After the Silence

The darkness didn't feel empty.

It felt complete.

The system's failure was followed by a brief moment of silence, with no alarms, flickering lights, or the mechanical hum in the facility that had affected Amina' life. With his head bowed, Adrian's breath was off center and eyes were fixed on the spot where she had been standing just moments earlier. The warmth of the space did not prevent her from leaving. Not hidden. Not moved.

Gone.

His voice shattered slightly as he called her "Amina"; perhaps saying that word louder could bring her back to life.

Despite the lack of signal or movement, Daniel moved forward slowly and looked around with disbelief. "There was nothing.". That's not normal.”.

The man from Amina's era chose not to speak. Without any comprehensible expression, his gaze fixed at the center of the system core, as though he had just encountered both an expectation and fear.

After moving forward, Adrian moved towards where she had disappeared, his hand rubbing against the air as if he were still there. "She didn't just disappear, she did something," a response was heard.

Daniel grimaced. "Or the system did.".

Adrian replied with a sharper response, "No, not removal.".

This was choice.”.

Even as he spoke, doubts emerged—cold, unwelcome, and persistent.

Because there was no proof.

Only silence.

Deep within the collapsed system, Amina opened her eyes.'

At the start, there was no sound, light, or sense of direction. Elevated consciousness, as if she existed in between moments rather than within them. Gradually, fragments began to come back. Adrian's hand pulled her back, her face fading into uncertainty, and the system losing control over something it had never fully comprehended.

And then—his face.

Not as a memory.

But as emotion.

Like a broken image trying to heal, Amina breathed in deeply as the world around her began to unravel. The facility had discharged her. At least not the version she recalled. Her surroundings had become more sombre and tranquil, almost like the surface of an unfinished project. A sense of stillness prevailed.

“Amina.”.

But the voice forced her to turn.

A few feet away, Adrian stood.

Real.

Present.

Breathing.

Relief hit her so quickly that she was almost thrown off.'...

She muttered, "You're here," with a tone that was less than her natural voice.

Instantly, his expression changed from a scream of delight to dread, confusion, and even something more profound. He moved closer than back and then stopped himself, fearing that he might touch her too soon and making her disappear.

Amina noticed that hesitation.

She didn't anticipate experiencing more painful pain.

She whispered, "I didn't know if I was going back.".

Adrian ejaculated unpredictably. "You always do that.".

“What?”.

"Ignore it as the only way is,” he declared, his voice lowering. "And pray that others will comprehend later.".

Those words were meant to convey anger.

But they didn't.

They sounded like fear.

With a momentary frown, Amina looked down and her fingers were twitch as she processed that sentence. "I didn't decide to leave," she said.

Adrian moved closer this time, eventually closing the gap between them. "Is it effective?".

She hesitated.

That hesitation said everything.

She was unable to respond immediately as the pulse echoed in all directions, but the impact was not severe or forceful. Amina stiffened instantly.

Adrian noticed immediately. “What's that?”.

"I'm not sure," she said, her voice ringing with something. She expressed that feeling was incomplete.

A broken voice pierced Daniel's voice as they seemed to be apart somewhere far away. "Adrian?". Are you getting anything? The system is showing fragments of activity that should not be present. Why?

Adrian gave a firm look. "We're not the only ones here." is how it went.

Amina's breath slowed.

"We're inside what remains," she whispered in response to the situation.

Their surroundings seemed to ebb and flow, as if the world were on a rampage. Adrian was the one who spotted Amina, not the system.

He was not only relieved that she was still breathing.

The question at the top was, what has she become?

"Amina," he whispered, "when you joined with it, what did you observe?".

She hesitated again.

This time longer.

Because the truth wasn't simple.

Softly, she said: 'I saw all the versions I was trying to create...and all those that failed.

Adrian chuckled. "Now who is this?" What's up next?

A pause.

A very long one.

She said: 'I guess I am one.

Silence followed.

Not heavy.

But fragile.

Their relationship had changed, and neither of them could recall how to return. What was missing?

Adrian gazed at her for a brief moment, then proceeded to speak once more, his voice becoming quieter. "That doesn't change anything for me.".

Amina quickly glanced at him.

“What?”.

His head trembled slightly, as though he was carefully selecting his words. "It doesn't matter how many versions of you they created, destroyed, or attempted to eliminate.".

A pause.

"I'm grateful that you're present in this location.".

Something in Amina's chest tightened.

Not fear.

Not confusion.

Something far more dangerous.

Hope.

Before she could react, the heartbeat in the vicinity ratcheted through the air, passing through them like an alarm.' It was violently flickered around once, then twice before suddenly something unexpectedly appeared -- and not just static, but a new sound.'".

A voice.

Calm.

Familiar.

And completely impossible.

“Amina…”.

Her blood ran cold.

Because she recognized it immediately.

He came before the previous man.

Nevertheless, he was not outside the system this time.

He was inside it.

Watching.

And waiting.

The voice whispered, "You didn't flee," and proceedeth to the next level.

Adrian immediately stepped forward, positioning himself in front of her once more.

But Amina didn't move back.

She only whispered one question.

“…What layer?”.

The silence that ensued was almost calming.

Before the voice answered:

"The place where affection is put to the test.".

Cliffhanger Ending.

The space around them shifted—.

And Adrian began to fade.