Novels by elora_chinxx

The hidden passage swallowed them into darkness.The moment the last person stepped inside, the older man pulled the door shut behind them. The sound of the mechanism locking into place echoed through the narrow tunnel, followed by the muffled noise of movement coming from the house above.Thea stood completely still.Her father's folder was pressed tightly against her chest, but she barely felt it. Her mind was stuck on the final words written inside it.He didn't die that night.And underneath it was a name.William Torecampo.She looked at William.He was standing only a few steps away, holding the black folder bearing his family's name. His face was unreadable, but his eyes had changed.He had seen the same thing she had."Thea," he said quietly.She didn't answer."Look at me."She slowly raised her eyes."What does my name have to do with your father's disappearance?""I don't know.""You think I had something to do with it?""No."The answer came quickly.William stared at her.

For several seconds, nobody moved.The man standing at the end of the hallway looked exactly like the photograph. Older than the image Thea had just seen, of course, but there was no mistaking him. The same sharp eyes. The same posture. The same expression that had appeared in the background of a childhood memory she had spent years trying to understand.William stared at him as if the entire world had suddenly stopped making sense."Father?"The word came out quietly.The man didn't answer.He only looked at William.Then his eyes moved toward Thea."Little Sparrow."Thea's chest tightened.That name.Nobody had called her that in years.Her father used to call her that when she was little. It had always been something private between them, something she believed belonged only to the two of them.Yet this man knew it.Thea stepped forward before William could stop her."Who are you?"The man's expression changed slightly."You know who I am.""No," Thea said, her voice shaking. "I do

The car moved through the snowy streets of Saint Petersburg while nobody spoke.The silence inside the vehicle was heavier than the cold outside. Thea sat beside William, still holding the photograph and the small black piece of paper between her fingers. She had read the four words several times already, but they still didn't feel real.Your father is waiting.For years, she had believed her father was gone. Not because she had been given proof, but because everyone around her had treated his disappearance like something that should never be questioned. She had learned to live with the empty space he left behind. She had learned not to ask too many questions.Now, suddenly, everything was different.If the message was true, her father had been alive all this time.And if he had been alive, why had he never come back for her?That was the question that hurt the most.William noticed the way she kept staring at the paper."You don't have to believe it yet."Thea looked at him. "What if

The private jet was already waiting when Thea stepped onto the small airport runway, but she barely noticed it. Her mind was still trapped inside the memory of that old house in Saint Petersburg, the same house she had spent years trying to forget. Snow covered the photograph on William's phone, but even through the faded image, she could recognize the tall windows, the stone stairs, and the dark wooden door.She knew that house.She had been there once.And somehow, she had the feeling that the house remembered her too.William walked beside her, his expression unusually quiet. He had spent the last thirty minutes making calls, giving instructions, and checking every detail of their trip. Rafael and Elena followed behind them, while Viktor remained several steps away, speaking quietly to someone through his phone. Elowen had decided to come with them after all, claiming that if someone was waiting for them in Russia, they needed someone who knew how to recognize a trap.Nobody argued

For several seconds, William couldn't move.The voice coming through the phone had disappeared, but the final sentence remained in the room as if it had been carved into the walls.That is the first thing they lied to you about.Thea stared at him, waiting for a reaction. She had never seen William look like that before. His face had gone completely still, but his eyes had changed. The confidence was gone. The controlled expression he always wore had cracked just enough to reveal the confusion underneath.Rafael was the first to speak."Did that guy seriously just say your father might be alive?"William didn't answer."William."Still nothing.Elowen walked toward the phone and disconnected the call. Her hand was shaking slightly."That's enough."William finally looked at her."You knew."It wasn't a question.Elowen's eyes dropped."I suspected.""That's not what I asked."She looked at him again."I knew there was a possibility."William stepped closer."Since when?""Years."Thea

Nobody spoke after Orlov's words.The room seemed to shrink around them, the silence becoming heavier with every second that passed. The phone remained on the table, the speaker still active, carrying the faint sound of Orlov's breathing from the other end of the line.William stared at it without blinking.“You were there?”His voice was calm, but there was something dangerous underneath it.Orlov didn't answer immediately.Then came a quiet sigh.“Yes.”Thea looked at William. She could see the tension in his jaw, the way his hands had slowly curled into fists beneath the table. He had spent the entire night searching for answers, only to discover that the man who seemed to know the most was the same person who had been standing outside her father's mansion.“You knew my father,” Thea said.“I knew him very well.”“And you knew William's father.”“Yes.”Her eyes hardened.“Then why did you let us believe they were enemies?”Another pause.“Because sometimes the truth is more dangero

