Location: Outskirts of the Dead Zone – 2:14 a.m.
The Umbra Facility loomed like a forgotten god—half-buried in fog and rust.Concrete swallowed by ivy.Steel doors welded shut by time.
But Esther wasn't fazed.
She wore black-on-black tactical gear.Custom lenses.Shawn's old comm-link clipped to her ear.
"Talk to me," she said quietly.
Riven's voice crackled through the link.
"You've got thirty minutes before the local grid pings motion. No cameras, but someone's been keeping the lights faintly alive in there."
"Someone?"
"Or something."
Inside the Facility
The hallways were lined with two-way glass and broken terminals.Old experiments etched into the walls—half formulas, half prayers.
And then she found it.
Test Chamber X–Umbra: Inactive
She stepped in.
The room was cold. Not from temperature… but memory.
There were chains still hanging.Cracks in the floor from violent outbursts.A mural drawn in what looked like blood—an Ouroboros with two heads.
And beneath it: the words
"Only one wakes. Only one reigns."
She touched the center.
The floor beneath her clicked.
And then—opened.
Hidden Sublevel
Esther descended into a vault.
Lights flickered on automatically.
A single cryogenic pod stood at the center of the chamber.
And inside it… was a boy.
Pale skin. Hair like moonlight.Eyes closed.
His pulse steady.
His name etched on the pod's edge:
ECHO-ONE: DO NOT DISTURBSTATUS: UNSTABLE. FRAGMENTED. POTENTIAL THREAT TO PRIMARY SUBJECT (UMBRΛ).
Esther stepped forward, hand hovering above the biometric screen.
Back at Shawn's Penthouse
His body jolted awake mid-meditation.
His eyes flashed white.
"She found him."
He moved to the control console and typed one word:
LOCKDOWN.
Back in the vault
Esther's hand landed on the panel.
Suddenly—the pod hissed.
Steam rose.Gears spun.
And Echo's eyes—opened.
Icy blue.Unblinking.
They stared straight into hers.
And he whispered:
"You're not the one I was supposed to love…"
Esther froze.
"Then who was?"
He smiled.
"She died. Because of me."