The sight of Liam on the screen ripped through Kiran worse than any physical blow. Not a ghost, not a memory, but truly his brother, alive. Yet, it wasn't Liam. His eyes were wide, empty, like windows to nothingness. His posture was stiff, unnatural, as if unseen strings pulled him. He moved, or rather swayed, in a dim, cavernous chamber, hooked up to strange, glowing machines. A puppet. His own brother, a puppet in Dr. Koval's monstrous play.
Rage, cold and pure, flared in Kiran's gut, threatening to consume him. He strained against the glowing restraints, the metal biting into his skin. "What have you done to him?" he rasped, his voice raw, hoarse with fury.
Koval's smile was thin, almost pitying. "We have given him purpose, Code X. True purpose. He is an anchor. He will stabilize the dimensional energies during the Great Eclipse, ensuring your… connection to the Eldritch is seamless. Brother to brother. A beautiful symmetry, wouldn't you agree?" She walked closer to the screen, her gaze fixed on Liam's vacant face. "He was always more receptive, more open to the Veil's thinning. A natural conduit. Just needed a little… guidance. And now, he will guide you."
Kiran felt a cold tremor. Was this what they had done to Liam during the Foundation's collapse? Was this the truth behind his brother's disappearance? The "seed" in Kiran's chest throbbed, a low, insistent pulse, mirroring the eerie hum from Liam's chamber. It was a terrifying connection. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight it, but a brief, chilling image flickered in his mind: Liam, younger, eyes wide with pain, then a blinding flash of green light, and a familiar sense of something entering. Not a memory, not his own, but an echo, perhaps from Liam. The seed wasn't just power; it was a link, a chain binding him to this horror, and now, to his brother. He opened his eyes, a desperate resolve hardening his gaze. He wouldn't let Koval win. He wouldn't become their "bridge," and he would free Liam.