The sun above Haven-01 never set.
It hung motionless in a perfect sky — artificial light filtered through glass towers that never cast shadows. The city was too clean to be real, every street lined with white stone that hummed faintly underfoot.
Inside one of those towers, a young woman sat at a desk of polished crystal.
She was striking in a way that silenced rooms: long silver hair cascading to her back in a smooth curtain, grey eyes like rain over stone, features fine and poised. Beauty, yes — but edged with something unblinking and precise. A silver band circled her wrist, pulsing with soft System light.
[User ID: 01-A-23]
[Name: Evelyn Rowe]
[Level: 8]
[Status: Observation Priority — Active]
Her gaze lingered on the holographic display hovering in front of her. Lines of data scrolled past — energy output charts, neural patterns, fragments of combat logs from cities she'd never seen.
And at the top of one of the lists:
[Rank #2 — Lucas Hayes | Haven-17 | Level 6]
Evelyn tapped the name once. The display opened, but most of the fields were blurred.
Access Restricted.
Even at her level, the System hid him.
"Why restrict data on another Ascendant?" she murmured.
[Information classified by Core Protocol.]
[Reason: Anomaly overlap detected.]
Her reflection in the glass flickered gold for an instant.
She leaned back, folding her hands. "Overlap…"
The door slid open with a whisper. A tall man in pristine white armor stepped inside, bowing slightly.
"Lady Evelyn. The Council requests your presence. They wish to discuss your… exceptional Trial performance."
Evelyn smiled faintly, polite but distant. "Exceptional," she repeated. "You mean unmeasured."
He hesitated. "The System graded you beyond the standard scale."
"That's what happens when the test doesn't understand the subject."
She stood; the silver band brightened as she moved. The air around her rippled — faint distortions like heatwaves.
[Resonance Field Active.]
The soldier looked away instinctively. "If I may, milady… the field—"
"—interferes with lesser harmonics. I know."
She adjusted her gloves and stepped past him. "Lead the way."
The Council chamber was a cathedral of light. Twelve figures sat in elevated seats, their faces obscured by shifting holographic masks.
One spoke, voice echoing through the hall. "Evelyn Rowe. You have completed the Ascendant Trials in record time. Your synchronization rate exceeds all projected parameters."
"Then the System will learn something new," she replied evenly.
A pause. Then another voice — colder, older.
"The System has no need to learn. It already knows."
Evelyn tilted her head. "Then why does it keep running experiments?"
Silence.
[Warning: Elevated query detected.]
[Subject under behavioral review.]
She felt the pulse in her wristband — a reminder that even here, in this perfect tower, she was a monitored subject.
Another Councilor spoke. "You will lead the next phase of observation. The anomalies in Haven-17 are of particular interest."
Evelyn's heartbeat slowed. "Haven-17…"
[Connection request: Observation Link – Target L-17-D pending approval.]
She watched the request appear on her interface.
For a moment, she thought she saw a face flicker in the distorted data — messy blond hair, tired eyes, the faint outline of twin guns at his sides.
Then it vanished.
She turned to the Council. "Request granted."
The chamber lights dimmed as the System's voice filled the air — calm, divine, and mechanical.
"Resonance alignment initiated."
"Divine Echo sequence activated."
Evelyn closed her eyes. For the first time since her Trial, she felt someone else on the same wavelength — a presence far away, sharp and uncertain.
She whispered, "So that's you…"
Far below, in Haven-17, Lucas paused mid-stride.
For an instant, his HUD glitched — gold static across the edges of his vision. A soft voice, distant but clear, brushed the edge of his thoughts.
"Can you hear me?"
Then it was gone.
He blinked, looking around, heart hammering.
The System didn't react — or pretended not to.
High above the city, Evelyn opened her eyes.
The silver fall of her hair caught the light; her grey eyes settled back to calm.
She smiled faintly. "Connection established."