The cube pulsed louder now.
Each beat echoed in Kaela's bones like a countdown to something ancient—and unfinished.
They walked deeper into the abandoned sector, guided by the machines flanking them in perfect synchronization, as if Kaela's acceptance of the cube had switched on a forgotten protocol buried in their circuitry.
The path led underground.
Ava's voice was low, taut with unease. "Why would he lead us here?"
Kaela stared ahead. "Because this isn't a trap."
Ava narrowed her eyes. "You sure about that?"
"No," Kaela admitted. "But he doesn't want me dead. Not yet."
They descended into a vast chamber.
The ceiling stretched into black. The floor shimmered with circuitry—veins of red and white light dancing beneath their feet. At the center of the room stood a throne-like construct, built from scorched metal, neural conduits, and shattered glass.
Wires slithered like snakes up the arms of the throne—into a waiting figure.
Revenant.
But this time… he didn't rise.
He sat slumped, half-masked, half-exposed. His left arm was entirely mechanical. The burn scars on his face had worsened—glowing faintly with embedded tech. His body looked torn between man and machine.
"You came," he rasped, voice like static through gravel.
Kaela didn't flinch. "You wanted me to."
"You held the cube. That means part of you remembers."
Ava raised her weapon.
Revenant waved one metal finger lazily. "Shoot me, and this whole facility collapses. I'm plugged into its heart."
Kaela stepped forward, her gaze cold. "You turned the others into extensions of yourself. You made an army."
"I gave them purpose. The same one you were meant to have before you betrayed it." His head tilted. "Before you betrayed me."
"I didn't betray you," she said. "I escaped you."
Revenant chuckled. "There's no escaping what's in your blood."
Kaela's breath caught.
He tapped the cables connected to his chest. "You were the prototype. I was the result. You were built to feel. I was built to survive."
He reached behind the throne and pulled something out—a container with a single glowing vial inside. Red. Viscous. Alive.
"I recovered it from our last mission. The catalyst. The origin serum."
Kaela's eyes widened. "That's impossible. It was destroyed."
"Nothing ever truly is."
Revenant stood, the cables pulling free with a hiss. He held the vial between them like a twisted peace offering.
"Together," he whispered, "we can reset everything. Bring balance. Become gods."
Ava moved in.
But Kaela stopped her with a hand.
"No," she said softly. "Not gods. Monsters."
Then, in one swift movement—she grabbed the cube, pressed it to the vial, and crushed them together.
The room screamed—lights flashing, alarms flaring. A surge of energy burst outward, knocking Revenant back, flinging Ava to the ground.
Kaela stood alone, eyes glowing faintly red from the energy surging through her.
Her voice was calm. Controlled.
"I choose who I am now."
Revenant lay dazed, coughing through blood and sparks.
And for the first time, he looked afraid.