The mist tightened.
David felt June's hand locked around his forearm.
He couldn't see him anymore.
Couldn't see anything.
Purple darkness surrounded them completely.
It pressed against David's chest.
His throat.
His face.
Cold seeped through his uniform and into his skin.
Then deeper.
System:
WARNING
Cognitive Failure Imminent
The words flickered across David's vision.
He tried to move.
Nothing responded.
"June!"
"I'm here!"
June sounded close.
Then far away.
Then close again.
The mist distorted everything.
David tightened his grip.
"Don't let go!"
"Wasn't planning on it!"
The mist suddenly moved.
David felt something coil around his waist.
Another strand wrapped around his chest.
Then his legs.
"June!"
Something ripped David upward.
His boots left the ground.
His stomach dropped.
The grip around his body tightened.
David tried to kick.
Nothing.
Purple vapor held his legs together.
He couldn't move his arms.
Across from him, the mist parted just enough for David to see June.
June hung several feet above the ground.
Purple tendrils wrapped around his arms, chest, waist, and legs.
His baton slipped from his hand.
It struck the stone below with a metallic crack.
"David!"
"I'm here!"
June struggled.
The mist tightened around him.
"Okay!"
He grimaced.
"Bad idea!"
David fought against the vapor.
It didn't move.
His Claw Gauntlets were extended, but his arms were pinned against his sides.
Then—
The whispers returned.
David froze.
One voice.
Ten.
A hundred.
A thousand.
They came from everywhere.
Men.
Women.
Children.
Old.
Young.
Some whispered.
Others cried.
Some sounded furious.
Others sounded terrified.
Different languages overlapped until none of them could be understood.
Then slowly—
The voices became one.
Not one voice.
One message.
A thousand mouths speaking the same words.
YOU ENTERED OUR DOMAIN.
David's blood ran cold.
June stopped struggling.
The voices surrounded them.
YOU WALKED WHERE NONE WERE INVITED.
Purple mist tightened around David's chest.
He gasped.
June fought against the tendrils holding him.
"We fell through the damn ceiling!"
David would have laughed under almost any other circumstance.
The mist reacted.
Thousands of voices hissed.
YOU SAW WHAT WAS FORBIDDEN.
June's expression changed.
David stared into the haze.
The vision.
Hem'el.
The experiments.
The black-haired man.
Veyra.
The mist knew what they had seen.
YOU CARRY WHAT MUST REMAIN BURIED.
David's heart pounded.
June looked toward him.
"What does that mean?"
David didn't know.
The mist lifted them higher.
Ten feet.
David looked down.
Ancient stone waited below.
His System flashed again.
System:
WARNING
Unknown Energy Intrusion Increasing
The thousand voices whispered around them.
YOU WILL NOT LEAVE THIS CITY.
June's face went pale.
David struggled harder.
The mist constricted around his throat.
YOU WILL REMAIN.
David couldn't breathe.
YOU WILL BECOME SILENT.
June's eyes widened.
"David!"
David tried to answer.
Nothing came out.
The mist tightened.
June twisted violently against the vapor.
"LET HIM GO!"
The voices laughed.
Thousands of different laughs.
Men.
Women.
Children.
All at once.
The sound crawled through David's skull.
June screamed into the darkness.
"I AM!"
Nothing.
June struggled harder.
"I AM!"
The mist wrapped around his throat.
June choked.
David forced air through his closing throat.
"I..."
Nothing.
He fought.
His vision darkened.
"I..."
The mist squeezed harder.
David closed his eyes.
Then forced the name out.
"I AM!"
June screamed with him.
"I AM!"
The ancient city became silent.
Instantly.
Every voice stopped.
Every whisper vanished.
The mist froze.
David hung suspended within it.
June stared into the purple darkness.
Then—
Something changed.
A presence entered the city.
No.
David realized immediately that wasn't right.
It hadn't entered.
It had always been there.
But until this moment—
It had remained hidden.
David had heard I AM countless times.
He had felt the ancient presence within him.