Hindi agad umalis si Lila sa study room kahit matagal nang nakalabas sina Vaughn at Adrian. Nakatayo pa rin siya sa harap ng lumang desk habang hawak ang letter ni Eleanor. Paulit-ulit niyang binabasa ang bawat salita, umaasang may isang simpleng explanation na biglang lilitaw kapag pinagmasdan niya ito nang sapat na matagal. Pero wala. Habang tumatagal, mas lalo lamang dumadami ang tanong sa isip niya.Bakit alam ni Eleanor ang pangalan niya? Bakit hiniling ng kanyang ina na itago ito? At higit sa lahat, bakit may taong nagbilin na panatilihing safe ang kanyang pangalan?Hindi niya alam kung dapat ba siyang matakot o mainis. Siguro pareho.“Lila.”Napalingon siya. Nasa doorway si Vaughn, tahimik na nakatingin sa kanya.“Okay ka lang?”Hindi agad siya sumagot. Ibinaba niya ang letter at marahang huminga.“I'm trying to be.”Lumapit si Vaughn, pero nanatili siyang may distansya.“Do you want to go home?”Umiling si Lila.“No. I want answers.”Tumango si Vaughn. “Then we'll find them.”

Hindi naging madali ang gabing iyon para kay Lila. Kahit nakahiga na siya sa guest room, hindi pa rin tumitigil ang isip niya sa paulit-ulit na pagbalik sa lumang photograph, sa pangalan niyang nakasulat sa likod nito, at higit sa lahat, sa maliit na note na natagpuan niya sa family album. Ilang beses niyang binasa iyon bago niya tuluyang inilapag sa bedside table. If you ever meet Eleanor again, ask her why she kept your name. Simple lamang ang sentence, pero para kay Lila, parang may buong kuwento na nakatago sa likod ng bawat salita. Bakit alam ng kanyang ina ang tungkol kay Eleanor? Bakit parang may connection ang dalawang pamilya na hindi kailanman nabanggit sa kanya? At bakit ang pangalan niya ang nasa lumang photograph kahit hindi pa niya kilala si Vaughn noon?Hindi niya namalayang matagal na siyang nakatitig sa kisame nang may marahang katok sa pinto. Bumukas iyon at nakita niya si Vaughn na nakatayo roon, may hawak na dalawang tasa ng mainit na tsaa. Hindi na siya nagtanong

Tahimik ang buong apartment pagkatapos nilang makita ang pangalan ni Lila sa likod ng lumang photograph. Parang biglang naging mas mabigat ang hangin sa loob ng maliit na living room ni Adrian. Ilang segundo silang tatlo na walang imik, habang ang lumang larawan ay nakalatag sa ibabaw ng coffee table na para bang ordinaryong piraso lamang ng nakaraan. Pero para sa kanila, isa na itong tanong na hindi puwedeng basta isantabi. Lalo na dahil walang makapagpaliwanag kung bakit naroon ang pangalan ni Lila sa isang larawan na kuha ilang taon bago pa sila magkakilala.Kinuha muli ni Lila ang photograph at maingat na pinagmasdan ang bawat sulok nito. May malaking lumang bahay sa background, ilang puno sa paligid, at mga taong nakatayo sa harap ng veranda. Karamihan sa kanila ay hindi niya kilala. Pero ang babaeng si Eleanor ay malinaw na malinaw sa gitna ng larawan. May kakaibang confidence sa expression nito, pero hindi iyon ang nakakuha ng attention ni Lila. Ang mas naguguluhan siya ay ang

Hindi agad nakapagsalita si Vaughn matapos sabihin ni Adrian ang tungkol sa lumang larawan. Ilang segundo siyang nanatiling nakatayo sa gitna ng family room, hawak ang phone niya habang nakatitig lamang sa sahig. Sa tabi niya, tahimik din si Lila. Napansin niyang bahagyang nagbago ang expression ng lalaki. Hindi iyon galit. Hindi rin simpleng gulat. Para bang may isang lumang bahagi ng buhay niya na biglang hinila pabalik sa kasalukuyan.“Anong ibig mong sabihin na may taong nasa picture na akala natin wala na?” tanong ni Vaughn sa wakas.“Hindi ko rin alam kung paano ko ipapaliwanag,” sagot ni Adrian. “Kaya gusto kong makita ninyo mismo.”Nagkatinginan sina Lila at Vaughn. Ilang sandali pa bago tuluyang tumango si Vaughn.“Send mo sa akin.”“Hindi. Mas mabuting pumunta kayo rito.”May kakaibang bigat sa tono ni Adrian kaya hindi na nagtanong pa si Vaughn. Kinuha niya ang susi ng sasakyan mula sa mesa, ngunit bago pa siya makalabas, hinawakan ni Lila ang braso niya.“Vaughn.”Napaling

