For a heartbeat, Palo didn't speak.
He couldn't.
The tunnel felt colder than before, the light dimmer, the silence heavier—like even the underground air recoiled from Ash's confession.
"You're… marked," Palo repeated, barely audible.
Ash's jaw tightened, but he didn't look away. "Yes."
Dr. Calder stepped back slightly, giving them space—though Palo could feel the man's gaze like a scalpel.
"The organization has tracked certain children for years," Calder said calmly. "Children with unusual perception. Unusual intuition. Unusual memory." His eyes flicked to Palo. "Or unusual potential."
Palo didn't flinch, but the word "potential" made his stomach twist.
"And Ash?" Palo asked quietly.
Calder nodded. "Ash was on the list long before you were."
Ash's voice dropped. "My mom found out by accident. She saw the symbol on my medical records—one she didn't recognize. She confronted the wrong person about it."
Palo's heart clenched.
"That's what put her in danger."
Ash's expression cracked for a moment—grief rushing through like a shadow. "Yeah," he whispered. "She didn't realize how deep they were in until it was too late."
Dr. Calder crossed his arms. "They wanted Ash—not your mother. But she interfered. And the organization doesn't tolerate interference."
Palo stared at Ash, his mind racing.
"You never told me."
Ash looked down, voice soft.
"How could I? I didn't want you to be scared of me."
Palo felt his breath catch.
"I'm not scared of you."
Ash's eyes lifted, surprised and vulnerable in a way Palo wasn't used to seeing.
But before either of them spoke again, Calder cleared his throat, stepping closer.
"That mark didn't just identify Ash," he said. "It bound him to the organization. Every child with the mark developed heightened senses or abilities—subtle, but valuable."
Palo frowned. "Abilities?"
Ash shifted uncomfortably.
"Some of us can read patterns faster. Notice details others miss. Sense danger sooner."
Palo blinked.
"That's why you always seem to know when something's wrong."
Ash nodded faintly.
"It's not magic. Just… awareness. Enhanced instinct."
Calder added, "And a risk. Those marked children often became targets of the organization's internal factions—some wanted to use them, others wanted to eliminate them."
Palo's chest tightened.
"So you've been hiding for nine years."
Ash's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Not just hiding. Protecting you."
Palo felt something inside him twist—confusion, gratitude, something deeper he couldn't quite name.
"You protected me because you felt guilty?"
Ash's head snapped up.
"No. Not guilt."
Calder watched the exchange, expression unreadable.
Ash took a small step closer to Palo—carefully, like he didn't want to overwhelm him.
"I protected you," Ash said quietly, "because you were the only one who ever made me feel less alone. Even before your memories faded… you trusted me."
Palo's breath thinned, his chest tightening—not in fear, but in something raw and unspoken.
Calder's voice cut back in, breaking the moment.
"There's something both of you need to understand."
He looked straight at Palo.
"Ash isn't the only one marked anymore."
Palo felt the world tilt.
"…What?"
Ash's head whipped toward Calder. "What did you just say?"
Calder took a slow breath.
"When they recaptured Palo nine years ago, after the struggle… they didn't just erase his memories. They marked him too."
Palo staggered back a step.
"No— I would've known—"
"You didn't," Calder said softly, "because your mark wasn't activated."
Ash looked pale.
"Activated? What activates it?"
Calder hesitated—just long enough to make Palo's skin crawl.
"Stress. Trauma. Or—"
His eyes flicked to Ash.
"—contact with another marked individual."
Ash froze.
Palo felt a chill ripple down his spine.
"Are you saying Ash activated mine?"
Calder nodded. "Unintentionally. The moment you two reunited, the mark began to awaken."
Ash took a shaky breath.
"That's why the Observers were watching you," he whispered. "That's why they showed up again."
Calder added, "And why they're not just after you anymore, Palo—they're after the two of you together."
Palo's heart pounded.
"So… what does this mark do to me?"
Calder shook his head.
"It's still dormant. But when it fully awakens, you'll remember everything."
Palo felt his stomach drop.
"Everything… about that night?"
"Yes," Calder said. "And everything about who you were before it."
Ash stepped closer, panic in his voice.
"Palo—listen to me. You don't have to face those memories. Not if you don't want to."
Palo looked up at him.
"Ash… I think I need to know."
Ash's expression cracked—fear, sadness, and something protectively intense all at once.
Dr. Calder turned toward the deeper tunnel.
"There's only one place where the activation can be stopped—or completed. The abandoned sector. The one you drew as a child."
Palo's heart leapt.
"The building in my drawing."
Ash's voice was tight.
"If we go there, they'll know."
Calder nodded. "Yes. But they already know you're alive. And if you don't reach it before they do, they'll activate the mark in their own way."
Palo swallowed hard.
"What happens if they activate it?"
Calder met his eyes.
"You won't be yourself anymore."
Ash moved immediately between Palo and Calder, voice sharp with fear.
"Don't talk to him like that."
Palo touched Ash's arm—lightly, steadying.
"It's okay," Palo whispered. "I need the truth."
A long silence stretched.
Finally, Calder exhaled.
"You have two options," he said. "Hide and hope your mark stays dormant… or go to the facility and reclaim your memories before someone else uses them."
Ash's voice trembled with something close to desperation.
"If you go, I'm going with you."
Palo met his eyes.
"I know."
And Ash looked like that simple answer nearly broke him.
Calder turned toward the dark passageway.
"Then follow me. Before the others find this tunnel."
Palo and Ash exchanged a look—fear and determination tightening between them like a vow neither had spoken but both understood.
Then they stepped forward into the darkness.
Together.