[00:10:00…00:09:59…00:09:58…]
Ambrose's eyes snapped open.
He stood on a mirror-slick floor, its surface rippling like liquid mercury with every shift of his weight. The air shimmered with static charge. Around him, monolithic black walls rose high into a skyless void, their jagged edges stuttering with flickers of glitching light — as if reality here was struggling to render itself properly.
There was no ceiling. No wind. No sound except the faint, artificial hum thrumming beneath his feet.
It wasn't just a maze. It was a simulation of thought itself — sterile, infinite, and unnervingly alive.
Then, mid-air, a translucent panel blinked into existence in front of him:
[Neuro Maze Level 1: Pattern Recognition]
Observe. Memorize. Recreate.