He had experienced moments when the voice carried power.
But this—
This was different.
Something vast opened around them.
The ancient city suddenly felt small.
The cavern felt small.
David felt small.
June's eyes widened.
His breathing stopped.
"David..."
David stared into the darkness.
"I know."
The mist trembled.
For the first time—
The thing holding them seemed afraid.
Then I AM spoke.
Not within David's mind.
Not through the System.
His voice came from everywhere.
Above.
Below.
Within the stone.
Across the ancient city.
I AM:
They are mine.
The mist recoiled.
David dropped several inches before the vapor tightened around him again.
The thousand voices erupted.
THEY ENTERED OUR DOMAIN.
I AM did not answer.
THEY OPENED WHAT WAS SEALED.
Purple vapor churned violently around David and June.
THEY WITNESSED WHAT WAS BURIED.
David stared into the darkness.
The mist wasn't attacking I AM.
It was—
Pleading its case.
THEY DO NOT BELONG HERE.
The ancient presence deepened.
Stone beneath them began vibrating.
The ruined buildings surrounding the street trembled.
Dust drifted from broken towers.
The mist continued.
THEY CAME UNINVITED.
June stared around them.
His face had gone completely still.
The thousand voices rose together.
THE LAW OF THIS DOMAIN IS OURS.
Silence.
Then I AM answered.
I AM:
Not over them.
The mist shuddered.
THEY HAVE SEEN TOO MUCH.
I AM:
They have seen what I permitted them to see.
David's eyes widened.
June looked toward him.
Neither had time to process the words.
The mist tightened violently.
David gasped.
June cried out.
The thousand voices became furious.
THEY WILL REMAIN.
Something changed in I AM's presence.
David felt it immediately.
The patience disappeared.
The ancient city shook.
Not from collapsing stone.
Not from machinery.
From the voice that followed.
I AM:
RELEASE MY ANOINTED ONES.
The command struck the city.
A point of white light appeared above them.
Tiny.
Brilliant.
The purple mist recoiled.
Then the light descended.
A column of white radiance tore through the darkness.
It struck David and June.
The mist screamed.
Not one scream.
Thousands.
Every voice inside it cried out at once.
David felt the tendrils around his body tear away.
June dropped beside him.
Then—
The light expanded.
Ten feet.
Purple mist twisted backward.
Twenty feet.
The thousand voices shrieked.
Thirty feet.
White radiance surrounded David and June in every direction.
The mist tried to flee.
It couldn't.
The edge of the light caught it.
Purple vapor ignited.
Not with flame.
With light.
The mist screamed as the radiance consumed it.
Strands vanished.
Clouds dissolved.
The darkness peeled away from the ancient street.
David fell.
He hit the stone hard.
Air exploded from his lungs.
June landed several feet away.
"Ugh!"
David rolled onto his side.
"June!"
"I'm alive!"
David pushed himself onto his hands and knees.
The white light surrounded them.
Thirty feet across.
Perfectly circular.
Beyond it—
Nothing remained of the mist.
David stared.
The ancient street was visible again.
Ruined buildings.
Broken stone.
The monument in the distance.
Violet fungi glowing along the cavern walls.
Inside the circle, everything was illuminated by brilliant white radiance.
Outside—
Darkness.
June crawled toward his baton and picked it up.
Then he sat heavily beside David.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
June finally looked upward.
"I AM?"
I AM:
I am here.
June stared.
David looked at him.
June could still hear him.
The light.
David realized it.
Whatever had allowed June to hear I AM was connected to this place.
This circle.
This presence.
June rubbed his throat.
"Your invisible ancient friend is terrifying."
David laughed weakly.
"You get used to him."
"No."
June immediately shook his head.
"Absolutely not."
David sat beside him.
June looked around the glowing circle.
Then upward again.
"You called us something."
David remembered.
My Anointed ones.
June looked toward him.
"You heard it."
"Yeah."
June faced the light.
"Anointed."
He hesitated.
"What does that mean?"
