Chapter 14: Metamorphosis

The ground of Threnos trembled beneath their feet, resonating like an angry heart.

Lila had fallen to her knees, panting, her skin marked by black sparks, shimmering like shattered glass.

"Iskara…" she whispered with a strangled voice. "You're not just a memory… you are a hurricane."

Echo, still weak, cautiously stepped closer.

"Your consciousness and hers are clashing. If you lose, you will be consumed."

Orane wrapped her hands around Lila, chanting ancient words. Symbols glowed around her, forming a circle of protection.

Kelvin knelt beside Lila.

"Hold on. I'm here."

But Lila shook her head, tears streaming uncontrollably.

"It's stronger than me… she wants to erase everything."

Suddenly, the pain exploded. Visions rushed in.

Kelvin saw his mother's face, the cold silence of Klinik-13, the vacant stares of the broken-arm children, the confinement, the oblivion.

Then, an outstretched hand.

"This is not the end," a voice whispered. "This is rebirth."

In Lila's mental chaos, Iskara manifested like a furious storm.

She spoke relentlessly, her words tearing the very fabric of reality:

"Humans fear their truth. They hide it behind masks, behind broken dreams. But the truth is there. It burns."

Lila struggled, but each sentence shattered a piece of her will.

Kelvin shouted, searching for a way to bring her back.

"Listen to me, Lila! You are more than this fear!"

Echo joined Orane in a circle, focusing their energies.

"We must merge the two consciousnesses," Orane said. "Otherwise, Iskara will destroy everything she touches."

The inner battle was terrible.

Lila's skin lit up, black and purple light—a sharp fracture threatening to tear the world apart.

Then, in a final effort, Kelvin grasped Lila's hand.

"Remember who you are. Not Iskara. Not Klinik-13. You."

Silence.

Then a breath.

Lila opened her eyes.

She smiled, weak but genuine.

"I'm here. Together."

But the calm was brief.

Orane collapsed.

"Klinik-13… it's not just a laboratory. It's a virus. A mental parasite. It infects minds, breaks souls, and spreads through fear."

Echo nodded.

"Their goal is not science. It's domination. Absolute control over the human psyche."

Kelvin clenched his fists.

"Then we have to stop it. Now."

Their fight had only just begun.