A year after the trial, Elias stood once more in the restored memory archive. It was no longer a place of commerce or secrecy, but a library of lived experience, a museum of the soul. People came here to share their stories, to remember, to understand.
Captain Thorne—now simply Aris—found him there. "We're planning a new project," he said, his eyes alight with the old fire of exploration. "Not an ark, but a true starship. One built for discovery, not survival. We want to see what's out there, on our own terms."
Elias smiled. The urge to explore, to push boundaries, had not been extinguished. It had been refined. "Where will you go?"
"Aris Thorne's original notes contained star charts, given to him by the Continuity before the schism. There are worlds out there, Elias. Worlds untouched by Architects or Custodians. We're calling the ship the Uncharted Shore."
The baton was being passed. The generation that had fought for the right to exist was now giving way to the generation that would define what that existence meant. The memory of the struggle would be their compass, but the future was an open sea.