Chapter 68: The Price of Truth

The silence that followed Seraphina’s arrival was deafening.

Her boots echoed against the scorched floor as she advanced slowly, like a queen reclaiming her throne. She was draped in obsidian armor laced with thin silver veins, eyes glowing with unnatural light. But it wasn’t her appearance that chilled Evryn—it was her presence. The raw, crushing weight of it. Like gravity had warped around her.

“You never did understand,” Seraphina murmured, tilting her head at Evryn. “You were never supposed to run. You were supposed to replace me.”

Evryn’s fists clenched. “You’re not my beginning.”

Seraphina smiled. “No, Evryn. I’m your end.”

Behind them, Jaxon muttered, “We have to move—now.”

“No.” Kira’s voice was sharp. “There’s no outrunning her. Not without splitting up.”

Evryn stepped forward. “You want me? Let them go.”

Seraphina gave a soft, amused laugh. “Still clinging to nobility. They’re not here for you, Evryn. They’re here because they’re mine.”

She lifted her hand, and the air shimmered.

From the shadows, five figures emerged. Not clones.

Replicas.

Exact copies of Jaxon, Kira, Asher, Ivy, and Evryn herself—perfectly rendered. They blinked. Smiled.

“Project E.V.E. wasn’t about creating one weapon,” Seraphina whispered. “It was about creating control. Each of you was patterned. Refined. Enhanced.”

Evryn's double stepped toward her, eyes void of emotion. “I’m the perfected version.”

“Liar,” Evryn snapped. “You’re just a shadow.”

Her replica tilted her head. “And yet, shadows only exist when there’s light.”

Asher drew his sidearm, trembling. “This is… this is impossible.”

“No,” Ivy said, staring at her replica. “This is what the Syndicate was always planning. The prototypes… they weren’t accidents. They were testing loyalty. And we failed.”

Jaxon backed up. “I can scramble their neural sync—buy us sixty seconds.”

Kira nodded. “Do it.”

He crouched, fingers flying over his wrist-console. “This’ll hurt.”

A piercing frequency filled the chamber. The replicas screamed—then collapsed in a twitching heap.

Evryn used the moment to charge Seraphina, grabbing a pipe off the floor.

But Seraphina was faster.

In an instant, she caught the strike mid-air and twisted Evryn’s wrist until it cracked.

Evryn screamed.

Then—

“ENOUGH!”

Ivy fired a bolt of energy directly into Seraphina’s chest.

The shot should’ve dropped her.

It didn’t.

Seraphina stumbled… then stood tall again, her eyes burning brighter.

“You still don’t get it,” she whispered, stepping over her downed replicas. “You can’t kill me. I am the Core now.”

Asher rushed to Evryn, pulling her away from Seraphina. “We need to go—she’s feeding off the Vault’s energy field.”

Kira looked toward a sealed maintenance tunnel. “There’s another path, but we’ll have to split. Again.”

Jaxon handed Ivy a data crystal. “This has the override key for the Exodus units. If you find them, you can deactivate the entire army.”

“What about Seraphina?” Ivy asked.

Kira met her eyes. “Evryn’s the only one who can stop her.”

“But how?” Evryn winced, cradling her fractured wrist. “She’s not just code anymore. She’s a network.”

“Then we cut the signal,” Asher said quietly. “From the inside.”

He pulled a small neural spike from his belt. “If I inject this… I can destabilize her feedback loop.”

“You’ll die,” Jaxon said.

Asher nodded.

“No.” Evryn reached for him. “You don’t get to redeem yourself by dying.”

“I’m not doing it for redemption,” Asher said, voice trembling. “I’m doing it because… I love you.”

Evryn’s heart stopped.

Then Seraphina moved.

A sonic wave burst from her palm, slamming them back.

Evryn hit the wall hard, pain flaring in her ribs.

She looked up, dazed—just in time to see Asher dart forward.

“No!”

He plunged the spike into his own neck—then grabbed Seraphina.

Light exploded.

Seraphina screamed.

And for a split second, Evryn saw her. Not the monster. Not the weapon.

The girl she once was.

Afraid.

Alone.

Then everything went white.

When the light faded, Seraphina was gone.

So was Asher.

Only a crater remained.

Evryn crawled forward, tears spilling silently. She reached the edge—then saw it.

His wristband. The same one he used to protect her. Still blinking faintly.

Kira put a hand on her shoulder. “He saved us.”

Evryn whispered, “He saved me.”

Jaxon looked around. “We have to move. If the Exodus units activate—”

“They won’t,” Ivy said, holding up the crystal. “Not if I can get to their nexus.”

Evryn stood, her grief hardening into resolve. “Then we finish this. For Asher. For all of us.”

As they left the chamber, Evryn paused.

A monitor nearby flickered to life.

It displayed Seraphina’s last message.

“You think I lost? You think this ends with me?”

“There’s a version of me in every system. In every outpost. In every heart you thought you saved.”

The screen glitched.

“Evryn… this wasn’t the end.”

“It was only the beginning.”