Keitha was waking up.
Not just in the crumbling ruins or ancient magic—but in the air, the walls, the very soul of the city. And as the AMP squad trudged deeper into its core, they started to notice something none of them could explain.
It started with whispers.
Soft ones. Not creepy-horror-movie whispers, but like someone saying your name in a dream.
"Did you say something?" Axel asked Blair one afternoon as they passed a twisted archway lined with ivy.
"Nope," she replied, tightening her grip on the strap of her bag.
But a second later, she paused. "Wait... I heard you say my name too."
They stopped walking. The breeze rustled overhead, leaves flickering.
It was Zora who noticed it first—etched into a nearby stone was a name.
Zora Imani Delaire.
Her full name.
In her handwriting.
"No. Nope. What?" She backed away slowly. "Why is my name on this wall?"
Athena rushed over, brushing off moss and debris. More letters. More names.
Enzo Ray. Axel Carver. Sylvia Lane.
"Is this... blood?" Enzo asked, voice cracking slightly.
"No. It's... glowing ink," Sylvia murmured, tracing her finger over the grooves. "But look—some of these are fading. Like memories being lost."
And some were growing brighter.
Asher looked around, shivers crawling up his spine. "This city is responding to us. Like... like it's remembering us."
"Or maybe we've been here before," Athena whispered. "And just don't remember."
Later that night, the AMP House creaked louder than usual. Wind rattled the windows, but no trees moved outside. The house groaned like it had lungs, like it was alive. Everyone gathered in the living room again, shaken but pretending not to be.
Zora, clutching a blanket, said, "Okay but seriously, has anyone felt... different lately? Like... your thoughts aren't just your thoughts?"
Everyone went quiet.
"Sometimes I remember things," Blair said slowly. "Like dreams I didn't dream. Like déjà vu... but deeper. Like this place knows me better than I know myself."
Athena nodded. "Same. And the more I design, the clearer things become. Not just powers. Memories. Like the city is sending me pieces."
Enzo leaned forward. "Guys. What if... what if Keitha records people? Like, when you live here, it remembers you. Learns you. Stores... you."
"And now that we've been here long enough, it's starting to mirror us," Axel finished, eyes dark with worry.
The next morning, they tested the theory.
Zora led them to a tall reflective pillar they'd passed before, one that previously showed only warped versions of themselves. But now...
It showed each of them as they truly were. Not just how they looked—but their moods, their fears, their hopes. Blair's reflection flickered with light and shadows as she debated what kind of person she wanted to be. Axel's image shifted between protector and destroyer. Enzo's held a cracked compass—his lost sense of direction.
But Sylvia's... was different.
It didn't move.
It just stared back at her like it knew. Knew something even she didn't.
"Why is mine not changing?" she whispered.
"Because you're hiding something," Asher said before he could stop himself.
Everyone turned.
Sylvia looked like she wanted to melt into the ground. "I'm not hiding anything. I just—"
The pillar flickered. A second Sylvia appeared next to her reflection—dressed differently. Older. Eyes glowing.
"What... the hell?" Athena said, stepping back.
"Nope." Zora was already walking away. "Nope nope nope."
But no one followed her.
Because behind the second Sylvia, other figures began to appear. Past explorers? Former citizens? Or...
"They're us," Blair said, frozen. "Different versions of us."
As if Keitha was trying to say:
You've always been here.
You've always had a role.
You're just remembering now.
Thunder cracked across the sky even though the sun shone bright.
The wind howled. The ground vibrated.
Keitha was no longer just ruins and magic. It was a living mirror.
And the deeper they went...
The more it reflected their storms.