Chapter 36: Echoes of What Remains
Author: MrLostLetter
Ethan's eyes adjusted slowly as the dim light of the safehouse came into focus. His body felt... heavy. His muscles ached, and the pulse of the Codex, though quieter now, was still there—lingering beneath the surface like an ember waiting to ignite.
"Ethan..."
Lena's voice was the first thing he heard, her hand still resting gently on his cheek. Her eyes were filled with relief, but her expression was shadowed by worry.
"You're back."
Ethan's jaw tightened as he forced a weak smile.
"Yeah..." His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.
"But not for long if I don't get up."
Lena's brow furrowed, but she didn't argue. Instead, she helped him sit up, her touch grounding him as his mind tried to make sense of... everything.
"Easy," she murmured, her grip firm but gentle.
Ethan's vision blurred for a moment, his head pounding as the aftershocks of the Codex's surge rippled through him.
"How long..."
"Seven minutes," Dorian's voice cut in from the other side of the room. His expression was grim, his cybernetic eye flickering as he analyzed the remaining data streams.
"You were gone for seven minutes."
Ethan's breath caught.
"Seven minutes?"
Dorian's jaw clenched.
"We almost lost you."
---
The weight of Dorian's words hung heavy in the air, and Ethan could feel the tension tightening in his chest. Seven minutes.
"I... I don't remember much," Ethan murmured, rubbing his temples as the throbbing in his head intensified.
"Just... darkness."
Lena's hand brushed against his, her touch warm despite the chill in the room.
"I kept calling you," she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I didn't stop."
Ethan's eyes met hers, and for a moment, the Codex's hum faded into the background.
"You brought me back," he murmured softly.
Lena's lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn't speak.
Ethan's gaze shifted to Dorian, who was staring at the holo-interface with an intensity that made Ethan's stomach twist.
"Dorian."
Ethan's voice was stronger now, the weight of the moment grounding him.
"What's wrong?"
Dorian's cybernetic eye flickered as he processed the data faster than Ethan's mind could keep up.
"The merge..." Dorian's voice trailed off, his jaw tightening as he turned to face Ethan.
"It didn't stop."
---
Ethan's breath caught, his pulse quickening again.
"Wait... what?"
Lena's grip on his hand tightened, her eyes widening.
"I thought we—"
"We slowed it down," Dorian interrupted, his voice sharp, but there was something else...
Regret.
"But it didn't stop."
Ethan's jaw clenched, the pulse of the Codex growing louder again, just enough to remind him that it was still there.
"How much time do we have?"
Dorian's brow furrowed as his fingers moved quickly over the interface, analyzing the Core's shifting protocols.
"Not long," he murmured, his voice tight.
"Minutes. Maybe less."
---
Ethan's heart pounded harder, the pulse of the Codex vibrating through his veins again, stronger than before.
"I can feel it," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
"It's still there."
Lena's eyes filled with concern, her grip on his hand tightening.
"Ethan..."
Ethan's jaw clenched, his breathing steady but strained.
"I'm still in control," he whispered, but even as he said the words, he wasn't sure how true they were.
"Not for long."
Crowe's voice echoed softly in the back of his mind, but it was quieter now. Weaker.
"The merge isn't complete... but it's close."
Ethan's pulse quickened, the weight of those words hitting harder than he expected.
"How do I stop it?"
"You can't."
Ethan's jaw clenched.
"There has to be a way."
"There is."
Crowe's voice was quieter now, almost... distant.
"But it's not one you're going to like."
---
Dorian's holo-pad beeped sharply, the warning flashing across the interface.
"Ethan..."
Dorian's voice was quieter now, but the urgency in it was impossible to miss.
"The Core's systems are shifting again."
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
"Shifting how?"
Dorian's jaw tightened, his cybernetic eye flickering as he analyzed the data.
"It's stabilizing."
Lena's brow furrowed.
"Stabilizing?"
Dorian's gaze met Ethan's, his expression grim.
"The Core isn't shutting down."
Ethan's pulse pounded louder, his mind racing.
"Then what's it doing?"
Dorian's jaw clenched.
"It's... preparing for a full merge."
---
The room fell into a heavy silence, the weight of those words settling like a storm waiting to break.
"Full merge," Lena murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"If that happens..."
Dorian's gaze was grim, his voice steady but filled with quiet dread.
"If the merge completes, Ethan..."
His eyes locked onto Ethan's, the gravity of the situation pressing down on them.
"You won't be you anymore."
---
Ethan's breath came faster, his mind spinning as the Codex's pulse resonated louder in his veins.
"There has to be another way."
Dorian's jaw clenched.
"There isn't."
Lena's eyes flickered with quiet desperation as she looked between them.
"Then we stop it."
Ethan's jaw tightened as he pushed himself to his feet, his body still weak but his mind clearer now.
"We cut the Codex off from the Core."
Dorian's brow furrowed.
"How?"
Ethan's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched as a single thought formed.
"We sever the last thread."
---
Lena's breath caught, her eyes widening as she realized what he was suggesting.
"Ethan..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper now, her fear evident.
"If we do that—"
Ethan's gaze met hers, his expression hardened.
"We don't have a choice."
Lena's jaw clenched, but her eyes never left his.
"Are you sure?"
Ethan's pulse quickened, the weight of the decision pressing down on him.
"No."
But his voice was steady.
"But I'm not losing myself."
---
Dorian's fingers moved quickly across the holo-interface, his cybernetic eye flickering as he processed the Core's shifting protocols.
"If we sever the connection..."
His voice trailed off, his jaw tightening.
"We lose everything."
Ethan's jaw clenched.
"Then we make sure that doesn't happen."
Lena's hand brushed lightly against his, her touch grounding him.
"Ethan..."
Her voice was softer now, but the concern in her eyes was impossible to ignore.
"Don't lose yourself."
Ethan's breath caught, his jaw tightening as he met her gaze.
"I won't."
But even as he said the words...
The Codex's pulse grew louder again, and Ethan knew...
The final battle was just beginning.
---
Next Chapter: Chapter 37: The Core's Final Test