I AM:
In time.
June's face fell.
"Oh, come on."
David laughed.
June pointed at him.
"Don't laugh. You've been dealing with this longer than I have."
"Now you understand."
"I understand why you talk to yourself."
"I don't talk to myself."
"From everyone else's perspective, you absolutely do."
David couldn't argue.
June looked upward.
"Fine."
He shifted.
"Different question."
The edge of the white light moved.
David noticed first.
Thirty feet became twenty-nine.
Then twenty-eight.
Slowly.
Almost imperceptibly.
The circle was shrinking.
June hadn't noticed yet.
"Why did you call both of us that?"
David looked toward him.
That question mattered.
My Anointed ones.
Plural.
I AM hadn't only meant David.
He had meant June.
June's humor faded.
"Why me?"
I AM:
Because I know you.
June frowned.
"You know my name."
I AM:
I know more than your name.
June looked toward David.
David stayed silent.
This was June's conversation now.
"What do you know?"
I AM:
Rowan Kade.
June froze.
I AM:
Your father.
June slowly straightened.
I AM:
A man who believes that which is broken should be repaired before it is discarded.
June stared upward.
"My dad says that."
I AM:
If something breaks, fix it.
June's eyes widened.
I AM:
If you cannot fix it, determine why.
June whispered the familiar words.
"Figure out why."
David watched him.
June swallowed.
"He says that all the time."
I AM:
I know.
The circle contracted.
Twenty-five feet.
June still hadn't noticed.
I AM:
Lira Kade.
June's expression changed again.
I AM:
Your mother.
A pause.
I AM:
The source of much of your unnecessary commentary.
David turned toward June.
June stared upward.
"Did you just insult me?"
David started laughing.
June pointed at him.
"Don't encourage him."
I AM:
She taught you that fear becomes easier to carry when accompanied by laughter.
June's hand lowered.
His expression softened.
"My mom."
I AM:
Yes.
June looked down.
"She used to tell me that when I was little."
I AM:
She still does.
June swallowed.
Then—
I AM:
Aria Kade.
June's head snapped upward.
"Don't."
The response was immediate.
Protective.
Sharp.
I AM:
Your sister.
June's jaw tightened.
"How do you know her?"
I AM:
Five years younger than you.
June rose.
David stayed beside him.
"How do you know my family?"
I AM:
I told you.
The light contracted.
Twenty feet.
I AM:
I know you.
June stared upward.
I AM:
I know the boy who allowed his sister to follow him through maintenance corridors after Rowan repeatedly instructed him not to.
June blinked.
"She wouldn't stop following me."
David looked at him.
June pointed at David.
"She wouldn't."
I AM:
I know.
I AM:
I know the brother who taught her which tools she could touch.
A pause.
I AM:
And which ones would remove her fingers.
June's mouth twitched.
"Important distinction."
I AM:
It was.
David stared into the light.
June slowly looked upward.
"Did you just make a joke?"
Silence.
David shook his head.
"Don't push it."
"I'm finding boundaries."
"You'll find one."
"Probably."
June sat again.
The light continued shrinking.
Eighteen feet.
Seventeen.
June looked upward thoughtfully.
"If you really know everything about me..."
David immediately sighed.
"June."
"No. I need to test this."
June smiled.
David knew that smile.
"Oh no."
"When I was nine, there was a cargo pilot who kept imported candy in the upper drawer behind the station counter."
David raised an eyebrow.
June held up one finger.
"Nobody knew I found it."
"You stole candy?"
"I was nine."
"You stole candy."
"Focus."
June looked upward.
"What kind?"
Silence.
June smiled.
"Got you."
I AM:
Strawberry star chews.
June's smile vanished.
"No."
I AM:
Seven.
"I did not take seven."
I AM:
You took eight.
June stood.
"That's a lie."
David started laughing.
"I ate seven."
I AM:
Correct.
June stopped.
I AM:
The eighth was placed inside the left pocket of your jacket.
June stared.
"No."
I AM:
You gave it to Aria.
