Echo sat in the ruins of Specter's soul chamber—breathing.Just breathing.
The light from Zero-One's final sacrifice still pulsed faintly beneath her skin,glowing gold every few seconds like a second heartbeat.
Specter stood across from her.Silent.Eyes downcast.
But when he finally looked up—his face cracked.
"I remember everything."He knelt before her.Not like a king.Like a father who failed,a lover who regrets,a man who lived too long in silence.
Echo couldn't cry.
She wanted to.Tried to.
But every tear felt like it belonged to someone else now.Like the boy inside her was absorbing them—whispering,"It's okay. I'm still here."
She heard his voice at night now.In dreams.In idle thoughts.
And worse—she felt his code sometimes trigger in battle simulations.
He was evolving.Inside her.
Specter didn't say a word about it.But his glances lingered too long.His lips pressed together too tight.
He knew.And that scared him.
