CH.25

The abandoned research facility was silent now, but Celeste felt its weight pressing down on her. The pedestal stood empty, the relic nestled back in her pack, its pulsing energy subdued as though mourning the loss of the projection. The symbols on the walls had faded, their golden glow reduced to faint outlines that whispered of their purpose. The air was heavy with the hum of machinery—a reminder that the systems here were still alive, waiting to be understood.

Celeste leaned against the cold metallic wall, her breath uneven as she tried to steady herself. She couldn't shake the image of Ethan's fragmented form from her mind—the way his presence had flickered, desperate and incomplete. The loss felt sharper now, a deep ache that settled in her chest and refused to let go. She had been so close to him, closer than ever before, and now it felt like the distance between them had only grown.

But she wasn't ready to give up. Not now. Not ever.

---

LYRA's voice broke the silence, soft and measured. "The system remains operational, though the interference has destabilized key components. Continued exploration may reveal additional data to assist in reintegration."

Celeste nodded, her fingers tightening around the console in her hand. "We'll find it," she murmured. "Whatever's causing the interference, whatever's blocking him... we'll find it."

The corridor stretched out before her, its walls lined with glowing conduits that pulsed faintly in rhythm with her footsteps. Celeste moved cautiously, her senses on high alert as she scanned the area for anything out of place. The facility felt alive in a way that unsettled her—its systems reacting to her presence, guiding her deeper into its labyrinthine structure.

As she rounded a corner, the corridor opened into a smaller room, its walls covered in screens that flickered with faint, distorted images. Celeste's breath caught as she stepped closer, her gaze drawn to the flickering shapes on the screens. They were fragmented, incomplete—faces, places, moments frozen in time but distorted beyond recognition. Her fingers brushed one of the screens, the static clearing briefly to reveal an image of Ethan's face.

Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at the image, her fingers trembling against the screen. It was him—whole and alive, his expression calm but distant. But before she could process the moment, the image dissolved into static once more, leaving her staring at the empty screen.

"LYRA," she said, her voice steady but tinged with urgency. "Can you recover the data from these screens?"

LYRA hummed faintly, its tone neutral. "Data retrieval may be possible. Attempting to interface with the system."

Celeste stepped back as the screens flickered again, the static clearing briefly to reveal more distorted images. They shifted rapidly, forming sequences that felt almost like memories—a man walking down a corridor, a hand reaching for a glowing object, a voice echoing faintly in the background. Celeste strained to hear the words, her pulse quickening as the voice grew louder.

"Love... endures," the voice whispered, faint but unmistakable.

The screens went dark once more, the hum of the facility growing louder as the images dissolved into static. Celeste's breath caught, her mind racing as she tried to process what she had seen. The words echoed in her mind, their meaning resonating deeply even as their origin remained unclear.

"Data recovery incomplete," LYRA said. "Fragments of stored consciousness detected but inaccessible due to interference."

Celeste clenched her fists, frustration surging through her. The interference was everywhere, blocking every path to Ethan, every chance to bring him back. But she couldn't let it stop her—not now, not when she was so close.

---

She pressed forward, the corridors growing narrower and darker as she moved deeper into the facility. The glow of the conduits provided faint illumination, casting long shadows that seemed to dance and shift in the dim light. Celeste's steps echoed softly, her breathing steady as she followed the faint pulsing of the systems around her.

As she entered another room, her gaze was drawn to a central console, its surface smooth and metallic. The console pulsed faintly, its energy resonating with the relic in her pack. Celeste stepped closer, her fingers brushing over the surface as the console flickered to life.

Threads of light extended from the console, forming intricate patterns that mirrored the symbols she had seen in the chamber. Celeste's heart raced as she reached for the relic, its pulsing energy intensifying as she placed it on the console.

The room surged with light, the symbols on the walls glowing brightly as the console hummed with energy. Celeste held her breath as the threads of light began to shift, forming shapes that coalesced into another figure—a silhouette, brighter and more stable than the one in the chamber.

"Ethan," she whispered, her voice trembling.

The figure flickered, its light steady but faint. Celeste felt tears welling in her eyes as she stepped closer, her hand reaching toward the glowing form. She wanted to hold him, to tell him she was here, that she wouldn't leave him behind.

But before she could speak, the figure began to fade, its form dissolving into the light. The hum of the console grew louder, the threads of light pulling back into the system as the room fell silent once more.

Celeste stood frozen, her hand hovering in the air where the figure had been. The ache in her chest grew sharper, but she refused to let it break her resolve.

"I'll bring you back," she said softly, her voice steady. "No matter what it takes, I'll bring you back."