Chapter 1. It Begins
Dr. Lorne never believed in psychological residue, until… Room 41.
It was just a normal room. Four walls, white paint, one-way mirror. A standard observation chamber at BRENTON INSTITUTE. But no matter the patient, no matter the test, something happened in that place.
They stared at the mirror too long.
They spoke to things no one else saw.
And when they left, they weren’t the same anymore.
The institute called it, projection. Lorne called it… Dangerous.
One night, Lorne stayed behind to test it himself.
No cameras. No assistants. Just a notebook and a chair.
He sat, facing the mirror. Watching himself. Watching his mind.
At first.... nothing…
Then the room shifted.
It was subtle. Barely perceptible. The hum of the fluorescent lights changed pitch. The mirror... pulsed, just once, as if it breathed...
