The dim glow of Nexara's skyline barely reached the depths of the Nexus. As Ethan and Lena followed Mira through the labyrinth of tunnels and forgotten corridors, the weight of what they had just learned pressed down on Ethan's mind like a vice.
"The Codex doesn't just pass down knowledge... it replaces the host's consciousness if the merge isn't controlled."
Mira's words echoed in his thoughts, louder than they should have been.
"Crowe's consciousness will consume you."
Ethan's jaw clenched as his fingers brushed against the data core tucked securely in his jacket. It felt heavier now—as if the weight of an entire future rested in his hands.
But whose future? Mine... or Crowe's?
"Ethan?"
Lena's voice was soft, but the concern in her tone sliced through the fog clouding his mind.
"Yeah," Ethan murmured, forcing himself to focus. "I'm fine."
Lena didn't look convinced, but she didn't press.
"Almost there," Mira said softly, her footsteps echoing in the silence.
Ethan's gaze drifted toward Mira, his instincts prickling. Something about her still didn't sit right with him. She had answers—answers that Crowe had trusted her with—but she wasn't telling them everything.
Not yet.
Crowe knew her... but how much did he trust her?
They emerged into a dimly lit chamber filled with old tech and data consoles. The hum of dormant servers echoed softly, a distant pulse that sent a chill down Ethan's spine.
"This is it," Mira murmured, her fingers dancing across the console as it powered up. "Crowe's final encryption key should be here."
Ethan's pulse quickened as the console came to life, streams of data cascading across the screen.
"Give me a minute," Mira murmured, her eyes narrowing as she worked.
Ethan's heart pounded in his ears. But it wasn't the room or the console that had his nerves on edge.
It was the whispers.
Soft. Faint.
But they were there.
"You're not ready."
Ethan's breath caught as the voice echoed in his mind—a voice that wasn't his own.
"Crowe?"
The world around him blurred as a wave of memories surged forward, crashing over him like a tidal wave.
---
Flashback – Crowe's Lab
Cold. Sterile. The hum of data streams echoed through the lab as Crowe's fingers flew across the console, his expression tight with urgency.
"Almost there," Crowe murmured under his breath, his eyes locked on the encrypted data flooding the screen.
The lab lights flickered, casting jagged shadows across the walls.
"They're closing in..."
Crowe's jaw clenched as he tapped into the Codex's core, bypassing layers of encryption that shouldn't have been possible.
"Just a little more..."
"Daniel."
Crowe froze.
The voice was soft, but laced with a weight that sent a chill down his spine.
He turned slowly, his eyes meeting a familiar figure standing in the doorway.
Mira.
Her expression was unreadable, her eyes locked onto the console behind him.
"You can't finish this," she murmured softly, but there was no softness in her gaze.
Crowe's pulse quickened.
"I don't have a choice," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
Mira's jaw tightened.
"Then neither do I."
Before Crowe could react, a sharp sting pierced the back of his neck.
His body went rigid as the inhibitor flooded his system, dulling his connection to the Codex.
"Mira..." Crowe's voice was barely a whisper as his vision blurred.
"I'm sorry, Daniel," Mira murmured softly. "But this... this is bigger than both of us."
Darkness swallowed him as his world faded to black.
---
"Ethan."
Ethan's eyes snapped open, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"Ethan!"
Lena's voice pulled him back to the present, her hands gripping his shoulders.
"Stay with me," she murmured, her eyes wide with concern.
Ethan blinked, the remnants of the vision fading, but the weight of what he had seen remained.
"Mira..." Ethan's voice was barely above a whisper, his gaze snapping toward her.
Mira was still focused on the console, her expression unreadable.
"Found it," she murmured softly, her fingers dancing over the interface. "The encryption key."
Ethan's pulse hammered in his ears.
"You can't finish this."
"This is bigger than both of us."
The words echoed louder than before, making his skin crawl.
"Ethan," Lena's voice was barely above a whisper. "What did you see?"
Ethan's jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing as they locked onto Mira.
I can't tell her.
"Nothing," Ethan murmured, forcing his voice to stay steady. "Just... fragments."
Lena didn't look convinced, but she didn't push.
"Got it," Mira announced softly, stepping back from the console. The encryption key flashed on the screen, a complex string of data that pulsed faintly.
"This is it," Mira murmured, her voice tight.
Ethan's grip on the data core tightened.
"If you don't control it... Crowe's consciousness will consume you."
The weight of that truth settled over him like a suffocating shroud.
"Now what?" Lena asked, her eyes flicking between Ethan and Mira.
Mira's expression was unreadable as she turned toward them.
"Now," Mira murmured softly, "we prepare for what's coming."
But Ethan's instincts screamed that something was wrong.
Crowe's memories stirred again, faint whispers of warning that sent a chill down his spine.
"Trust is a luxury, Ethan."
Ethan's jaw clenched as his gaze lingered on Mira.
Because deep down, he knew—
The real danger wasn't just the Codex.
It was the people who wanted to control it.
And Mira...
Mira wasn't telling them everything.
---