Wolfen led them through the facility.
The guards saw the Architect uniforms first—the black mask, the dark grey uniform, the unmistakable silhouette of someone who had spent years on the other side. Hands went to weapons. Bodies tensed. A scientist dropped her clipboard.
Wolfen's gaze swept over them. Just once. Calm. Unblinking.
They stepped aside.
No one asked questions.
He took them to Lily's room. The door was closed, the wood worn, the handle cool from disuse. Absolute 2 Eva stood in front of it, her hands shaking.
She couldn't open it.
Her fingers curled around the handle. Nothing. Her arm wouldn't move. Her body wouldn't obey. She stood there, frozen, staring at the door that led to the last place her sister had called home.
Sasha's hand covered hers. Warm. Steady. She helped her turn the handle.
The door swung open.
Absolute 2 Eva walked inside.
The room was small. A bed in one corner, neatly made. A bookshelf against the wall, filled with worn volumes she didn't recognize. A table with a single chair, a stack of blank paper, a pen that still had ink.
And a photograph. Eva, walking, smiling, caught in a moment she didn't remember.
She looked at everything. The way the light fell through the window. The way the shadows gathered in the corners. The way the air smelled faintly of smoke and something else—something that might have been Lily, or might have been memory.
She memorized it all. Every detail. Every crack in the ceiling. Every scratch on the floor. She would never forget this room. No matter what happened. No matter where she went.
Wolfen left them there. He had to tell the others.
───
The meeting room was cold. The lights were dim. Everyone was there—Eva, Maya, Leo, Jordan, Lena, Warden, the kid, Henrey, Selene. They looked at Wolfen with questions in their eyes.
"Absolute 2 Eva is here," he said. "She's in Lily's room. She came from her grave. She's with a friend."
Maya's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"She wanted to see where Lily lived." Wolfen's voice was flat. "Don't disturb her."
The door opened. Eva walked in, her face confused, her eyes scanning the room, reading the tension in everyone's posture.
"Why do the scientists look scared?"
Wolfen turned to her. "Absolute 2 Eva is here. She's in Lily's room."
Eva stared at him. Her hands clenched. Her jaw tightened. She turned and walked out, Maya following close behind.
The door closed.
The room was silent.
───
Wolfen walked toward his room. The corridor was empty, the lights weak, the air cold. His mind was somewhere else—Lily's room, the grave, the look on Absolute 2 Eva's face when she couldn't open the door.
He wasn't paying attention.
He almost bumped into Zoey.
She was standing in the hallway, her arms crossed, her hair loose, her eyes fixed on him. She didn't look angry. She looked worried.
"You okay?"
Wolfen blinked. "Yeah. I'm fine."
"Wolfen." Her voice was soft. "I know you're lying."
"No, seriously." He tried to smile. "I'm fine, sugar cubes."
Zoey's expression didn't change. She looked at him for a long moment, her eyes searching his face, reading something he couldn't see.
"I never told anyone this," she said, "but I can read minds. So stop lying."
Wolfen's eyebrows rose. "You can?"
"Yeah. But I don't, because that's not nice. And telling people would make them uneasy around me." She paused. "I didn't read your mind," she added quickly. "I would never—"
Wolfen chuckled. "Don't worry. You can read my mind. But I'm warning you—you'll be disgusted by what you see."
Zoey's face went red. "What do you mean by that? What do you think I'm going to see?"
"Nothing." He smiled.
Zoey held his hand. Her fingers were warm, soft, real. Her voice was small.
"Wolfen."
He looked at her.
"You're not alone." She squeezed his hand. "You can tell me anything."
Wolfen looked into her eyes. The gold in his irises flickered. His throat moved. His chest felt tight.
He closed his eyes.
And something inside him broke.