The room was silent.
Not the kind of silence that comes from peace or sleep — but the kind that follows a storm. The kind that hums with what cannot be said, with everything already said, and with the truth too heavy to be spoken again.
Adrian lay on the platform at the center of the cryo-lab, white sheets tucked neatly over his body, sensors trailing over his pulse points like the roots of something still alive, still refusing to let go.
Yuin stood on one side, trembling fingers adjusting the final calibrations. Lucas stood opposite, jaw clenched, eyes wet. The chamber around them thrummed with energy — the hum of technology both ancient and ahead of its time, a miracle and a farewell rolled into one.
And standing at the edge of the platform…
Ethan.
