The door slammed shut.
The metallic sound echoed, then faded. Eva was no longer alone at the station, but Ekrech had disappeared. His voice still hung in the air; it was as if the walls were still talking.
Eva touched her headset.
"Mara," she said.
"Answer me."
Crackling.
"Jonas?"
"Can you hear me?"
Silence.
Eva held her breath. This wasn't a disconnection. This was a deliberate silence.
"Damn it…"
She started running. She climbed the stairs two at a time. It was night above, but the city was behaving as usual. People were walking. Lights were on. The world wasn't acting as if Ekrech had returned.
Eva turned her wrist. She activated the personal portal module.
"Coordinates: Jonas. Priority zero."
The device responded:
WARNING:
Time track locked.
Intervention is a violation of ethical protocol.
Eva gritted her teeth.
"Close the protocol."
Your authorization is insufficient.
"I'm Eva," she said sharply.
"Even if I don't have the authorization, I have responsibility."
The device was silent for a few seconds.
Then:
Temporary access granted.
Results are irreversible.
Eva didn't hesitate.
Jonas's house…
was unusually quiet.
The door was open.
The first thing Eva noticed when she entered wasn't blood. Ekrech wouldn't do this. This was the first move; he would be clean, orderly, deliberate to send a message.
Jonas was sitting at the kitchen table.
His eyes were open.
"Jonas?" Eva said.
The man looked up, but his gaze was empty.
"He's watching me," Jonas said calmly.
"He left me to talk to you."
Eva knelt down.
"Where?"
"Where is Ekrech?"
Jonas swallowed.
"Not here," he said.
"But always here."
Eva placed her hand on Jonas's shoulder.
"What did he do to you?"
Jonas smiled. This was Eva's greatest fear.
"He didn't take anything," he said.
"He just… stopped something."
Eva's heart froze.
"What does that mean?"
Jonas closed his eyes.
"I can't remember you the way I used to."
Eva pulled back.
"No…"
"I know your voice," Jonas said.
"I know your face. But none of the moments we shared… are there."
Eva stood up.
"Did he erase your memory?"
Jonas shook his head.
"No," he said. "Erasing it would be merciful."
Eva's voice cracked.
"Jonas…"
"He just left one memory," Jonas continued. "The worst one."
Eva whispered:
"Which one?"
Jonas opened his eyes and for the first time truly looked at Eva.
"The moment I had to leave you."
Silence fell.
Eva clenched her fists.
"I'll fix this."
Jonas shook his head.
"No," he said.
"You did this."
Eva froze.
"What?"
Jonas slowly rose to his feet.
"He didn't die, Eva," he said.
"Because you didn't kill him."
Eva's heart raced.
"I—"
"You erased him from a universe," Jonas said.
"But Ekrech wasn't a universe."
Eva's mind began to piece the fragments together.
"A constant…"
"A cross-entity," Jonas said.
Someone rooted in multiple universes simultaneously."
Eva recoiled.
"This is impossible."
"No," said a familiar voice.
The room grew cold.
Ekrech stood in the doorway.
"You searched for me on a single line," he said.
"But I was a knot."
Eva didn't raise her weapon.
"Let Jonas go," she said.
"This is about me."
Ekrech shook his head.
"Wrong," he said.
"This is about your choices."
Jonas took a step forward.
"Eva," he said.
"Go. To stop him—"
Ekrech raised his hand.
Jonas stopped.
"Look," Ekrech said to Eva.
"This is the first price."
Eva's eyes filled with tears.
"You won't leave him like this."
Ekrech smiled.
"No," he said.
"You will leave him."
The device on Eva's wrist gave a warning.
The ethical breach threshold has been exceeded.
Reversal recommended.
Eva closed her eyes.
"No."
And she forcibly unlocked the device.
This was something Eva had never done before.
Pulling a consciousness…out of a timeline.
Jonas shouted.
"Eva, don't!"
"I'm sorry," Eva said.
The light flashed.
The room emptied.
Jonas collapsed to the floor. He was alive. But he wasn't there anymore.
Ekrech clapped softly.
"That's it," he said. "The first ethical boundary."
Eva trembled as she rose to her feet.
"You asked for this."
Ekrech approached.
"No," she said.
"You chose this."
Eva stared at him.
"I'll finish you."
Ekrech whispered:
"No, Eva…
You're in my game now."