"Descension Control to Leo," crackled the comms. "Final check. Bio-signs?"
Leo tore his gaze away. Nine minutes. He swept his helmet lamp across the chamber. No glowing glass. No fragments. Just the black, silent shards embedded in the walls like broken teeth. ten789
Ten. Seven. Nine. The numbers had become his mantra, his heartbeat, his religion. "Descension Control to Leo," crackled the comms
But for now, he had the crystal. And the singing had finally stopped. Nine minutes
The bottom was not a floor. It was a mirror.
"Remember the objective: retrieve one intact singing glass fragment and ascend. No deviations. The pressure at depth will fog your cognitive clarity inside thirty seconds. You will feel euphoric. You will want to stay. That’s the crystal singing to your nervous system. Ignore it."