Page 16 of Knot Your Fated M.U.S.E.

It's not just the silence.

It's the memories that come with it.

The panic that rises when spaces feel too small.

The way my throat closes up when dust fills the air.

The desperate need to know where every exit is.

Always.

"You're doing it again," Kieran says, his accent thickening with concern.

I blink, forcing myself back to the present.

The blueprints. The mission. Focus on what matters.

"Sorry," I mutter, running a hand through my hair. "The earpiece picked up something about Operation Cleansing. Monthly sweep is coming up."

Kieran's expression darkens.

"When?"

"Full moon cycle. Lost the rest in static." I tap the device in my good ear. "But they're definitely moving soon. Taking more omegas."

"Suki," he spits. "How many this time?"

I shake my head.

"Didn't catch numbers. But last month they took twelve. Month before that, fifteen."

"And how many actually showed M.U.S.E. potential?"

"Does it matter? They're all dead either way." The words taste bitter. "Or worse."

Kieran moves to study the blueprints, his shoulders tense. I know what he's thinking. We've both seen what happens to the omegas who disappear into Ravenscroft's depths.

The lucky ones don't survive the initial trials.

The others...they pray for death.

"Atlas wants to move before the sweep," he says, tracing the path to the lower levels. "Says we can't wait."

He's right. Every day we delay is another day Patient 495 – Nyx – suffers. Another day she's pumped full of whatever poison they're using to enhance her abilities.

But rushing in blind is suicide.

"We need more intel," I argue, tapping the blank space where the lowest level should be. "We don't even know what's down there."

"Nothing good," Kieran mutters. His fingers drum against the table, a nervous tell he's never quite managed to break. "Vale's contact says they're ramping up the trials. Something about breakthrough progress."

A chill runs down my spine. In Ravenscroft, "breakthrough" usually means someone's screaming.

"How reliable is this contact?"

Kieran's mouth twists.

"Reliable enough to end up dead in a ditch yesterday. Officially ruled suicide."

---