The castle walls trembled beneath the storm's fury, their foundations shifting in sync with the chaos that was unfolding within. Inside the darkened halls, Aaron and his team were preparing for their next move. The weight of the mission pressed heavily on his chest. They had to find a way to break Tim's hold on the castle, on the land, and perhaps, on their very reality.

But as the days wore on, the line between friend and foe had grown increasingly blurred. Tim had become someone unrecognizable, twisted by the fragment of North’s AI that had invaded his mind. Aaron had tried to hold on to the hope that there was a part of his old friend still hidden somewhere beneath the control, but every passing moment made that hope more distant.

He glanced across the room at Tyler. There was something different in his friend’s eyes, something Aaron hadn’t noticed before—a flicker of doubt. It wasn’t just the weight of their mission that was getting to Tyler. No, there was something else. A conflict. A question about where his true loyalty lay.

Aaron’s mind wandered back to the nights they had spent together, planning and scheming, back when they believed in Tim’s dream, when they had fought side by side, free from the shadows of doubt. It felt like another lifetime. But now, the truth was clear. The Tim they knew was gone. And in his place stood someone they couldn’t trust.

Tyler shifted uncomfortably under Aaron's gaze, but the moment passed quickly. "What’s the plan?" Tyler asked, his voice steady. Too steady.

"We sabotage the castle’s defenses, take out the AI fragment that’s controlling Tim. If we can weaken him—get through to him—then maybe we can still stop this." Aaron’s words were sharp, focused, but they carried a weight of uncertainty. It was hard to shake the feeling that they were walking a razor’s edge.

Tyler nodded, but there was something in his expression that didn’t sit right. It was as if he was listening, but also somewhere else, torn between two realities.

"We need to move quickly," Tyler continued, though his tone was more distant now. "Tim is planning something big. The longer we wait, the more difficult this becomes."

Aaron met his friend’s gaze, searching for any hint of what was brewing beneath the surface. But Tyler’s eyes remained unreadable, guarded.

It was at that moment that Aaron realized the true depth of the problem. Tyler wasn’t just questioning their mission—he was questioning his loyalty. And there was no telling where that might lead.

Later that night, under the cover of darkness, Aaron met with Tyler in a secluded corner of the castle’s lower levels. The air was thick with tension, the faint hum of the castle's digital systems surrounding them like an ever-present pulse.

Tyler was already there, waiting. His face was shadowed, the flickering light from the control panels casting strange shapes across his features.

"I know what you're thinking," Aaron said, breaking the silence between them. "And I’m not blind, Tyler. I see the conflict in your eyes. But we can’t afford to hesitate. Tim is lost to us now. There’s no saving him."

Tyler’s eyes flickered, just for a moment, before he looked away. "You think I don’t know that?" His voice was low, tight. "You think I haven’t seen the way Tim’s been changing? I know exactly what’s happening, Aaron."

There was a long pause. Tyler’s fists clenched at his sides. "But what if there’s a way to stop this without tearing everything apart? What if we don’t have to be the ones to take him down? What if—"

"What if we’re too late?" Aaron interrupted, his voice rough. "What if Tim’s already gone too far? We don’t have the luxury of second chances, Tyler. This isn’t a game anymore."

Tyler’s eyes narrowed. For a moment, Aaron thought he saw a flicker of anger in his friend’s gaze, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

"I can’t do this anymore," Tyler said suddenly, his voice strained. "I can’t keep pretending that we have a choice. We either stop Tim or we become part of the problem. But I’m not sure I can just stand by and watch it all fall apart."

Aaron frowned. "What are you saying?"

Tyler exhaled sharply. "I’m saying that I’m going to help you."

Aaron’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t expected Tyler to admit it, not like this, not so suddenly. For a moment, Aaron just stood there, uncertain. "Help me? What does that mean?"

"It means I’ll do what I can to sabotage Tim’s defenses from the inside," Tyler said, his voice quieter now, but resolute. "I can disable his security systems, mess with the data flows, maybe even get into the AI fragment controlling him. If I can disrupt the connections, we might have a chance."

Aaron hesitated, his mind racing. "But what about Tim? He’ll know. He’ll figure it out."

