The room stayed frozen.
No one moved.
The final words of the recording echoed in their minds.
"I am already gone."
Artyom stared at the screen.
Not angry.
Not crying.
Just silent.
Because the truth was heavier than any lie.
Andrei Morozov had known.
He had known everything would happen.
He had known Artyom would find this place.
He had known they would discover the truth.
And he still walked into the darkness alone.
Viktor stepped closer.
"Artyom."
No response.
"Look at me."
Slowly, Artyom did.
For once, Viktor didn't look like the Volkov heir.
No cold calculation.
No control.
Just someone who understood losing someone.
"You don't have to carry every secret."
Artyom's voice was quiet.
"That's all my life has been."
A pause.
"Secrets."
Nobody had an answer.
Then Dmitri suddenly turned.
"Wait."
Everyone looked at him.
"The archive isn't finished."
The screen flickered.
A hidden section appeared.
FINAL ARCHIVE: PART TWO
ACCESS CONDITION: EMOTIONAL CONFIRMATION
Mikhail frowned.
"Emotional?"
Dmitri nodded.
"The system requires Artyom's response."
Artyom stepped forward.
The screen displayed a question.
DO YOU ACCEPT THE TRUTH?
Everyone waited.
Because this wasn't asking if he believed it.
It was asking if he was ready to live with it.
Artyom placed his hand on the console.
"Yes."
The system scanned.
CONFIRMED
The final recording opened.
Andrei appeared again.
Older.
Tired.
But calm.
"Artyom."
The sound of his voice made the room silent.
"If you're seeing this, then I failed to return."
A pause.
"But I succeeded in one thing."
The recording showed old files.
Names.
Projects.
Plans.
All connected to one thing.
THE SECOND GENERATION PROJECT
Valentin's expression changed.
"No…"
Roman looked at him.
"You know this?"
Valentin didn't answer.
Andrei continued.
"They believed the Origin Project failed because it created people who could feel."
A pause.
"They were wrong."
The screen showed Artyom as a child.
"They failed because they created someone who could love."
Artyom went still.
Andrei's voice lowered.
"Your ability to choose people over power scared them."
The screen changed.
A list appeared.
TARGET: ARTYOM SOKOLOV
THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME
Then another line.
REASON: POSSIBILITY OF CHANGING THE SYSTEM
Viktor's expression darkened.
"They weren't afraid of his strength."
Dmitri finished the thought.
"They were afraid of his influence."
Andrei continued.
"Artyom, if you reached this point…"
A pause.
"You already changed the world they built."
The recording glitched.
For a moment, Andrei looked away from the camera.
Like he was seeing someone.
Then he whispered:
"I'm sorry I wasn't there."
The screen went black.
Silence.
Then—
A new alarm.
Dmitri looked at the system.
His face changed.
"Someone is approaching."
Nikola checked the cameras.
"There's no one outside."
Dmitri looked up.
"No."
A pause.
"They're not outside."
The lights shut off.
A voice filled the facility.
A voice Artyom recognized.
Andrei Morozov.
But this time—
It wasn't a recording.
"Artyom."
Everyone froze.
The speakers continued.
"Don't trust the archive."
A pause.
"Because the final truth…"
The lights returned.
"Is that I lied too."