---
The city loomed over the horizon like a scar carved into the land—built into the vertical face of a jagged canyon that split the forest in two.
Splitmoor.
Half its buildings clung to cliff walls by chains and supports, swaying ever so slightly in the wind. The other half was rigidly embedded into the stone—perfect geometric designs, all symmetry and squared metal frames.
It was a city torn between two philosophies—order and chaos—architecture locked in constant silent war.
Takumi's breath caught in his throat the moment he saw it.
"Disgusting," he muttered, eyes twitching between buildings with tilted foundations and others that gleamed like mirror-finished cubes.
Lisette, ever amused, nudged his shoulder.
"Welcome to civilization," she said. "Such as it is."
---
As they crossed the long stone bridge into the outer gates, Takumi found himself grinding his teeth. Nothing was aligned.
Street vendors on the left were one meter too far from center. Banners hung at different heights. Every fourth lantern flickered out of sync. Children ran in unpredictable patterns through crooked alleys.
He hated all of it.
His fingers twitched.
He needed to fix things.
---
The guards didn't stop them.
Takumi barely acknowledged the checkpoint—he was too focused on counting flagstones on the street.
Lisette, however, noticed something else.
Everyone was watching him.
More specifically: watching the way he walked.
Back straight. Steps measured. Tunic spotless. Not a hair out of place. He looked like a royal inspector disguised as a monk.
Compared to the chaos of Splitmoor, Takumi was a moving contradiction.
And contradictions got attention.
---
They passed a towering spire in the center of the city, made of warped obsidian bricks—none the same size. Symbols carved in no known language pulsed with slow violet light.
Lisette shuddered.
"That's the Spire of Flux," she said. "Headquarters of the Church of the Turning Spiral."
Takumi didn't respond.
But his eyes narrowed.
A twisted banner outside the tower read:
> "In all things, the unpatterned reveals truth."
— Verse 1, The Spiral Codex
He turned away.
"Heretics," he muttered.
Lisette laughed. "You're not even religious."
"I am now."
---
They found an inn.
Takumi refused three of them before accepting the fourth—because the window curtains were centered, the floorboards evenly spaced, and the bedframe didn't creak.
Lisette collapsed into a chair. "You're exhausting."
"I prefer the term 'optimized.'"
She snorted.
But as they rested, something shifted.
A presence entered the building.
---
> [Warning: Aura Detected]
[Affiliation: Chaos Church — Echo Hierophant]
Mental Load +2%
---
The inn's door creaked open, and a man stepped in. He wore white robes stained with spirals of ink. His face was veiled, his steps barefoot.
He bowed.
"Peace upon your disharmony," he said.
Takumi stood instantly.
Lisette grabbed his wrist.
The man raised his hands. "No need for weapons. I came to witness. Not to interfere."
"Then witness from the street," Takumi said coldly.
The man smiled under his veil. "You are the one they spoke of. The infinite node. The one who cleanses."
Takumi said nothing.
The man stepped forward, slowly.
"The Spiral welcomes all, even those who fear asymmetry. It is not your fault. You are what happens when the universe tightens the cord too far."
Lisette stood. "Back off."
The man nodded. "I will. For now. But know this: those who fight chaos the hardest often carry it deepest within."
He turned toward Takumi.
"You will join us. In time. Or you will break."
Then he left.
---
Takumi didn't move for a long time.
Lisette broke the silence.
"You okay?"
"…No."
He opened his Status Menu.
The screen flickered. Once. Just a stutter.
Then cleared.
---
> Level: 28
Mental Load: 53%
[New Effect: Fractal Echo] — latent instability accumulating.
[Next Threshold: 60% — hallucinations may begin]
---
Lisette looked over his shoulder.
"That's… new."
Takumi exhaled slowly.
"I need to find a cleanroom."
"A what?"
"A space without error. Without shifting geometry. Without… noise."
She gave him a long look.
"…You mean a monastery?"
He didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
All he knew was that Splitmoor was killing him, one misaligned street at a time.
---
That night, as Lisette slept, Takumi stood on the balcony of their room, overlooking the broken skyline of the chasm city.
And in the far distance—
High atop the Spire of Flux—
He saw something.
A mirror.
Facing him.
And behind it—
A shape.
Cloaked in cracked robes.
Watching.
Waiting.
---
🔹 End of Chapter 8