Chapter 16 – Fragments of Fire: The Shard Decision

The memory shard pulsed like a heartbeat in Kael's hand—soft gold flickers surrounded by embers of red.

Elira stared at it, breathing shallow, every instinct screaming to run—and yet, she didn't move.

"Once it merges with you," Kael said carefully, "there's no going back. The loop shatters. Your memories—all versions of you—will flood in."

Her voice barely broke through the panic clawing at her throat. "And if I can't handle it?"

"You'll lose yourself. Maybe even die."

She looked up at him. "Then why offer it?"

Kael's jaw tightened. "Because you told me to. The real you. The first you."

The firelight of the shard danced in her eyes. She didn't know if she was ready to become that version again. Or if she even wanted to.

"Why was I running in the first place?"

Kael's gaze dropped. "You saw something. Mnemosyne was using people—turning minds into maps, identities into storage drives. You cracked the system from the inside. They tried to erase you. So… you erased yourself first."

A sick laugh bubbled in her throat. "Great plan. How did that work out for me?"

Kael stepped closer. "You survived. Again and again. And now? You're stronger than you think."

A rumble echoed in the distance.

Sirens.

Christine was coming.

They didn't have time.

Kael pressed the shard into her palm. It was hot—too hot—and yet, she didn't let go.

"Do it," he said. "Or destroy it. But choose, Elira. Because if they get to you first, they'll overwrite everything."

The shard glowed brighter. It hummed with a resonance only she could hear—a thousand voices screaming, whispering, remember us.

She looked to Kael.

"Will I remember loving you?" she asked.

He blinked, once.

Then said quietly, "Yes. And you'll remember hating me too."

Memory influx begins.

It was like a dam breaking.

Visions tore through her:

A cold lab, her wrists bound in metal cuffs.

A woman—her real mother?—screaming as men dragged her away.

Christine, whispering: You can't trust Kael. He's one of them.

Kael, holding her as she bled. Saying her real name. Not Elira.

She gasped, nearly collapsing, but Kael caught her.

"I'm here," he murmured. "I've always been here."

Her head throbbed. The world swam. The loop unraveled. She felt like she was fracturing into thirteen different versions of herself—and yet, somewhere in the center…

Clarity.

Her voice cut through the chaos like a blade.

"They took my name. They rewrote my soul. But they didn't break me."

Suddenly—

The door burst open.

Christine.

But her face wasn't twisted in anger.

It was fear.

"Elira!" she shouted. "They're coming! Mnemosyne found the core. They're going to reset you permanently!"

Kael raised his arm defensively. "She's already chosen."

Christine's eyes widened. "You activated the shard?"

Elira stood on her own.

"No," she said.

Then reached behind her back—and pulled out the cracked tablet she had hidden in her jacket.

"I activated all of them."

The city lights flickered.

Somewhere far off, machines began to scream.