The Final Number

The sun never reached this part of the forest.

Valeria walked alone, blood on her hands—not hers. Her mother's revolver weighed heavy in her pocket. Each step echoed louder in her mind than in the woods.

And then… she saw it.

The Chapel.

Crumbling stone. Stained glass shattered. A bell tower leaning like it had heard too many secrets.

She stepped closer—but a voice called from behind.

> "Don't go in there, Valeria."

She turned.

A man stood just beyond the trees.

Tall. Calm. Eyes too familiar.

> "You look like your father," he said.

Valeria froze. "My… what?"

The man stepped forward, lowering his hood.

> "I'm Number One."

Her breath hitched.

> "You were never supposed to find me," he said. "But I guess destiny loves unfinished equations."

She pulled the revolver. "You're lying."

"I wish I was," he whispered. "But I'm your older brother."

He pulled a chain from his neck—on it, a ring identical to the one in her mother's notebook.

> "They thought I died in the experiment," he continued. "But I escaped. And I've been watching you. Guiding you."

Valeria's mind spun. "You sent the caller?"

"I sent the warning. Not the threats. The threats… came from Number Three. She's alive."

Valeria stepped back, confused, overwhelmed.

"Why now?" she asked.

"Because if you enter that chapel without knowing the truth," he said, "they'll complete the sequence. They'll turn you into something you can't undo."

Valeria looked at the chapel. Then at him.

"What am I?"

He stared into her eyes.

> "You're the answer they've been searching for."