Page 87 of Knot Your Fated M.U.S.E.

Time to choose.

Time to act.

Time to be...

Free.

13

WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND

~NYX~

Consciousness returns like breaking through the surface after being held underwater — sudden, shocking, and accompanied by a desperate need to breathe.

Only I am underwater, the realization hitting as my senses snap into razor-sharp focus.

My body thrums with adrenaline, every nerve ending firing at once. The shadows are silent, but something else fills that space — pure, crystalline clarity of purpose.

Looking up, I see Azurite holding Luna near the cracked glass ceiling. Their movements are becoming sluggish, faces strained with the effort of holding their breath.

Time is running out.

Urgency courses through me like electricity, propelling me upward through the water with swift, powerful strokes. Each movement feels charged with impossible energy, as if my body has tapped into some hidden reserve of strength.

The cracked glass beckons like a promise of freedom. Hope surges through my veins, mixing with the adrenaline until I feel invincible.Untouchable.Like something more than human.

More than their experiment…

Reaching the glass, I brace my legs against the walls on either side, finding stability despite the slick surface. My fingers grip the edge where concrete meets glass, and I pull my arm back, studying the spreading cracks with tactical precision.

The damage pattern tells a story — stress points spreading outward from the initial impact, creating lines of weakness that spider through the thick material. My mind calculates angles and force requirements with machine-like efficiency.

Three solid hits should do it.

Maybe four.

If placed exactly right.

The first punch connects with satisfying impact. Pain shoots through my knuckles, but it's nothing compared to what they've put me through in their trials.

Nothing compared to the agony of being their perfect M.U.S.E.

I strike again, channeling six years of rage into each blow.

Every punch carries the weight of:

Countless experiments.

Endless pain.

Being reduced to a number.

Having my humanity stripped away.

Watching others die while I survived.

My lungs begin to burn, demanding oxygen I can't provide. But I won't stop.Can't stop.Not when freedom is so close I can almost taste it.

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