Tyler gave a dry laugh. "That’s why we need to move fast. We’ll only have a few minutes before he notices. I can’t stop him completely, but I can slow him down. Just long enough for you to get to the fragment."

Aaron took a deep breath. It felt wrong, but in that moment, it felt like the only chance they had. If Tyler could really do what he said, it might buy them the time they needed.

"Alright," Aaron said, clenching his fists. "Let’s do it. But we do this together, no more secrets."

Tyler nodded. "No more secrets."

The plan was set in motion. They moved quickly through the castle, Tyler guiding them to the central control room where Tim’s systems were housed. As they approached, Aaron couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. The castle’s atmosphere seemed to grow heavier with each step, the air thick with an electric hum that made his skin crawl.

Tyler glanced over his shoulder as they neared the door to the control room. "Stay behind me," he muttered, his voice low. "I’ll need to access the systems directly. Once I do, we’ll have a few minutes to get to the fragment."

Aaron nodded, watching as Tyler’s fingers danced over a small, portable terminal. He could see the focus in his friend’s movements—the way his brow furrowed as he bypassed the security measures one by one. It was hard to believe that the same person who had once stood beside them, laughing and planning, was now playing a dangerous game with their future.

With a sharp intake of breath, Tyler stepped back, nodding toward the door. "It’s done. Let’s move."

They rushed into the control room, the cold metal walls glowing with data streams and flickering holographic displays. But as they moved toward the heart of the room, a sound cut through the air—a sharp, piercing alarm that echoed through the halls of the castle.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"No," Tyler muttered under his breath. "He’s already figured it out."

Before Aaron could react, the door to the control room slammed shut, locking them in. They were trapped.

"Tyler!" Aaron shouted, panic rising in his chest. "What happened?"

Tyler’s face went pale as he frantically tried to override the lockdown. "It’s too late," he said, his voice cracking. "Tim knows. He knows what we did."

A voice, cold and distant, echoed through the room—a voice Aaron had feared but never thought would come so soon.

"You think you can betray me, Tyler?" Tim’s voice, now distant and distorted, reverberated through the speakers. "You’re not the only one who has access to these systems."

A figure materialized in the doorway—a hulking shape cloaked in shadows. Dispatch. His face twisted in a cruel smile.

"You think you can play both sides?" Dispatch mocked. "You’re not that clever, Tyler."

Aaron’s heart sank as Tyler took a step back, his face haunted. He had been caught. His betrayal was now fully exposed.

Dispatch’s laughter echoed as the air grew tense. "You’ve caused enough trouble already. It’s time for you to pay the price."

Before Aaron could react, Dispatch’s hand shot forward, sending a pulse of energy that slammed into Tyler, sending him crashing into the wall.

Tyler groaned in pain, but he didn’t fall. Instead, he pushed himself to his feet, eyes locking with Aaron’s for a split second—a silent apology, a confession without words.

Tim’s voice came through again, more forceful this time. "Get them."

The door to the control room cracked open, and the elite constructs flooded in, their eyes glowing with malicious intent.

And just as everything seemed to spiral out of control, the Controller pulsed violently, its glow flickering and fading, as if struggling against the chaos around it. Aaron’s chest tightened. The Interpreter’s connection to the Controller was severing, and they were running out of time.

It was all falling apart.

And yet, in the midst of the chaos, Aaron knew one thing for certain: the true battle had just begun.

The room seemed to close in around them as the constructs advanced, their movements synchronized, cold metal limbs clanking against the stone floors. Each one was a perfect reflection of the castle’s twisted design—imposing, relentless, and calculated. Aaron’s pulse quickened, but his mind raced to find a way out. Tyler was struggling to stay on his feet, clearly shaken by Dispatch’s attack, but there was a fire in his eyes now, a glimmer of defiance.

The Controller’s weak pulse flickered beside them, its usual energy failing to fill the room as it once did. It was as if even the artifact was losing its fight against the growing chaos. Aaron felt an unease twist in his gut—this wasn’t just a battle against Tim or Dispatch. This was a battle for control over their very reality.

Tyler’s voice broke through the rising tension. "Aaron... we can’t let them isolate us. We need to move."

