Max's tone didn't change. "I'm splitting off."
It was calm. Steady. Like he was just going for a walk.
Grey took a step forward. "You're walking back into that? Are you mad?! You saw what happened! That fog—"
"I know what happened," Max interrupted, his eyes sharp now. "But my decision's made."
Grey's brow furrowed deeply. "That place isn't normal. You think just because you survived it once, you can do it again?"
Max shrugged. "I'm not here to survive. I'm here to finish what I came for."
The statement caught Grey off guard. He didn't know what that meant, but the weight behind Max's words made his chest feel tight.
Max didn't wait for a response.
He looked out across the hazy land ahead—into the very same fog that had devoured a genius before their eyes. But this time, he wasn't afraid.
Because he could feel it. A faint, unmistakable sensation.
His bloodline. Burning in the distance.
Alice.
