Five years after the fall of Genesis.
The city of New Echelon was a shimmering pillar of hope.
Built on the ruins of the old world, it was a symbol of what came after. Clean energy, rebuilt districts, a council of leaders—many of them survivors of the Genesis era.
And walking through its steel-lined streets, hood up, backpack slung low—
Lia Wong.
She moved like someone who used to fight. Someone who didn't have to anymore—but hadn't forgotten how.
The world had changed, but her instincts hadn't dulled.
In a café on the upper tier, Kairo waited. He was taller now, sharper—his once-rough demeanor now laced with purpose. His eyes flicked to the door as Lia entered.
"Late," he said, sipping from a steaming cup.
"Still faster than you," she replied, smirking.
She slid into the seat across from him and dropped a datachip onto the table. It glowed violet-red—their signature.
"I pulled it from the old Genesis satellite array. There's a signal. Constant. Untraceable." She leaned in. "And it's calling itself Echo."
Kairo went still.
They had heard the whispers:
The Black Ark. A remnant lab. Something… watching.
He met her eyes. "We told Mom and Dad?"
"They're off-grid. Living. Resting." Her voice softened. "Let them."
Kairo nodded slowly. "Then it's just us."
Lia smiled. "It's always been just us."
Suddenly, a soft ping echoed from the chip.
A voice played through—distorted, synthetic.
"If you are hearing this… you've already been chosen."
And somewhere deep beneath New Echelon, in an unmarked sector, a machine stirred.