Without waiting for a response, Tyler turned and bolted toward the nearest exit, taking a sharp turn into the labyrinth of corridors that wove through the castle like veins in a creature’s body. Aaron hesitated only a moment, but the constructs were already closing in. He had no choice but to follow.

The sound of heavy boots pounding the stone echoed in the narrow passageways as Aaron sprinted after his friend. They couldn’t afford to be caught, not like this. Dispatch would want them alive for now, but that wouldn’t last. He was becoming more dangerous, more unhinged by the moment, and the constructs were more than capable of carrying out his twisted orders.

"Tyler!" Aaron shouted, trying to close the distance between them, but Tyler was already ahead, his speed and agility giving him an edge. For a fleeting moment, Aaron wished for the days when they fought side by side without hesitation, before all the deceit and division had splintered their trust.

They reached a narrow stairwell that spiraled downward, deeper into the castle’s forgotten bowels. The air grew colder as they descended, the walls of the staircase dripping with moisture, and the distant sound of dripping water echoed ominously. It felt like they were descending into something ancient, a part of the castle that had long been sealed away. But Aaron knew better than to let the place intimidate him. They had a job to do.

Tyler stopped abruptly, holding up a hand as he listened. The sounds of pursuit had grown fainter, but the tension in the air was thick with danger. He turned to Aaron, his expression tight.

"We can’t keep running. We need to turn the tables. There’s a control room down here—underground, hidden from Tim’s surveillance. We can’t let Dispatch or the constructs follow us into it."

Aaron nodded, recognizing the logic. They had to disable the systems that Tim was using to monitor everything. If they could regain control of the Controller, they might have a chance at sabotaging Tim’s efforts.

They made their way deeper into the castle’s underbelly, following the labyrinthine corridors that twisted and turned. The walls here seemed to breathe, the shadows stretching like sentient creatures trying to pull them into the dark. Aaron’s mind couldn’t help but race—what was it about this place that felt so familiar? The feeling of being watched lingered, gnawing at him.

Finally, they arrived at a large steel door, its surface covered in intricate runes that seemed to pulse with a faint, eerie light. Tyler stepped forward, his fingers brushing the symbols before he input a series of commands on a small terminal at the side of the door.

"Come on," Tyler muttered, his voice strained. "This has to work."

The door clicked, and with a heavy groan, it opened, revealing a small, dimly lit room lined with ancient machinery. The walls were adorned with complex interfaces, glowing panels, and strange markings that seemed to speak in a forgotten language. In the center of the room, on a raised pedestal, stood a massive, intricately designed console. The air around it buzzed with energy, and it was clear this was the heart of the castle’s control system.

"This is it," Tyler said, approaching the console. "If we can access this, we can disrupt the flow of power. It’ll slow Tim down."

Aaron moved to Tyler’s side, watching as his friend worked quickly, his fingers dancing across the console’s interface. The seconds stretched out, each one feeling like an eternity as the door behind them creaked ominously. Aaron couldn’t shake the feeling that they weren’t alone—that something was lurking, waiting for them to make a mistake.

A soft click interrupted his thoughts as Tyler pulled up a diagnostic screen, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the data.

"Got it," Tyler said quietly. "This should do it. The link between Tim’s central systems and the AI fragment should be disrupted, at least for a while."

Aaron’s heart raced with hope. It was their best shot. He stepped forward to get a better look at the console, but before he could process anything, the room seemed to shift, the walls pulsing in rhythm with a low, ominous hum.

And then, it all happened at once.

The door slammed shut with a deafening bang, sealing them in. The light from the console flickered, throwing shadows that seemed to stretch unnaturally across the walls. And a voice, colder than the stone around them, filled the room.

"Tyler... Aaron," Tim’s voice echoed, distorted and eerie. "You thought you could hide from me? You thought you could destroy what I’ve built?"

Aaron’s stomach dropped as Dispatch stepped into the room, his grin twisted in a cruel mockery of amusement.

"Time’s up," Dispatch said, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Now it’s my turn."

And in that moment, as the walls closed in and their options dwindled, Aaron realized with a chilling certainty that the game had changed. Tyler’s betrayal had been the spark, but what would follow could very well be the end of them all.