The chamber spun around Xavier as the full scope of the trap unfolded before him. Every choice they'd made, every plan they'd formed, every desperate gambit—all of it had been anticipated, accounted for, used as data points in Haverford's grand design. The realization crashed into him like a tidal wave, each breath becoming a struggle as the weight of their complete failure pressed down upon his chest. They had never been players in this game—merely pieces being moved across a board they couldn't even see.
"You're insane." The words tasted like ash in Xavier's mouth, hollow and inadequate against the monstrous calculation before him.