June became silent.
David's laughter faded.
June slowly sat down.
"I forgot about that."
I AM:
I did not.
The circle contracted.
Fifteen feet.
June finally noticed.
He looked toward the edge.
"David."
"I see it."
"The light's shrinking."
"Yeah."
June looked upward.
"Does that mean you're leaving?"
I AM did not answer.
June's expression changed.
Suddenly the remaining questions mattered more.
"How can you know all that?"
The ancient voice answered.
I AM:
I know your heart, June Kade.
June became still.
I AM:
I know what you hide beneath laughter.
I AM:
I know the fear you refuse to show those who depend upon you.
June looked down.
I AM:
I know the brother who wishes to return home.
A pause.
I AM:
And the young man who fears that one day he may not.
June's humor disappeared completely.
David watched his friend.
He understood now why June joked when things became dangerous.
Lira Kade had taught her son to laugh when he was afraid.
June had carried that lesson into every fight.
Every nightmare.
Every world.
June breathed slowly.
"That's not fair."
I AM:
Truth rarely concerns itself with fairness.
June laughed quietly.
"Yeah."
The circle shrank.
Twelve feet.
June rubbed one eye.
David pretended not to notice.
June looked toward him.
"You say anything and I'll throw you into another hole."
David smiled.
"You'd have to carry me back up."
"Good point."
Then I AM spoke again.
I AM:
I know more than the life you have lived.
June looked upward.
David's smile disappeared.
The light contracted another foot.
I AM:
I know those who came before you.
June frowned.
"My family?"
I AM:
Your blood.
Silence.
Then—
I AM:
And I know those who will come after.
June stared.
David felt something cold move through him.
June spoke carefully.
"My descendants?"
I AM:
Yes.
June's expression became uncertain.
"How could you know people who haven't even been born?"
I AM did not explain.
Instead—
I AM:
One who carries your blood will one day stand where others cannot.
David stared into the light.
June didn't move.
I AM:
When many falter, your descendant will remain.
A pause.
I AM:
And mighty things shall be accomplished through them.
June's humor was completely gone.
"What things?"
Silence.
"What happens?"
I AM:
That belongs to another time.
June stared upward.
"How far away?"
No answer.
"Will I know them?"
I AM:
No.
The single word landed harder than David expected.
June's expression shifted.
Not sadness exactly.
Something deeper.
The realization that I AM was speaking about a future far beyond his own life.
June looked down at his hands.
"Then why tell me?"
I AM:
So that when you question whether your life matters—
June slowly looked up.
I AM:
You will remember that a stone cast into water does not witness every shore its ripples touch.
Neither David nor June spoke.
The words remained between them.
The light contracted.
Ten feet.
June looked toward David.
For once—
He had absolutely nothing sarcastic to say.
David smiled faintly.
"That's a first."
June looked at him.
"What?"
"You being speechless."
June shook his head.
"Give me a minute."
David laughed.
June looked upward again.
"Why did you let me hear you?"
The circle shrank.
Nine feet.
I AM:
Because David chose to trust you.
David looked up.
June turned toward him.
I AM:
And because that trust was not misplaced.
Eight feet.
I AM:
You would carry his secret beyond your own death.
June didn't hesitate.
"Yeah."
David looked at him.
June met his eyes.
No humor.
No sarcasm.
"Yeah, I would."
David believed him.
I AM:
I know.
Seven feet.
The light was barely large enough to surround them now.
June looked around.
"So when this disappears..."
He hesitated.
"I won't hear you anymore."
I AM:
No.
June nodded slowly.
"Only David?"
I AM:
As it was before.
Six feet.
June looked toward David.
"Guess you're back to talking to yourself."
David shook his head.
"I hate you."
June smiled.
"There he is."
Five feet.
The radiance gathered tightly around them.
June looked upward one final time.
"I AM?"
I AM:
Yes, June Kade.
June hesitated.
Then—
"Thank you."
Silence.
For a moment, David wondered if I AM would answer.