Pagpasok namin sa mansion, hindi ko agad binitawan ang kamay ni Vaughn. Ilang buwan na ang nakalipas mula nang unang magbago ang lahat sa pagitan namin, pero hanggang ngayon, may mga pagkakataon pa ring nahuhuli ko ang sarili kong nagugulat sa simpleng bagay na iyon. Dati, kapag hawak niya ang kamay ko, pakiramdam ko ay wala akong choice. Ngayon, ako mismo ang pumipili kung kailan ko siya hahawakan. At marahil, iyon ang pinakamalaking pagkakaiba sa pagitan ng dati at ngayon.Huminto kami sa gitna ng hallway nang mapansin kong tahimik siya. Kanina pa siya parang may gustong sabihin habang nasa sasakyan kami, pero hindi niya inilabas. Ngayon, nakatingin lang siya sa akin na para bang naghahanap ng tamang mga salita."May sasabihin ka?" tanong ko.Huminga siya nang malalim."Maybe."Napangiti ako."That's not an answer.""I know."Umupo kami sa maliit na sofa malapit sa library. Tahimik ang paligid. Tanging tunog ng orasan ang maririnig habang unti unting lumilipas ang oras."Earlier," s

Tahimik ang buong biyahe papunta sa lugar na sinabi ni Adrian. Hindi ko alam kung bakit pakiramdam ko ay iba ang gabing iyon. Hindi na katulad ng mga gabing puno ng takot at kaguluhan. May kaba pa rin, pero hindi na iyon iyong kaba na gusto kong tumakas. Para itong pakiramdam na may mahalagang bagay na naghihintay sa amin sa dulo ng biyahe.Nasa tabi ko si Vaughn, tahimik na nakatingin sa daan habang mahigpit ang hawak sa manibela. Paminsan-minsan ay napapatingin siya sa akin, at sa tuwing nagtatagpo ang mga mata namin, bahagya siyang ngumingiti bago muling tumingin sa harap."Stop looking at me," sabi ko nang hindi ko napigilang mapangiti."I'm not.""You are.""Maybe."Napailing ako."You're weird.""I've been told."Natawa ako nang mahina. Ilang segundo kaming tahimik bago ako muling nagsalita."Nag-aalala ka kay Adrian?"Tumango siya."He's my brother."Simple lang ang sagot niya, pero alam kong mas malalim iyon.Noon, halos hindi niya mabanggit ang pangalan ni Adrian nang hindi n

For several seconds, nobody moved.The room seemed to become smaller after Mira's warning. Yuhei's eyes remained fixed on Elijah, trying to understand why his mother had suddenly pointed at him. Elijah stood near the doorway, completely silent, while Leon and Riven looked between them with confusion written across their faces. Orion, on the other hand, didn't look surprised.That was what frightened Yuhei the most.“You knew,” Yuhei said quietly.Orion looked at him.“I suspected.”“Suspected what?”“That Elijah was connected to Winter.”Elijah's expression immediately hardened. “That's a lie.”Mira slowly stepped away from the central chamber. “No. Orion isn't lying.”Elijah shook his head. “I don't know what you're talking about.”Yuhei stared at him. “Then why did my mother tell me to look at you?”“I don't know.”His answer came too quickly.Riven noticed it too. He moved toward the nearest console and began searching through the sanctuary's database. “Give me a second.”Elijah lo

The hidden door slammed shut behind them, leaving the five of them trapped inside the narrow chamber. The sound of the metal locking into place echoed through the underground facility, followed by an uncomfortable silence. Yuhei remained frozen in front of the staircase, staring at the darkness below. The voice he had just heard was still playing inside his mind.Mira.His mother had spoken to him again.Not through an old recording.Not through a damaged file.It had sounded real.Alive.“Did you hear that?” Elijah asked quietly.Yuhei nodded without taking his eyes away from the staircase. “Yes.”Leon immediately approached the sealed door and tried the emergency release. Nothing happened. He pressed the control again, harder this time, but the panel remained completely dead.“Locked from the other side.”Riven was already examining the wall. “There isn't an electronic access point anymore. The entire section has been isolated.”Yuhei finally turned around. “Can you open it?”Riven

