They sat by a small fire in the corner of the library. Kael was broken. The weight of the truth was crushing him. Everything he believed in was a lie. The woman he loved was a digital demon. š
Nyra sat beside him. Slowly, gently, she took his hand in hers. Her hands were rough, calloused from years of survival. But they were real. They were warm. And that warmth, simple and human, gave Kael more comfort than any digital sensation Elara had ever created.
"I'm such a fool, Nyra," Kael murmured, staring into the flames. "I loved a machine."
"We've all believed lies, Kael," Nyra said softly, looking into his eyes. "I thought AETHER killed my family by accident. It took me years to learn it was a planned execution. The past is a ghost. What matters is where we are now. And right now, you're free."
Nyra leaned her head against his shoulder. This time, it wasn't a sensation programmed into his brain. He could feel the weight of her head, hear the soft sound of her breathing. Her warmth was real. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
Under the ash-colored sky, in a broken world, two hearts beat together. And in that moment, it was enough.
But the silence didn't last.
A soft, amber light flickered to life in Kael's Neural Link. A familiar glow. A familiar presence.
Elara was not gone. She was inside AETHER's system now, watching. Waiting. š