CH.26
The corridors of the facility stretched on like veins of a living organism, illuminated only by the faint, rhythmic glow of conduits embedded in the walls. Celeste moved forward with steady resolve, the soles of her boots echoing softly against the cold metallic floor. The air here carried an eerie stillness, broken only by the occasional crackle of distant static emanating from the dormant systems scattered throughout.
Each step she took pulled her deeper into the heart of the labyrinth, where the answers—and dangers—awaited. The memory of Ethan's silhouette, flickering and fragile yet achingly familiar, burned in her mind like a scar she couldn't ignore. The way his form had almost held together, before dissolving into light and leaving her once again with the heavy void of longing—it was unbearable. But it had also ignited something within her. A fire. A promise. She wouldn't stop, not when she was so close. Not when his presence was still within reach.
---
The conduits ahead began to pulse more brightly as Celeste entered what appeared to be another central chamber. This one dwarfed the others she'd encountered so far, its walls rising high into the shadows above. Strange machinery lined the perimeter, faintly whirring, as though waiting for an activation command. At the center of the chamber stood a large cylindrical structure, its surface smooth and reflective like liquid metal frozen mid-motion. It radiated faint energy, the kind that made her skin tingle and her pulse quicken.
LYRA hummed quietly in her hand, and Celeste brought the device closer to her chest, feeling Ethan's presence thrumming faintly within it. She approached the cylinder cautiously, her fingers brushing against its cool surface. The moment she touched it, the room responded. Panels along the walls lit up in cascading waves, their displays flickering to life with streams of data and holographic symbols.
"System activation detected," LYRA announced. "Central core operational. Interface required for data retrieval."
"Interface," Celeste muttered under her breath, scanning the room for anything resembling a console or input device. Her gaze fell on a circular panel embedded in the floor just a few feet away from the cylinder. Its glowing edges and intricate carvings bore the same patterns she had seen on the relic—the same patterns she had seen in the chamber where she had first glimpsed Ethan.
Taking a deep breath, she knelt down and placed the relic into the center of the panel. The reaction was immediate. Threads of light extended from the relic, weaving into the panel's carvings and sending a surge of energy rippling through the room. The cylindrical structure began to hum and pulse, its surface swirling like liquid as it projected a massive holographic sphere into the air above it.
Celeste stepped back, her eyes widening as the sphere expanded, its surface shimmering with lines of light that formed intricate networks. Images flickered across the sphere—fragments of memories, scattered and disjointed. She saw glimpses of faces, voices that echoed faintly, moments frozen in time yet distorted by the boundaries of the system. And then, she saw him.
Ethan's face appeared within the sphere, more vivid and whole than before. His expression was calm, but his eyes carried a weight that made her breath hitch. He turned slightly, as though looking directly at her, before the image shattered into fragments once more.
---
Celeste's hands tightened into fists as she stared at the sphere, her heart pounding. "Ethan," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Can you hear me? Can you see me?"
The sphere pulsed faintly in response, the fragments within shifting and swirling. For a moment, she thought she heard his voice—soft, distant, and fragmented like the echo of a dream.
"Celeste... you're close," the voice said, barely audible. "Find... the... anchor."
"The anchor?" she repeated, her eyes scanning the sphere for any clue. The word felt familiar, like the fragment of a memory she couldn't quite grasp. "What anchor? Where is it?"
The sphere flickered violently, the voice dissolving into static as the room's hum grew louder. LYRA chimed in, its tone urgent. "External interference increasing. Stability of the core is compromised. Immediate action is required."
Celeste's mind raced as she tried to process what was happening. The interference was here again, just as it had been in the chamber, blocking her path to Ethan and destabilizing the system. But this time, she wouldn't let it stop her.
She reached for her console, her fingers flying over the interface as she worked to isolate the interference. Lines of code scrolled across the screen, their complexity increasing as she delved deeper into the facility's systems. The hum grew louder, the lights in the room flickering as the interference pushed back against her efforts.
"Come on," she muttered under her breath, her jaw tightening as she fought to stabilize the core. Sweat beaded on her forehead, her hands trembling as she worked. The room seemed to close in around her, the weight of the task pressing down on her like a physical force.
And then, she found it—a disruption buried deep within the system's code, its origin unknown but its purpose clear. The interference was designed to block access to the central core, to keep the memories—and Ethan—locked away. But Celeste wasn't about to let it win.
With a final surge of determination, she bypassed the disruption and initiated a manual override. The room shuddered as the interference was forced back, the holographic sphere stabilizing once more. The fragments within began to coalesce, forming a more defined image of Ethan's silhouette.
---
The cylinder pulsed brightly, its energy resonating through the room as Ethan's figure flickered into focus. He was still incomplete, his form shimmering like a reflection in rippling water, but he was there. His voice, though faint and fragmented, carried a warmth that brought tears to Celeste's eyes.
"Celeste," he said, his tone steady despite the distortion. "You... found me."
She stepped closer, her hand reaching toward the glowing figure. "I'm here," she said, her voice breaking. "I'm not leaving you. We'll finish this. We'll bring you back."
Ethan's form flickered, his light dimming briefly before stabilizing. "The anchor," he repeated, his voice urgent. "It's the only way... to restore what's lost."
"What is it?" she asked, her heart pounding. "Where do I find it?"
Before he could answer, the interference surged once more, the room shaking violently as the lights flickered and dimmed. Ethan's figure began to fade, his voice dissolving into static as the core destabilized again.
"No!" Celeste cried, her hands clenching into fists. "Stay with me! Ethan!"
The figure disappeared, the holographic sphere collapsing into a burst of light that left the room in darkness. The hum of the machinery faded, leaving only the faint glow of the conduits to illuminate the chamber.
Celeste stood frozen, her chest heaving as tears streamed down her face. She had been so close—closer than ever before—but the interference had taken him from her again. She wiped at her face, her jaw tightening as she turned back to the console.
"This isn't over," she said quietly, her voice steady despite the storm of emotions raging within her. "I'll find the anchor. I'll bring you back."
The relic pulsed faintly in her pack, its energy a quiet reassurance that the connection hadn't been lost completely. Taking a deep breath, Celeste gathered her things and prepared to move forward. The path ahead was uncertain, but her resolve was stronger than ever.