The night was a phantom stretched thin, swallowed by the shadows of Shardline Gorge.
The five of them descended into the maw of stone and Thread, where even light felt unwelcome. The air tasted of rust and memory.
"You sure this tunnel leads under the Choir?" Zen asked, blade drawn, eyes narrowed. He hated caves.
"Of course," Solas said brightly, lighting a small flame that floated near his shoulder. "Trust me, I mapped these tunnels once. Right before I escaped a death sentence. Good times."
"Reassuring," Zen muttered.
The path sloped sharply, the ground slick with condensation that shimmered faintly with Thread residue. Veins of silver and blue crawled across the walls, pulsing in irregular rhythms.
Koshiro walked in the middle, hand brushing the stone. "It's alive," he murmured.
Brann grunted behind him. "Not alive, just remembering. These tunnels are Veil-tainted. They store echoes."
"What kind of echoes?" Nyra asked, eyeing the walls warily.
Brann didn't answer.
Moments later, the walls whispered back:
"Don't leave me here. I can still hear her crying."
Nyra froze. "Okay. That's not ideal."
Koshiro's face was pale. "That voice… that was—"
"A memory," Brann interrupted. "It's not real, unless you let it be."
They pressed on.
Further in, the light began to warp. The tunnel narrowed, and the pulses of Threadlight became more erratic, more violent.
They came to a fork — one tunnel collapsed with glowing debris, the other twisting deeper.
"Split time," Solas said. He stretched like a cat. "You all remember the plan? Zen and Brann get to the eastern wing. Nyra and I go sabotage the core. Koshiro… solo act."
Zen gave Koshiro a look "You sure?"
Koshiro nodded. "I don't need to find her. I'll know when she's near. Her Thread... it resonates like grief sharpened into a blade."
Solas whistled. "That's either poetic or creepy, can't decide."
Nyra punched him lightly on the arm. "Try not to die, Thread-babe."
Solas winked "Ladies first."
They split.
Zen and Brann moved through a tighter corridor, the walls marked with old combat glyphs—indicators of Syndicate training chambers.
"This place... used to be a recruitment maze," Brann said, pointing at the sigils.
"Used to train kids like me," Zen muttered. "I recognize the marks. Fold made them learn combat blindfolded, all instinct and pain."
As they passed under a low arch, a flash of red light burst from the wall.
Suddenly, the space twisted.
Zen was alone. The hallway stretched infinitely in both directions.
Then he heard a voice: his own, younger, snarling.
"You failed her. You always fail them."
He gritted his teeth and pressed forward.
The illusion shattered.
Brann stood on the other side, waiting.
"These tunnels test you," he said simply. "Let them, or they'll eat you."
Solas and Nyra moved more casually, though the tension crackled.
"So," she asked, twirling a throwing blade, "how many Choir operatives you think are down here?"
"Enough to kill us three times before breakfast," Solas replied. "Luckily, I'm spectacular."
"Spectacularly annoying."
He grinned. "Flattery, I knew you liked me."
As they approached a crystalline chamber, echoes of laughter played on the Thread-charged walls.
Nyra paused. "Sounds like a child."
Solas' grin faded.
"Yeah, the Fold likes using captured emotions as alarms, weaponized nostalgia. Stay focused."
They entered the core antechamber six mirrors floated midair, flickering with ghostly figures. One showed Nyra's face crying. Another showed Solas… alone in a cage.
She turned to him, "That real?"
"Let's say I've had better birthdays."
Koshiro walked alone.
The path opened into a cavern shaped like a ribcage black stone arches curling inward like bones. Threads fluttered like mist, the air felt heavy.
Then he heard it:
A lullaby.
His breath caught.
The song drifted from deeper in the cavern. He stepped forward, rod trembling in his hand.
A shape emerged, a child, glowing faintly and singing softly. Not alive, a Thread echo, but somehow… aware.
She looked up at him with eyes too old. "You promised."
Koshiro's hands shook. "Lina?"
The figure blinked. "You said you'd stop them. But they're still singing."
The Threadlight surged.
His rod glowed violently, responding to the emotion. He fell to his knees, memories crashing down like a wave.
The cell, the cold floor, her scream.
Then the child-echo screamed—and so did the cavern.
The walls fractured. Light exploded.
And Koshiro vanished.
Far above, Virell opened her eyes. The blood chimes rang. She smiled.
"He's close. Let him find me."