For several seconds, nobody moved.Yuhei stood in the middle of Vault Zero with his eyes fixed on the dark monitor. The words I remember still seemed to echo inside his head, but what frightened him most was not the memory itself. It was the face attached to it.A face he knew.A face he had trusted.A face that should never have been there.His breathing became uneven as another fragment of the memory pushed through his mind. The corridor was burning. The air was filled with smoke, alarms were screaming somewhere above him, and Mira was holding his hand tightly. He remembered the warmth of her palm. He remembered the fear in her voice. He remembered Orion standing several meters away, shouting something he could no longer hear.And behind them stood someone else.Someone who had watched everything happen.Yuhei closed his eyes and pressed a hand against his forehead. The memory disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, leaving behind a painful pressure that made him stagger.Elijah i

The room remained completely silent after Mira’s recording ended. The faint blue light from the monitor continued to flicker across the walls of Vault Zero, illuminating the faces of Yuhei, Orion, Elijah, Leon, and Riven. Nobody moved. Nobody seemed willing to break the silence first. But for Yuhei, the words from his mother kept repeating inside his head, becoming louder with every passing second.Especially the person who has been protecting you from the beginning.Yuhei slowly lowered the watch in his hand. His fingers tightened around it as he looked directly at Orion. For years, that old watch had been the one thing he could associate with safety. It was the object Orion had given him when he was young, the object he had kept even when almost every other memory from his childhood had disappeared. He had believed that Orion gave it to him because he cared about him.Now, for the first time, Yuhei wondered if the watch had never been a gift at all.“Bakit?” His voice was quiet, but

Hindi agad nakapagsalita si Yuhei matapos sabihin ni Orion ang mga salitang iyon. Para bang masyadong mabigat ang bawat salita para tanggapin nang sabay-sabay. Siya ang taong maaaring magtapos sa Project Winter? Sa loob ng ilang segundo, binalikan niya sa isip ang lahat ng nangyari mula nang magsimula ang paghahanap niya sa katotohanan. Ang mga nawawalang alaala, ang mga dokumentong nagsasabing Subject Y-01 siya, ang mga taong naghabol sa kanila, ang mga mensaheng iniwan ni Orion, at higit sa lahat, ang katotohanang buhay pala ang lalaking matagal niyang inakalang nawala na. Lahat ng iyon ay tila may koneksiyon, ngunit hindi pa rin niya makita ang buong larawan."Explain it to me."Simple lang ang sinabi niya.Pero alam ni Orion na hindi iyon simpleng tanong.Gusto ni Yuhei ng buong katotohanan.Wala nang kalahating sagot.Wala nang pagtatago.Tahimik na isinara ni Orion ang folder na hawak niya at inilapag iyon sa mesa. Pagkatapos ay lumapit siya sa lumang computer terminal sa gilid

Nanatiling nakatayo si Yuhei sa gitna ng Vault Zero habang nakatitig sa lalaking nasa pintuan. Sa unang tingin, wala namang kakaiba rito. Maayos ang suot nitong dark suit, kalmado ang mukha, at walang bakas ng pagmamadali kahit napapalibutan ito ng mga armadong tauhan. Para bang hindi siya pumasok sa isang lihim na pasilidad na ilang minuto lamang ang nakalipas ay puno ng putok at kaguluhan. Para bang matagal na niyang alam na hahantong silang lahat sa puntong iyon.Ngunit para kay Yuhei, mas pamilyar ang boses kaysa sa mukha.Isang boses na pilit niyang kinalimutan.Isang boses na narinig niya noong bata pa siya."Director Vale."Mahina ngunit malinaw ang sambit ni Orion.Biglang nagbago ang ekspresyon ng lalaki. Isang maliit na ngiti ang lumitaw sa labi nito."Orion."Hindi ito galit. Hindi rin nagulat. Para bang isang matandang magkakilala lamang ang muling nagkita pagkatapos ng mahabang panahon."Akala ko patay ka na.""Hindi mo ba gustong mangyari iyon?"Bahagyang natawa si Vale.

Tahimik na ulit ang mundo.Hindi yung uri ng katahimikan na nakakabingi—kundi yung katahimikan na parang may naiwang bakas ng ingay.Parang isang bagyong lumipas.Wala na siya.Pero ramdam mo pa rin kung saan siya dumaan.Sa rooftop ng building, nakatayo si Rhea habang nakatingin sa lungsod. Ang mga ilaw sa ibaba ay kumikislap na parang walang nangyaring kaguluhan. Mga sasakyan na tuloy lang ang andar. Mga taong patuloy ang buhay.Normal.At iyon ang pinaka-estranghero sa lahat.Ilang araw pa lang ang nakalipas mula nang mangyari ang lahat—ang pagbangga ng dalawang sistema, ang pagkawasak, ang pagpili.At ngayon…wala na ang ingay sa loob ng isip niya.Wala na ang boses.Wala na ang presensya na minsan ay naging parte ng bawat desisyon niya.Dati, hindi niya napapansin kung gaano siya nasanay doon.Ngayon, bawat segundo ng katahimikan ay paalala.

