The corridor exploded behind them.

Again.

At this point Seraphina was beginning to feel personally targeted by architecture.

Metal crashed across the flooded hallway as another containment door tore apart under the creatures slamming against it from the other side.

The surviving guards immediately accelerated.

Reasonable.

Very reasonable.

Seraphina, meanwhile, was being dragged forward by Kael while trying not to slip on the water-covered floor.

"This is the least elegant escape of my life," she complained.

"You fell into a fountain last month."

"That fountain attacked me politically."

Ahead of them, emergency crimson lights flashed violently across the corridor while warning alarms echoed throughout the lower sectors.

Steam burst from ruptured pipes overhead.

Every few seconds the entire facility shook hard enough to make the walls groan.

Noctaire truly sounded like it was dying now.

Behind them—

another roar echoed through the corridors.

Closer.

Much closer.

One exhausted guard nearly panicked.

"How are they spreading this fast?!"

"Lower containment fully collapsed," another answered breathlessly.

"That is NOT an explanation!"

Honestly valid point.

Seraphina glanced sideways while running.

Celestine still looked disturbingly composed.

Not even slightly out of breath.

Which was deeply suspicious.

Theren at least looked irritated now.

Progress.

Tiny progress.

Suddenly Kael stopped moving.

Everyone behind him nearly crashed into each other immediately.

Seraphina pointed accusingly.

"If this is another dramatic pause, I’m leaving emotionally."

Kael ignored her and stared ahead.

The corridor in front of them had collapsed completely.

Massive metal beams blocked the passage while sparks burst from exposed wiring overhead.

One guard swore under his breath.

"We can’t cross that."

"We can," Kael answered calmly.

Seraphina narrowed her eyes.

"...Whenever you say things like that, property damage happens."

Correct instinct.

Kael stepped forward.

Grabbed one of the fallen support beams.

And lifted it.

Silence.

The guards stared.

Seraphina stared.

Even Celestine raised one eyebrow slightly.

The beam itself was enormous.

Not humanly movable.

Kael lifted it anyway.

Water dripped from the twisted metal as he shoved the entire collapsed structure aside hard enough to shake the corridor walls.

One guard whispered:

"...How."

Seraphina folded her arms proudly.

"Yes. My terrifyingly competent employee continues exceeding expectations."

"I’m still not your employee."

"You’re doing unpaid labor near me. That’s basically employment."

Another distant roar echoed behind them.

Louder now.

The guards immediately moved through the newly cleared path.

Theren stopped briefly beside Kael.

"You’re destabilizing further."

Kael didn’t answer.

Which immediately made Seraphina suspicious.

Very suspicious.

She glanced toward him while they kept moving.

"You know, everyone keeps saying concerning things about you and I’m beginning to dislike it."

"I noticed."

"That was not permission to stay mysterious."

Before Kael could respond—

something crashed through the ceiling directly ahead.

Everyone jumped backward instinctively.

A creature slammed into the flooded corridor hard enough to crack the floor beneath it.

Smaller than the last one.

Faster-looking.

Its silver eyes immediately locked onto the group.

Then—

it looked directly at Seraphina.

Pause.

The creature visibly tilted its head.

"Oh no," Seraphina said immediately.

The creature suddenly ignored every armed guard entirely and sprinted straight toward her.

One guard screamed.

"WHY IS IT TARGETING HER?!"

"I DON’T KNOW," Seraphina yelled back.

Kael moved instantly.

The creature never reached her.

He intercepted it halfway down the corridor and slammed it directly into the wall hard enough to leave a crater in reinforced metal.

But unlike before—

the creature recovered almost immediately.

Too quickly.

It twisted unnaturally across the wall before launching itself back toward Seraphina AGAIN.

Silence.

Then Seraphina pointed at herself in disbelief.

"WHY AM I THE MAIN CHARACTER TO THESE THINGS?!"

Even Celestine looked genuinely intrigued now.

"Curious."

"You are BANNED from saying that word."

The creature lunged again.

Kael caught it by the throat mid-air.

The corridor floor cracked beneath his feet from the impact.

Then—

the creature suddenly spoke.

Distorted.

Broken.

"...pretty..."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

One guard lowered his weapon in pure confusion.

Seraphina blinked once.

Then pointed at the creature.

"EXCUSE ME?"

The creature’s silver eyes remained fixed on her.

"...pretty..."

Kael’s grip tightened instantly.

Dangerously.

The creature immediately started choking.

One exhausted guard whispered quietly:

"...Did the monster just flirt."

Another answered:

"I hate this facility."

Honestly understandable.

Seraphina looked deeply offended.

"Absolutely not. I reject this emotionally."

The creature tried reaching toward her again.

"...prett—"

Kael slammed it through the corridor wall before it could finish.

The entire hallway shook violently.

Dust rained from the ceiling.

One guard slowly looked toward Seraphina.

"...What exactly are you."

"That feels rude somehow."

Another explosion echoed from deeper inside Noctaire.

Then the emergency lights suddenly shifted from crimson—

to black.

The corridor went dark for one horrible second.

Then new warning lights activated.

White this time.

Cold.

Different.

Every alarm in the facility abruptly changed tone.

Even Theren’s expression hardened instantly.

"What now," Seraphina asked carefully.

A mechanical voice echoed throughout the lower sectors:

"Emergency Protocol Zero initiated."

Silence.

Then:

"All remaining experimental subjects released."

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Then one guard whispered:

"...We’re dead."

Honestly?

That felt dramatically accurate.

Far down the corridor—

something screamed.

Not human.

Not creature.

Multiple voices screamed back.

The sound echoed throughout the entire facility like the building itself had become alive.

Seraphina slowly turned toward Theren.

"...How many horrors did you people store underground exactly."

Theren answered immediately.

"Too many."

That was somehow the scariest answer possible.

Then suddenly—

Celestine smiled.

Not her usual amused smile.

A genuinely delighted one.

"Oh," she said softly.

"This became interesting again."

Seraphina stared at her in horror.

"You are the final boss of therapy."

Unexpectedly—

one of the exhausted guards burst out laughing.

Actual laughter.

Half hysterical.

Half sleep-deprived suffering.

Another guard started laughing too.

Soon two more joined in.

Seraphina blinked rapidly.

"...Did everyone mentally collapse."

"We’re trapped underground with monsters," one guard answered while laughing weakly. "At this point your conversations are keeping morale alive."

Another creature roar interrupted them immediately.

Much closer.

The laughter stopped.

One guard straightened instantly.

"...Never mind. We’re dying again."

Kael grabbed Seraphina’s wrist before the panic could spread further.

"We keep moving."

This time everyone obeyed immediately.

Noctaire was no longer collapsing slowly around them.

Now it felt like the entire underground facility had fully awakened.

And somehow—

that terrified even Celestine a little.

Seraphina noticed it instantly.

Which meant things were officially becoming catastrophic.