Page 97 of Knot Your Fated M.U.S.E.

The sound of running footsteps below reminds me that I can't stay here forever. I need to move, fight, and find my way out of this maze they've kept me in for six years.

I won't lose myself to their programming.

This time, I choose how to use what they created.

The irony almost makes me laugh – they spent years trying to make me into their ideal weapon, never considering that I might learn to aim myself.

Had no expectations or hope that the opportunity would come where I can return the anguish they laid on me.

More shouts from below, more alarms blaring their warning. Something is happening in Ravenscroft tonight, somethingbigger than just my escape. The facility seems to be under attack, its carefully maintained order crumbling into chaos.

Good.

Let them feel what it's like to lose control — their carefully constructed world falling apart like a crumbling wall of bricks.

I take a deep breath, centering myself as I prepare to move.

The killing instinct simmers just below the surface, but it feels different now. Less like drowning in darkness and more like holding a loaded gun.

My finger on the trigger.

My choice when to fire.

My targets to select.

Riot's sacrifice won't be in vain. She showed me that choice still exists, even in the darkest moments. That strength isn't just about survival, but about how we choose to survive.

I pray that Luna and Azurite find their way to freedom. That somehow, in a world beyond these walls, we'll meet again. But right now, I have to focus on my own escape.

On using what they made me to tear down their precious facility.

I try not to focus on how frightening all of this is. A sudden sensation of independence. The best way to describe the tightness in my chest or the nervousness flipping in the pits of my stomach would be a child being forced out into the real world for the first time.

I may not remember my childhood or the feelings associated with it, but I can envision what it could feel like.

At least, similar to what’s pulsing through me now.

The ventilation system will give me the advantage of surprise. They'll be looking for escaped test subjects on the ground, not death from above.

I allow myself one more moment of stillness, one more breath of preparation. Then I begin to move, letting the familiarcoldness of their conditioning settle over me – but this time, I remain aware.

They wanted a weapon?

They'll get one.

But not on their terms. Not as their mindless tool.

This time, every death will be my choice, every target my selection, every moment of violence a conscious decision rather than blind instinct.

The shadows may be silent, but I don't need them anymore.At least for now.I have my purpose I wish to proclaim, a path I fight hard to follow without their chorus of hymns and symphonies.

The ventilation system becomes my pathway through Ravenscroft's hidden depths, each turn taking me into sections of the facility I've only known through overheard conversations and whispered rumors.

The metal tunnels feel almost alive, carrying vibrations of chaos from below – running footsteps, shouted orders, and the occasional burst of gunfire.

Six years in this place, and I've never seen beyond my designated testing areas. Now I'm crawling through its skeleton, viewing its secrets from above like some vengeful spirit. The irony isn't lost on me – they kept me caged for so long, and now their own infrastructure provides my path to freedom.

Voices from below make me pause, pressing myself flat against the cool metal as I listen.

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