The wind howled across the collapsed remains of Silverleaf, carrying dust, ash, and the faint metallic scent of burned circuitry. Most of the world had already forgotten this place-sealed off, written off as "stabilized," declared safe by the same people who had caused the disaster.
But one man still returned.
A single beam of light shook through the ruins as Dr. Min climbed over fractured stone and bent steel, his lab coat torn and smeared with soot. His hands trembled-not from fear, but from exhaustion and something dangerously close to hope.
"Come on... come on..." he muttered to himself, pushing aside a fallen support beam.
His flashlight flickered, illuminating shattered consoles, melted wires, and walls scorched by the violent clash of prototypes. Every step he took echoed in the hollow cavern, as if the ruins themselves were warning him away.
But he kept going.
He had to.
At the far corner of the collapsed chamber-where scanners had reported "no activity detected"-a faint glimmer pulsed once.
Then again.
Dr. Min froze.
"No... it can't be..."
He stumbled forward, dropping to his knees as he brushed away shards of glass and carbon dust with frantic hands.
There, half-buried beneath debris, a tiny sphere of light trembled like a heartbeat.
Not hazel.
A gentle, soft light blue.
Weak. Fading. But alive.
Dr. Min's breath broke out in a shaky laugh-equal parts relief and disbelief.
"Hui..." he whispered, voice cracking. "There you are."
He carefully cupped his hands around the flickering particle, shielding it from the cold air and dust. The faint light quivered in response, as if recognizing him.
"Thank God you're still alive," he whispered, tears burning unexpectedly at the corners of his eyes. "I thought I lost you too."
The particle pulsed again-barely, but enough.
Dr. Min closed his eyes, exhaling a trembling breath that sounded painfully close to a prayer.
"I need you, Hui," he murmured, holding the light close to his chest. "Will you help me?"
The blue glow steadied for a heartbeat.
A response.
A promise.
A beginning.
And in the silent dark of the ruins, something shifted-quiet but certain.
Prototype 02 had awakened.
And the world would change again.