CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO "The man with the silver hair?" I repeated. The boy behind the glass shook his head. "No. He's only a messenger." "Then who heard me?" The boy smiled faintly. "You did." I stared at him. "That makes no sense." "It will." Behind me, Elena shifted Julius's weight against her shoulder. Daniel kept his rifle trained on the corridor, while the unnamed girl stood perfectly still. I glanced at her. "How much do you know about this place?" "Enough to know we shouldn't be here." "That's not an answer." "It's the only one I can give you right now." The boy laughed. "She's still afraid of the truth." The girl's expression hardened. "Be quiet." "Or what? You'll erase another memory?" She went pale. I turned toward her. "What is he talking about?" She didn't answer. I faced the boy again. "You said something heard my regret. Then you said I heard it myself. Explain it properly." The boy stepped away from the glass and returned to his bed. "Come inside

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR The elevator shuddered beneath our feet. I stared at the System notification floating before my eyes, unable to ignore the words that had appeared at the end of the last message. IDENTITY CONFLICT WILL BECOME IRREVERSIBLE. Two original birth records. Two children. One name. And something beneath Central Tower had just called me its little brother. “Tell me what you know,” I said to the girl. She glanced at the elevator doors. “I know we have a problem.” “That isn't an answer.” “It's the only one I can give you without making things worse.” Julius leaned against the wall, one hand pressed against his ribs. His face had regained some color, but black veins still crawled beneath the skin around his neck. Whatever had happened during the authority trial, his body hadn't recovered. “She's hiding something,” he muttered. The girl looked at him. “You murdered your best friend and spent the next five years helping the person who arranged it. Maybe you should si

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX The newborn kept crying. Its cries echoed through the hospital entrance, rising above the distant alarms and the groaning of the damaged building. I stared into the darkness beyond the open doors. Ten minutes. That was how long I had before the System decided which Aeron Miller was allowed to exist. “Stay close,” I told the others. Elena drew her sword. Daniel checked his rifle, while Julius tried to summon his Authority of Dominion. The black veins around his neck immediately tightened. He stopped. “Still can't control it,” he muttered. “Then don't force it,” I said. He gave me a bitter smile. “You're beginning to sound like someone who cares whether I survive.” “Don't flatter yourself. I just don't want to carry your body.” The girl moved past us and entered the hospital. “Argue later. If the other one finishes the synchronization, none of us will remember why we're here.” I followed her inside. The reception area was deserted. Chai

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT I couldn't breathe. Something had wrapped itself around my chest, pulling me away from my body. The hospital room blurred, and the people around me became distant shadows. I heard Elena shouting my name. I heard Julius curse. Then another voice spoke inside my head. You took everything from me. The other Aeron. His voice was no longer coming from the monitor. It was inside my mind. My name. My family. My future. Even my death. I tried to move, but my body wouldn't respond. A violet light spread across my vision. [IDENTITY TRANSFER: 10%.] [HOST RESISTANCE DETECTED.] [WARNING: RESISTANCE WILL CAUSE MEMORY COLLAPSE.] I clenched my teeth. “Get out of my head.” A laugh answered me. You still don't understand. This was never your life. The hospital disappeared. I was standing in a familiar living room. A television played quietly in the corner. A small birthday cake sat on the table. Someone had decorated the walls with blue balloons. A woman stood

CHAPTER FORTY [ONLY ONE AERON MILLER MAY LEAVE THIS HOSPITAL ALIVE.] The message remained in front of my eyes. I stared at the other Aeron. He was still holding my hand. “Whatever happens,” I said, “don't let go.” He gave a faint smile. “You're the one who said we weren't friends.” “We aren't.” “Good. I would hate to become friends with someone who stole my life.” The ground beneath us vanished. I fell. There was no wind, no sound, and no sense of direction. One moment I was inside the hospital, and the next I was falling through an endless black space. Then I hit the ground. Hard. [TRIAL ENVIRONMENT CREATED.] [LOCATION: THE ORIGIN CHAMBER.] [PARTICIPANTS: AERON MILLER — BLUE RECORD.] [AERON MILLER — SILVER RECORD.] [OBJECTIVE: CLAIM THE FIRST AUTHORITY.] [FAILURE: BOTH PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ERASED.] I pushed myself upright. The other Aeron was several feet away, rubbing his shoulder. “Still alive?” I asked. “Unfortunately.” I looked around. We were standing i