The entrance to Facility IX wasn't a door.
It was a scar on the earth—an illusion only visible through the pulse of Raya's necklace.
Nyra scanned the empty alleyway. "You sure this is it?"
Lengaza didn't respond. His eyes were fixed on the space in front of them, his fingers clutched tightly around the glowing pendant.
"I don't need to be sure. I just need to get in."
He stepped forward—and the ground shimmered.
A portal unfolded like a mechanical iris.
Nyra gasped. "I was not ready for that."
"Neither are they."
Inside Facility IX
Hallways curled like arteries.
Walls pulsed with memories—floating faces of strangers. Crying. Laughing. Vanishing.
Lengaza moved fast, the pendant leading them through the maze.
But then—he stopped.
A chamber door.
Steel black. Etched with a single name:
> Project 07 – LENGAZA
Nyra blinked. "Wait. They've been experimenting on you?"
"Not just me," he muttered. "This whole place is built to unbuild people."
He pushed the door open.
And the lights flickered.
In the center of the room… stood a boy.
Same hair. Same posture.
But younger. Eyes hollow. Collar tagged with the number "07."
"Welcome back," the boy said.
Lengaza froze.
"What…?"
"You left me behind," the boy whispered. "The part of you that chose power over mercy."
"You're not real."
"I'm the piece they kept. The anger. The violence. The true weapon. They call me… Revenant."
The air crackled.
Nyra drew her blade. "What is this?"
"A test," Revenant said. "If you want her back… you'll have to fight me."
Lengaza clenched his fists.
"I won't fight a version of myself."
"Then you'll fail her. Like you failed everyone."
The boy lunged—faster than light.
Nyra was knocked back. Lengaza was caught in a chokehold.
"You forgot me," Revenant growled.
"Now remember what you are."
Outside the chamber, alarms began to blare.
Facility IX had detected the breach.
And behind locked doors, Raya's memory purge had begun.