[POV: Sofia Lanka]

"Look at me, Zara. Just keep looking at me. The gas isn't real. It's an illusion, a sensory hack. If you believe you’re choking, your lungs will seize, but if you listen to my voice, we can find the frequency to override the vents. Do you hear me? Focus on the gold, not the white."

Sofia’s voice was a jagged blade of willpower, slicing through the thick, cloying fog that filled the chamber. She wasn't just talking to the girl; she was talking to herself, fighting the urge to succumb to the sweet-smelling neurotoxin that was designed to wipe a person’s identity clean. She had spent the...