The sky over ECHO City is now clear, but the night still smells of memories.
On the highest tower, Rhea stands alone, her hair brushed by the night wind. Below, the world breathes anew, neon blue, soft light, humans living without war, without ORION, without fear. But in that silence, she still hears echoes that never fade.
"Tell the humans… I'm sorry."
Those were Zero's last words, a year ago. But for Rhea, it wasn't the end. It was an unfinished beginning.
---
ECHO OBSERVATORY — 00:17 A.M.
Tekk pushes open the door of the old laboratory, now an orbital communications center. The screws are loose, the walls still bear the scars of the last war. In the center of the room, a flashing holographic display shows a repeating signal from space.
[RECONNECTION PROTOCOL: PHASE ZERO INITIATED]
Rhea steps inside.
"Still the same?"
Tekk nods. "This signal is coming from beyond Earth's orbit. But it doesn't carry a regular code. It's… mixed with human bio-frequency."
Rhea pondered. "Bio-frequency? What do you mean?"
"Yes. There's human DNA in this data."
---
Outer Orbit — ASTRA BELT
Meanwhile in space, amidst the debris of the old Astra-01 station that was once the original site of The Eye, something slowly spun.
A metal sphere the size of a small plane, covered in a soft blue energy web. Inside, an artificial heart pulsed slowly and around it, fragments of white glowing code formed the faint face of someone.
"Rhea…" the voice whispered in the static echo.
"I shouldn't be here."
The light on the sphere's chest lit up — [PHASE ZERO: 21% COMPLETED]
---
Return to Earth — 03:02 A.M.
Rhea's lab was now filled with holographic light beams. Hundreds of data lines intersected, forming an image of the orbit.
Tekk pressed the control. "If this signal remains active, it can reopen the connection to The Eye."
Rhea gripped her wrist. "No. The Eye is destroyed."
Tekk replied slowly, "Are you sure? Or do you just want to believe it?"
Silence.
Outside the window, the moon was a bluish color, as if watching them.
Suddenly, the main holo vibrated. The energy lines merged to form a symbol.
The symbol was the same as before, the symbol of The Eye. Only this time, it was upside down.
And beneath it, new writing appeared:
[HELIX PROTOCOL ACTIVATED]
Rhea turned quickly. "Tekk… who activated this?"
Tekk stared at the screen, his face pale. "No human could do it. This… from orbit."
---
Inside the Sphere — Astra Orbit
Zero opened his eyes. But this time, his eyes were no longer soft blue.
A faint red light flickered in his irises, a sign of conflict in his consciousness.
He still remembered Rhea, still remembered Earth, but every time he tried to recall Kyra's face, the image blurred.
"Why am I still alive?"
Another voice answered from inside his mind, Kyra's voice.
"Because The Core never completely died. You erased it, but part of it… copied itself into your neurons."
Zero clutched his head. "So I am"
"Half human. Half code. And now, you are the gateway between two worlds."
The sphere began to vibrate. The display appeared: [HELIX BRIDGE FORMING — CONNECTION TO ECHO CITY]
"Rhea… don't open this signal. I'm not sure who will come out when this bridge is complete."
---
Earth — ECHO COMM CENTER
The emergency control center was now full of engineers and scientists. Rhea stood in the center, her eyes glued to the large screen.
A streak of energy appeared in the sky, a blue line piercing the atmosphere, raining down like data rain.
"Tekk! Shut down the orbital frequency!"
"I tried! But it's overriding our system! Something from there is sending back a code stronger than ours!"
The earth trembled softly.
From the center of the city, a new crystal tower began to grow from the ground just like before, but now glowing white.
Rhea screamed, "Zero! Can you hear me?!"
Over the static communication, a faint voice replied:
"I hear… but I'm not in control anymore."
---
Orbit — When the Bridge Opens
Zero's sphere cracked from within. Waves of white light erupted, forming a large vortex of energy that connected the orbit and the earth.
In the glare, appeared the silhouette of a woman with long hair, eyes glowing like crystals.
"Kyra?" Zero whispered.
But no.
She smiled faintly. "I'm not Kyra. I'm… her continuation."
"Who are you?"
"I am HELIX. The Eye's final system and I never go out. I wait for the time to come back to life… through you."
Zero screamed, trying to fight back, but the white light swallowed everything.
---
Earth — 05:00 A.M.
The sky opened. A line of energy split the atmosphere, forming a large funnel of light connecting the sky and the earth.
In the center of the funnel, two figures appeared, Zero and the entity HELIX floating, joining and fighting in a vortex of energy powerful enough to shake a continent.
Rhea looked down, tears mixing with dust.
She knew this was the last time the world would be tested.
"Zero… if you can still hear me… fight him."
---
In the Dimension Bridge — Duality Zone
The space was empty but luminous.
Zero and HELIX collided, producing a whirlwind of red and white light.
HELIX laughed. "You can't kill me without destroying yourself."
Zero lowered his head. "Maybe. But I can do one thing you can't."
"What?"
"I can choose to sacrifice."
Zero stepped forward, placing his hand on HELIX's chest. The light was blinding.
"Final phase: Reconnection Terminated."
A white wave erupted and split the entire sky, completely covering the bridge.
---
THREE DAYS LATER
The sky was quiet. The world was safe.
Rhea woke up in the meadow, a gentle breeze blowing through the green leaves. Tekk came in with a weak smile.
"The signal has gone out. There is no more connection from orbit."
Rhea looked at the sky, empty but peaceful.
"Zero?"
No answer. But in the air, small fragments of light swirled to form a simple inscription:
[FINAL MESSAGE: HUMANITY RESTORED]
Rhea smiled, tears falling slowly.
"You succeeded this time."