Karen stood at the threshold of a world she no longer recognized. The sky above, once a comforting dome of blue, had fractured, splitting into jagged fragments of light and shadow. The ground beneath her feet trembled, as though even the earth itself was unsure of its own existence. In the distance, the city loomed, its skyscrapers flickering like dying stars, their outlines distorted as though they were caught between two dimensions.
She took a deep breath, feeling the weight of every decision she had made, every path she had taken, pressing down on her chest. For so long, she had fought to break free from the invisible chains that bound her. She had rebelled, resisted, and questioned everything the Bureau had constructed—their systems, their control, their manufactured reality. She had thought the fight was about escaping. But now, standing at the edge of a world unraveling before her eyes, she wasn’t so sure.
What if there is no escape?
The question echoed in her mind, louder than the sound of the crumbling world around her. Every step she had taken, every rebellion she had led, had been fueled by the belief that freedom was just beyond reach—that if she could just push a little further, break a few more walls, she would find the truth. The real world. But the deeper she went, the more she uncovered, the less certain she became. Every awakening led to another layer, every reality another illusion.