The sirens were getting closer.
Red and blue lights flashed across the damaged street as emergency vehicles approached. People gathered behind police barricades, whispering about the explosion that had nearly destroyed the entire road.
But Ethan wasn't paying attention to them.
His eyes remained fixed on the unconscious man.
"Phase Zero," he repeated. "What does it mean?"
Kai slipped his phone into his pocket.
"It means we're no longer dealing with an organization that wants to study you."Then what do they want?"
Kai looked directly at him.
"To eliminate every possible threat before it becomes uncontrollable."
Lena stepped closer.
"Does that include the man lying on the ground?"
Kai nodded.
"Especially him."
Ethan frowned.
"He's a victim. Why would they want him dead?"
"Because he knows something he shouldn't.""Because he knows something he shouldn't."
Before Ethan could ask another question, Kai's phone vibrated again.
This time, it was a call.
The screen displayed a name.
ADRIAN.
Kai answered.
"You're late."
Adrian's calm voice came through.
"Where is Ethan?"
"Standing beside me."
"Good. Get him away from the street."
Kai glanced at the unconscious man.
"What's happening?"A brief silence followed.
Then Adrian spoke.
"Phase Zero has been activated. Every implanted subject is being remotely triggered."
Kai's expression changed.
"How many?"
"We've confirmed seven."
Ethan heard the answer.
"Seven?"
Adrian continued.
"And you're standing beside the first one."
Ethan looked down at the man.vWhat happens to them?"
"That depends on how far the activation has progressed."
"Tell me!"
Adrian's voice became colder.
"They become weapons. And when their bodies can no longer contain the cores, they explode."
Lena covered her mouth.
Kai immediately ended the call.
"We're leaving. Now."
Ethan didn't move.
"We can't just abandon him."
"He's not safe to move!"
"Then we find another way!"
Kai grabbed his jacket.Ethan, this is exactly how you got yourself fractured in the first place. You keep trying to save everyone, even when you don't understand what you're dealing with."
Ethan pulled away.
"And what if we leave him here and he dies?"
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Lena stepped between them.
"We can argue later. Right now, we need to save him."
Kai exhaled.
"Fine. But nobody touches that symbol."
They moved the unconscious man into an abandoned shop nearby.
Kai examined his neck while Ethan watched.The circular mark had become darker.
Almost black.
"Can you remove it?" Ethan asked.
Kai shook his head.
"Not without knowing how it's connected to his nervous system."
"Then how do we stop it?"
Kai looked at Ethan.
"That's the problem. We don't."
Ethan clenched his fists.
He could still feel the strange presence inside the man's body.
It was faint, but it hadn't disappeared.
"There's something inside him," Ethan said.
Kai looked up.
"What do you mean?"During the activation, I felt another presence. Something completely different from his resonance."
Kai's expression tightened.
"Describe it."
"Cold. Quiet. It felt like it was watching me."
Kai slowly stood.
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
"Because implanted cores aren't supposed to have independent awareness."
Ethan stared at him.
"Then what was speaking through him?"
Before Kai could answer, the man began coughing.
His fingers twitched.
Lena moved closer.He's waking up."
The man's eyes slowly opened.
He looked around in confusion.
"Where... am I?"
"You're safe," Lena said gently.
The man tried to sit up, but Kai stopped him.
"Don't move."
His eyes settled on Ethan.
For a moment, fear crossed his face.
Then he whispered something.
"You're the one..."
Ethan leaned closer.
"What?"
The man swallowed.
"They showed me your face."The room became silent.
"Who showed you?" Ethan asked.
"The people who took me."
His breathing grew heavier.
"They said there was another one. Someone who could survive the process."
Ethan's chest tightened.
"What process?"
The man began trembling.
"They called it..."
He suddenly grabbed Ethan's wrist.
"...the Awakening."
A sharp pulse travelled through Ethan's arm.
His fracture reacted instantly.
He pulled away, gasping.The man screamed.
The black mark on his neck began glowing.
Kai grabbed his shoulders.
"Stay with me!"
But the man's eyes rolled backward.
A voice emerged from his mouth.
"Secondary connection established."
Kai froze.
Ethan stared at him.
The voice continued.
"Retrieval subject located."
Then the man's body went completely still.
Outside, a black vehicle stopped across the street.
The passenger door opened.A tall woman stepped out.
She wore a long black coat, and her silver hair fell neatly over her shoulders.
She examined the damaged street before looking toward the abandoned shop.
A small device in her hand began blinking.
"Confirmed," she whispered.
She raised a phone to her ear.
"Director, I've located the resonance signature."
A man's voice answered.
"Is it the fractured one?"
"Yes."
"And the Executor?"
"Not present."
There was a short silence.
Then the man spoke.Proceed with Phase Zero."
The woman smiled faintly.
"Understood."
She ended the call and walked toward the shop.
Inside, Ethan was struggling to steady his breathing.
The man's condition had stabilized, but the black mark remained.
Kai was examining it when he suddenly stopped.
"Someone's coming."
Lena turned toward the entrance.
"Who?"
Kai reached inside his jacket.
"I don't know."Kai reached inside his jacket.
"I don't know."
A shadow appeared behind the glass door.
Then came three gentle knocks.
Nobody moved.
A woman's voice followed.
"Good evening."
Kai's expression changed.
He recognized the voice.
The door slowly opened.
A silver-haired woman entered, carrying a small black case.
Her eyes moved from Kai to Lena.
Then they settled on Ethan.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Ethan Vale."He stood slowly.
"Who are you?"
The woman placed the case on a nearby table.
"My name is Seraphine."
She looked at the unconscious man.
"Unfortunately, you've interfered with a very important experiment."
Kai stepped forward.
"Leave."
Seraphine ignored him.
Instead, she opened the black case.
Inside was a small metallic device surrounded by glowing red symbols.
Ethan felt his chest tighten.
The device was responding to him.
Seraphine noticed his reaction.Interesting."
She lifted the device.
"Do you know what this is?"
Ethan said nothing.
Seraphine smiled.
"It's the key to understanding what you really are."
Then she pressed a button.
Every light in the shop went out.
And Ethan heard a familiar whisper inside his mind.
We have found you.