Echoes of the Past

The city's rain had turned from a drizzle to a steady downpour, painting the streets with shimmering reflections of neon pinks and blues. Aeris wandered through the labyrinth of alleys behind their safehouse, her mind restless.

Kael had gone inside moments ago, leaving her alone with her thoughts—and a nagging feeling she couldn't shake.

Her fingers traced the cold metal of a small data shard she'd found tucked away in Kael's gear during the chaos. It was encrypted, but something about it pulled at her—like a whisper from the past.

Back inside, the room flickered under the harsh glow of holo-screens, casting long shadows that danced like ghosts.

Aeris slid the shard into her portable decryptor, heart pounding as lines of code spilled across the screen.

Images flashed—faded memories of a younger Kael, tangled in a covert operation gone wrong. Faces she didn't recognize, voices that sounded like betrayal.

One photo stood out: Kael, grim and resolute, standing before a shattered laboratory branded with the insignia of a shadowy syndicate—the same that had once hunted Aeris's family.

Her breath caught.

Was Kael's past darker—and more intertwined with hers—than she'd ever imagined?

The door creaked, and Kael's voice broke through her reverie.

"Found something?"

She looked up, eyes meeting his—guarded, unreadable.

"I did," she said softly, sliding the decryptor aside.

Kael's jaw tightened, shadows flickering across his face.

"Some secrets are meant to stay buried," he warned.

But Aeris knew one thing for sure: in this city, the past never truly stayed silent. And neither did Kael.