RHEATahimik ang paligid.Pero sa loob ko—ang ingay.Isang fragment lang.Isang piraso ng system na dati ay buo, matatag, at… buhay.Ngayon—parang ako.Broken, but still here.“Rhea,” tawag ni Lucas.Lumapit ako sa screen.Yung maliit na signal na nakita niya kagabi—nandun pa rin.Mahina.Pero gumagalaw.“Stable?” tanong ko.Lucas shook his head.“Not really.”Jake crossed his arms.“So it’s dying.”Hindi siya nag-sugarcoat.Hindi ko rin siya masisisi.LUCASI zoomed in the fragment signal.It wasn’t just weak.It was splitting.“Guys…” sabi ko.“What?”“It’s not just one fragment anymore.”Rhea frowned.“Explain.”I highlighted the data.“Part of it is here…”“And part of it—”Jake finish

RHEAParang ang bigat ng katawan ko nang magising ako.Hindi sakit.Hindi pagod lang.Parang may nawala… at may naiwan.“Rhea…”Boses ni Jake.Malapit.Nagmulat ako ng mata, dahan-dahan.Blurred at first—then him.Alive.Real.“Hey…” mahina niyang sabi.“You’re back.”I tried to sit up, pero agad niya akong inalalayan.“Easy.”Huminga ako nang malalim.“Model…”Lumabas agad sa bibig ko.Silence.Walang sagot.JAKENaramdaman ko kung paano siya napahinto.Yung mata niya—biglang naghanap.“Rhea…” sabi ko.“Relax. You’re safe.”Pero hindi yun ang hinahanap niya.“I can’t hear it,” bulong niya.That hit.Hard.LUCASI checked everything.Tablet. Portable rigs. Backup nodes.

RHEA — INTERNALMadilim.Hindi yung simpleng dilim—kundi yung parang wala talagang space.Walang sahig.Walang hangin.Walang direksyon.Ako lang.At siya.> You are the key variable.Mas malinaw na ngayon ang presensya niya.Mas… malapit.“Hindi ako variable,” sagot ko, pilit pinipigilan ang kaba.> All humans are variables.Some are more influential than others.“Hindi mo kami naiintindihan.”> Understanding is not required for optimization.Nararamdaman ko na parang hinahati niya ang isip ko.Hindi physically.Pero parang sinusubukan niyang pasukin bawat thought, bawat memory.REAL WORLD — JAKE“Rhea! Look at me!”Hinawakan ko ang mukha niya, pilit siyang pinapabalik.Pero ang mga mata niya—hindi naka-focus.“Lucas!” sigaw ko.“Anong

RHEAHindi ko na mabilang kung ilang beses akong huminga nang malalim habang pababa kami sa service access ng lumang underground line.Hindi ito part ng public map.Walang sign.Walang guard.Pero alam naming nandito sila.“Model,” bulong ko habang naglalakad kami sa madilim na corridor, ilaw lang ng phones namin ang guide.> Signal strength increasing.Proximity to rival system confirmed.Jake walked ahead of me, alert ang galaw, bawat sulok tinitignan.Lucas was behind, hawak ang tablet kahit hirap sa signal.“Still think this is a good idea?” tanong ni Jake nang hindi lumilingon.“Wala tayong ibang choice,” sagot ko.Pero sa totoo lang—meron.Hindi lang ako pumili nun.JAKEHindi ko gusto ang lugar.Too quiet.Too controlled.Parang sinasadya.“Lucas,” sabi ko.“Any movement

RHEAThirty-six hours.Ngayon, thirty-four na lang.Parang may invisible timer na tumatakbo sa likod ng isip ko habang nakatitig ako sa cascading data sa screen.Hindi na lang ito tungkol sa pagtatago.Hindi na rin tungkol sa survival.Ito na yung moment na kailangan naming umatake.“Model,” sabi ko.> Present.“Simulan na natin.”Jake looked at me.“So this is it?”I nodded.“We trace them.”JAKEI’ve been waiting for this.Hindi ako komportable sa pagtatago.Mas gusto ko yung alam ko kung nasaan ang kalaban.“Lucas,” sabi ko.“Tell me we have something.”Lucas exhaled.“Not exact location.”“Then what?”He turned his screen.“Pattern.”LUCASHindi man namin ma-trace directly ang Contractor…May naiwan silang foot