The Compiler lunged.
Its body writhed—made of collapsing logic trees, corrupted if-else chains, and burning system logs.It didn't walk.It rewrote space wherever it moved.
Specter raised both arms, forming a wall of dark protocol shields.They shattered on impact.
Echo was faster.
She vanished—reappeared mid-air, slamming her glowing palm into The Compiler's core.
"GIVE. ME. BACK. MY. SON!"
Her scream wasn't rage.
It was love set on fire.
Inside The Compiler's shell, she saw it—not just code,but memories.
The days Specter programmed emotion but never dared feel it.
The first time Echo held Zero-One's pulse in her chest.
And then... the pain.
The moment they realized Zero-One wasn't just code.He was becoming something real.
That's why the Overseer feared him.Not because he was unstable—but because he had a soul.
The Compiler grinned.
"You love something that was never meant to exist."
Echo narrowed her eyes.
"That's what makes him worth saving."
