Soon Tyler and Tansy stood once more before the flickering wall, both of them instinctively tightening their grip on each other's hands. The distortion across the concrete surface pulsed like water trapped inside glass, unstable and unnatural. Even though neither of them fully understood how the passage worked, they had already learned one thing—if they failed to move together, the result might be unpredictable.
Tyler glanced at Tansy and lowered his voice.
"Count together. Don't lose the rhythm."
Tansy nodded, her expression unusually serious.
"One… two… one… two…"
Their voices remained low as they began stepping backward in perfect sync, carefully matching every movement. Neither dared turn around, because the moment their eyes left the wall, the distortion became active. The strange shimmering surface widened slightly as they approached, almost as if it were reacting to their synchronized movement.
