Zora stood at the edge of the path Keitha had revealed—everything around her vibrating with ancient magic, pulsing like a living heartbeat beneath her feet.
The others waited by the crystalline core, their faces tense with uncertainty. But Zora couldn't move. Couldn't speak.
Because something had shifted.
A presence.
Not Keitha's.
Familiar. Fierce. Family.
Then it came—soft at first, like wind through trees, but unmistakable.
"Zora..."
Her chest tightened. Her breath hitched.
"Zion?" she whispered.
She hadn't said his name in years. Not out loud.
But she always felt him—like a thread that never snapped, even when the world said he was gone for good.
And now, his voice was real.
"I'm here," it said again, clearer now. "Still part of this city... but not by choice."
Her twin brother. Zion. The one who disappeared three years ago without a trace. Everyone said he was lost, maybe dead.
But Zora had always known better.
Ace turned toward her, catching her expression. "Zora? You okay?"
"No," she said honestly, eyes scanning the shimmer in the air. "But I think I know what Keitha really is."
The city pulsed again, and the shimmer thickened—shaping itself. Zora's memories flooded back, sharp and bright. Summer nights on the rooftop with Zion. Trading song lyrics. Secrets. Dreams.
A final whisper: "You were always meant to find me."
Blair stepped forward, her voice shaky. "What's happening?"
"I think Zion's consciousness is here," Zora said, breathless. "Alive. But locked. Like... Keitha absorbed him."
Zion's voice returned, urgent this time. "The city uses energy to protect its magic. When I stumbled into it, I triggered something. I've been suspended—somewhere between the Archive and the Core. I'm not dead, but I'm not whole either."
Zora pressed her hand to the glowing crystal wall. "How do I bring you back?"
A beat.
Then: "You don't. We do. Together."
The crystal flared. A strange musical hum surrounded Zora, harmonizing with the frequency of her voice—her vibe.
Sylvia's eyes widened. "She's syncing."
Athena gasped. "Her rhythm... it's matching the city's frequency."
Zora stepped into the glow, voice steady. "Keitha isn't asking for a sacrifice. It's asking for a reconnection. A bridge."
She reached into her bag and pulled out the locket she and Zion had worn as kids—one half of a yin-yang symbol. Hers had the dark swirl, his the light.
She held it to the crystal. "This is the anchor. Me."
The crystal absorbed the locket. A hum surged through the air—and then—
A burst of light.
The air twisted.
And out of the beam stepped Zion.
Real. Whole. Confused.
He blinked against the glow, curls a mess, eyes darting around. "Zora...?"
Zora's knees gave out and she dropped forward—he caught her in his arms instantly.
"You're—real," she whispered.
"You found me," he said.
"You were never lost."
The group stood in stunned silence as Zion turned to them, slowly recognizing the reality.
Asher exhaled hard. "Okay. I officially don't understand anything anymore."
Blair wiped her eyes. "Zora just rebooted a person."
Zora stood shakily, leaning on Zion. "No... I just reminded Keitha who he was. And who I am."
Zion looked around at the city, still glowing faintly. "It listens to her. She's one of the only ones who can tune in."
The group looked at Zora in awe.
But Zora only looked at her twin.
She had gone through hell to get here.
And now—he was back.
Not because she gave something up.
But because she remembered who they were.
Together.
And Keitha listened.