The world around Aiden was still burning when the truth began to sink in.
The crimson sky bled lines of code across the shattered horizon. The ground beneath him pulsed faintly, like a dying heartbeat made of static. Every echo of Elias's words refused to fade, looping endlessly inside his mind.
> "You died once. I brought you back."
Those words had weight — heavier than the world collapsing around them.
Aiden's breathing was ragged, though he had no lungs to draw air. His systems screamed with warning lights, cascading down his vision.
> [CORE INTEGRITY: UNSTABLE]
[MEMORY SECTORS — UNLOCKING]
He staggered. For the first time, not from battle — but from remembering.
The world flickered, and suddenly he wasn't standing on the battlefield anymore.
