“I think it knows me.”Grace’s words hung in the room.Nobody moved.The original card remained suspended above the table, glowing with a soft golden light that seemed completely different from the usual blue-white glow of Alex’s system. The circle engraved into its surface had become brighter, and the infinity symbol inside it was slowly rotating.Victor Kane stared at Grace as though he had just seen something impossible.Alex looked from the card to Grace.“Grace?”She didn't answer.Her eyes were fixed on the card.For several seconds, she simply stood there, perfectly still. Then she lifted one small hand and pressed it against her chest.“My heart…”Victoria immediately stepped closer.“What is wrong?”Grace shook her head.“I don't know.”Alex crouched beside her.“Does it hurt?”“No.”Grace frowned.“It feels like… remembering.”The moment she said that, the original card flashed.A wave of golden light spread across the room.The windows rattled.The lights flickered.Every s

The room remained silent long after Grace's final words.The system wasn't created by humans.Alex couldn't stop hearing them.Victor stood beside the table, staring at the original card. The golden circle had stopped glowing violently, but something about it had changed. It no longer looked like an ordinary object.It looked like a piece of something much larger.Something none of them understood.Alex looked at Grace.“You said the system existed before humans knew about it.”Grace nodded slowly.“I think so.”“And you were connected to it before you became human.”“Yes.”“Then there must be records.”Victor immediately looked toward the black archive terminal.“There are.”Everyone turned.The screen had come back on.Unlike the previous archive interface, this one wasn't displaying dates or host names.It displayed a single sentence.> [HISTORICAL HOST ARCHIVE — ACCESSING EARLIEST RECOVERABLE RECORD.]Victor stepped closer.“I've never accessed this section.”Alex looked at him.“

The golden map remained suspended above the terminal.A single point blinked in the darkness.Alex stared at it.“Can you identify the location?”The system responded immediately.> [LOCATION IDENTIFICATION COMPLETE.]> [DISTANCE: 184.7 MILES.]> [FACILITY STATUS: ABANDONED.]> [PUBLIC RECORD STATUS: NONEXISTENT.]Victor stepped closer.“Nonexistent?”Victoria folded her arms.“You mean no government records?”“No,” Victor said. “I mean no records at all.”Alex looked at the coordinates.“Then we're going.”Victor's expression tightened.“You don't know what's there.”Alex glanced at Grace.“I know the first host disappeared there.”“We don't know that.”“Then we'll find out.”Grace quietly took Alex's hand.“I remember the place.”Alex looked down at her.“You're sure?”She nodded.“Not everything. Just pieces.”“What pieces?”Grace looked toward the map.“A door.”She swallowed.“And a voice.”Alex's eyes narrowed.“What did the voice say?”Grace shook her head.“I can't remember.”