another until he reached the core. Everything trembled. His body no longer felt like it belonged to him.


Then it came... the final choice.


He released the floodgate.


It was like shattering a dam. The Road blazed with light, and the lab filled with the roaring cry of unleashed energy.


And then… came the sound of violins.


A melancholic melody that once accompanied the scientists in their experiments now drifted from the speakers, filling the place with an eerie grace.


The Soldier closed his eyes and, for a brief moment, allowed himself to simply listen.


Maybe it was better than silence. Maybe it was better to go out with music in your ears.


The Road exploded and everything vanished in a blaze of light.


The violins fell silent.


This time, for good.