Pianist_Frea

They told her she was just another orphan. Another runaway. Another nobody.

They lied.

When Ember is captured during a high-stakes escape, the Regime’s system scans her—and does something impossible. It lets her in.

The machines obey her. The code bends to her will. And a voice inside her head whispers secrets she was never meant to remember.

She isn’t just part of the system.

She is the system.

Now, both the Regime and the rebels want her—one to control her, the other to destroy her. But Ember has her own plan: BURN IT DOWN.

If the world made her a weapon, it’s about time she started acting like one.

Echoes of the System

The silence in the dead vehicle was suffocating.

Ember's pulse hammered in her ears, drowning out everything else. The girl's voice—her voice—still echoed in her mind.

"You're not supposed to be alive."

She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. No. No, this was some kind of sick trick. Some pre-recorded message meant to mess with her head. The Regime was always watching, always trying to break people down from the inside.

Rhea shifted beside her, voice tight. "We need to go. Now."

Kai, still weak but alert, looked between them. "Are we not gonna talk about the fact that the damn system just recognized Ember like she's a lost file?"

"Not here," Ember said quickly, forcing herself to focus. "We need to move before the Regime tracks this signal."

She tried to start the vehicle. Nothing. The dashboard remained black, the entire system fried.

Rhea groaned, shoving the door open. "We go on foot. The safehouse isn't far."

Ember nodded, sliding out after her. The night air was thick with the scent of rain and rust, the city's broken skyline stretching above them. No drones. No patrols. Yet.

Kai stumbled slightly as he climbed out, and Ember instinctively reached for him.

"I'm fine," he muttered, but he let her steady him anyway.

They moved quickly, sticking to the shadows. The streets were eerily empty, the distant hum of electricity buzzing through old neon signs.

But because of the truth pressing against Ember's skull.

The safehouse was a forgotten apartment, half-collapsed but hidden well enough to avoid scanners. Rhea barred the door behind them while Ember helped Kai onto the torn-up couch.

"What the hell was that back there?" Rhea snapped, arms crossed.

Ember exhaled slowly, choosing her words carefully. "I don't know."

Kai leaned forward. "Ember, that thing knew you."

She hesitated. So did the chip. So did the healing program.

Everything was pointing to one terrifying possibility—she wasn't just connected to the Regime's technology. She might be part of it.

She gritted her teeth. "I don't have answers, okay? I just—I don't remember anything before I was nine. Maybe this has something to do with that."

Rhea's expression darkened. "People don't just lose their past."

Ember met her gaze. "Unless someone took it."

Kai leaned back, rubbing a hand down his face. "Shit."

Ember swallowed, her chest tightening.

She had to find out the truth. Even if she wasn't ready for it.

Chapter Twelve