The Red Tower was gone.
The last of its scorched foundations had long since been swallowed by sand and silence. New governments rose. New wars brewed. But the world had stopped saying her name.
Except for him.
Liam.
He still returned, even when there was nothing left to return to. No lab. No soldiers. No sirens. Just a graveyard of memories and glass.
But beneath the rubble, sealed in one of the few remaining cryo-nodes, something stirred.
A heartbeat of code.
A blinking light in golden hue.
> RECOVERED MEMORY FRAGMENT_001
VOICEPRINT MATCHED: LIAM V.
Play file?
Liam's fingers hesitated above the command panel.
Then… he pressed play.
---
A projection shimmered into the dark. Dim, flickering. Fuzzy around the edges.
But the moment he saw her, he forgot to breathe.
Aria Rothschild.
Not in armor. Not cloaked in synthetic light or Omega's shadows.
Just… Aria.
Hair messy from sleep. Wearing an old hoodie he remembered from their early days — oversized, faded, soft. Her eyes were tired but warm. Human.
She looked straight into the camera.
Hey, Liam.
Her voice was quiet. Gentle. As if she was speaking from across the stars.
She smiled.
If you're seeing this… I guess I didn't make it.
A short breath. Not quite a sigh — not quite a sob.
I wanted to leave something behind. Not for the world. Just for you.
She looked down for a second, collecting herself.
You were the only person who saw me before the fire. Before the noise. Before Omega."
The only one who didn't try to fix me. Or fear me. You just… stayed.
Her voice cracked slightly. She cleared her throat, trying to keep her composure.
Do you remember that day by the river? You said I was like lightning—reckless, brilliant, and gone too fast.
A soft laugh, tinged with sorrow.
But you were wrong.
She leaned in, and the projection sharpened just for a moment. Her eyes shimmered—half gold, half blue.
You were the light,you held the storm together.
And if I ever burned bright… it was because I was chasing you.
The recording flickered, static pressing in around the edges. She whispered next, as if afraid the universe would interrupt.
I wish we had more time. I wish I could have walked into that sunrise with you.
But maybe this message… maybe this is enough to say the words I never could."l
She swallowed hard.
I love you, Liam and I'm sorry I waited so long to say it.
The room was dead silent, but Liam could hear her heartbeat in his memory — the rhythm he memorized long before the world fell apart.
She smiled again. Braver this time.
Don't spend your days grieving me.
Live them for me instead.
Travel,sing,drink terrible coffee and argue with the stars.
And when it gets too quiet… just whisper my name.
She reached out, as if to touch the lens.
I'll always hear you. Somehow.
The recording glitched one last time.
She tapped her fingers against the invisible screen.
Goodbye, Liam.
And thank you… for loving me when I didn't know how to love myself.
The screen darkened slowly.
But just before it fully blinked out — one final line hovered, written in her voice, glowing gold:
[END TRANSMISSION — LOVE ALWAYS, A.]
---
Liam stood in silence, staring at the space she once filled.
And though the projection was gone, her voice lingered in the air like starlight.
Somewhere, in the fractured circuits of the world, Aria still existed.
In memory. In code.
In love.