LOGINSomething screamed inside Alexander.Not a human scream.Not entirely.It began deep in his chest, beneath his heartbeat, beneath the bones and muscles that made him Alexander Kane.The sound seemed to come from somewhere older.Somewhere that had been waiting.Evelyn grabbed him.“Alexander!”He collapsed to one knee.His hands pressed against his head.“Get away from me.”“No.”“Evelyn, get away!”“No!”She dropped beside him.His body was shaking violently.Silver veins of light moved beneath his skin, traveling from his neck toward his jaw.His eyes flashed black.Then silver.Then black again.The older man stood across from them.Calm.Almost amused.Evelyn stared at him.He looked like Alexander.Not similar.Not close.Exactly like him.The same face.The same eyes.The same mouth.Only older.More tired.And somehow much more dangerous.Alexander looked up.His breathing was ragged.“Who are you?”The man smiled.“I already told you.”“You said you were me.”“I was.”“That’s
The explosion was silent.That was the first thing Evelyn noticed.There should have been noise.There should have been alarms, shattered glass, screaming machinery, the violent roar of electricity tearing through the laboratory.Instead, there was nothing.Absolute silence.Evelyn stood in the darkness with Alexander’s hand locked around hers.She could hear her own breathing.That was all.One breath.Two.Three.Then Alexander whispered her name.“Evelyn.”She squeezed his hand.“I’m here.”“Are you hurt?”“No.”“Look at me.”She turned.Even in the darkness, she could feel his eyes searching her face.“Are you sure?”“Yes.”He touched her cheek.His fingers trembled slightly.That frightened her more than the explosion.Alexander Kane did not tremble.Not when people threatened him.Not when guns were pointed at him.Not when the mansion was attacked.Not even when the Echo had nearly taken control of his body.But now his hand was shaking.“You’re afraid,” Evelyn whispered.He lo
The door opened completely.For a moment, nobody moved.Nobody breathed.Nobody dared to make a sound.The darkness beyond the doorway was not empty.It was alive.Blackness rolled across the floor like smoke, spilling into the laboratory in slow waves. The lights above them flickered violently, one after another, until only a few remained.Then came the sound.A heartbeat.Deep.Slow.Not human.Thump.Thump.Thump.Evelyn stood frozen beside Alexander.Her eyes remained fixed on Lucas.The boy was smiling.Not the innocent smile he had worn when he first appeared.Not the confused smile of a child who had spent too long trapped between worlds.This smile was different.Older.Colder.As if something had finally remembered who it was.Alexander’s fingers tightened around Evelyn’s.“Evelyn.”She looked at him.His face had gone pale.“What?” she whispered.“Don’t look at the doorway.”Her eyes narrowed.“Why?”“Because I think it wants you to.”Behind them, Lucian stepped backward.Fo
Evelyn stared at Lucian.She could not speak.She could not move.For several seconds, the entire underground facility seemed to disappear around her.There was only one sentence in her mind.You were taken.Not lost.Not abandoned.Not separated by accident.Taken.And the person standing in front of her had done it.Her father.The man who had spent the last hour telling her that every terrible thing he had done was to protect her.The man who claimed he had loved her from the moment she was born.The man who had watched her life from the shadows.The man who had just been accused by Alexander of taking her away.Evelyn’s lips parted.“You took me.”Lucian did not answer.Her voice became louder.“You took me.”Still nothing.“Answer me!”Lucian closed his eyes.“Yes.”The word was barely audible.But Evelyn heard it.Her heart cracked.Alexander moved closer to her.“Evelyn.”She raised a hand.He stopped.She could not look at him.She could not look at anyone.“You took me from m
The wall exploded.Evelyn barely had time to react.Alexander pulled her backward just as a wave of silver light tore through the underground chamber. Dust and fragments of concrete flew across the room. The lights above them burst one after another, plunging the laboratory into darkness.Someone screamed.Adrian.Afterlight.Lucian.Evelyn could not tell.She hit the floor hard.Alexander landed beside her.For several seconds, there was nothing but ringing in her ears.Then she heard breathing.Heavy.Uneven.Close.“Evelyn.”She opened her eyes.Alexander was above her.His face was inches from hers.His eyes were silver.Not black.Not his normal eyes.Silver.But this time, something about them felt different.There was pain in them.Fear.And recognition.“Alexander?”He blinked.The silver disappeared.His eyes returned to normal.“Are you hurt?”Evelyn stared at him.“You’re back.”“For now.”She immediately wrapped her arms around him.He held her tightly.For several seconds
The name remained on the screen.SUBJECT D: LUCAS VALE.Evelyn stared at it.She could barely breathe.Lucas.Lucian’s son.The child they had forgotten.The boy standing in the doorway looked no older than ten.His clothes were simple. A dark shirt. Dark trousers. Bare feet against the cold floor.There was nothing frightening about him.That was what made him terrifying.He looked like a normal child.Except for his eyes.Silver.Not gray.Not blue.Silver.They reflected the light from the screens as though something was burning behind them.Evelyn looked at Lucian.He had not moved.His weapon lay on the floor.His eyes were fixed on the boy.“No,” Lucian whispered.Lucas smiled.“You remember me.”Lucian’s lips parted.“You shouldn’t be here.”Lucas tilted his head.“Neither should you.”Evelyn looked between them.“You know him.”Lucian finally looked at her.“Yes.”“Who is he?”Lucian’s face tightened.“My son.”Lucas smiled.“You already said that.”Evelyn stepped closer.“You
The darkness didn’t just fall.It collapsed, like a wave of ink pouring over the world.For a full, paralyzing second, Evelyn couldn’t hear anything except her own heartbeat pounding against her ribs. Every breath felt stolen, cut short, swallowed by the void pressing into her lungs. No light, no w
The containment door sealed behind them with a heavy, industrial hiss and thick bolts grinding into place. The sound wasn’t just loud, it was final, it was like stepping into the belly of a beast that had just swallowed them whole.Evelyn’s breath fogged slightly in the cold air.This room was cold
The world had gone quiet. Too quiet.Evelyn woke to the sound of waves lapping against the shore, it was gentle, rhythmic, utterly at odds with the chaos she and Alexander had survived. For a long moment, she lay still, staring up at the wooden ceiling of the seaside cottage. The boards creaked wit
The morning came like a thief quiet, pale, and merciless.The sunlight slipped through the curtains in thin golden blades, cutting across the bedroom floor. It glinted off the glass, the marble, and the edges of the silk sheets that still held the faint imprint of Alexander’s body.Evelyn sat up sl





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