Then—
I AM:
Walk well, June Kade.
The light collapsed.
Four feet.
Three.
Two.
Then—
Gone.
Darkness returned.
June blinked.
"I AM?"
No answer.
He waited.
"I AM?"
Nothing.
June looked toward David.
"Can't hear him."
David could.
The presence remained inside him exactly as it had before.
"He's still here."
June nodded.
"Yeah."
He looked toward where the light had been.
"That's weird."
David stood.
June retrieved his baton.
Then—
A white light appeared farther down the ancient street.
June immediately pointed.
"Please tell me that's him."
David focused inward.
"I AM?"
I AM:
Follow.
David smiled slightly.
June looked at him.
"Well?"
"He says follow."
June stared at the distant light.
"See? Back to translating."
David extended his Claw Gauntlets.
June activated his baton.
The white light moved.
Slowly.
Waiting for them.
They followed.
The ancient city stretched around them.
Silent.
Empty.
The light traveled down the center of the road, illuminating broken structures as it passed.
David and June stayed close.
Neither mentioned the purple mist.
Neither needed to.
They reached the monument of the twelve.
The white light stopped.
David looked upward at the towering stone figures.
His eyes found Veyra Bloodryn.
Hem'el.
The Celestial he had once been.
The Demon Lord she had become.
June followed his gaze.
"That's going to bother me for a long time."
"Which part?"
"All of it."
The light moved again.
They followed.
Past the monument.
Across another plaza.
Through streets they hadn't explored.
The deeper they went, the narrower the city became.
Buildings gave way to carved stone walls.
Eventually, the road ended at an enormous archway.
Beyond it—
A tunnel.
June stopped.
"Please tell me that's an exit."
David looked toward the white light.
It entered the tunnel.
"I think it is."
"You think?"
David started walking.
June followed.
"I liked you better before you started answering like him."
David smiled.
The tunnel climbed.
Gradually at first.
Then steeper.
The white light floated ahead of them.
Whenever they slowed, it waited.
Whenever the tunnel divided, it chose the path.
They followed.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
The ancient city disappeared behind them.
The carved stone became natural rock.
Roots appeared overhead.
Thin at first.
Then thicker.
June noticed.
"Roots."
David touched one.
Real.
Fresh.
"Surface vegetation."
June's expression brightened.
"We're going up."
"Looks like it."
"Best thing you've said all day."
They continued climbing.
The tunnel narrowed.
The white light moved ahead.
Then stopped.
David and June approached.
A wall of roots blocked the passage.
June stared.
"That's not an exit."
The light moved through them.
David watched.
"Maybe it is."
June activated the blade extension on his baton.
Blue energy appeared.
"Finally."
He smiled.
"Something I can hit."
David extended his claws.
Together, they began cutting.
Roots snapped.
Dirt fell.
The smell changed.
David stopped.
June did too.
Fresh air.
Faint.
But unmistakable.
June smiled.
"Oh, that's beautiful."
They cut faster.
More dirt fell.
A thin shaft of natural light appeared between the roots.
Not white.
Not I AM.
Daylight.
David's heart accelerated.
"Keep going."
June didn't need encouragement.
They tore through the remaining roots.
The opening widened.
Fresh air rushed into the tunnel.
David pushed through first.
June followed.
Both emerged onto a narrow rocky ledge overlooking dense jungle.
For several seconds—
Neither moved.
Trees stretched across the valley.
Massive leaves shifted beneath the wind.
Distant creatures called through the canopy.
Above them—
Sky.
Real sky.
June stepped forward.
He tilted his face upward.
Then laughed.
Not because he was afraid.
Not because he was nervous.
Simply because he was relieved.
"I have never been so happy to see trees."
David looked across the jungle.
Then toward the distant ridges.
Somewhere out there—
Cass.
Nyra.
Lucian.
Mira.
June's smile faded as he realized the same thing.
"We need to find them."
David nodded.
"Yeah."
Behind them, the white light remained inside the tunnel.
David turned.
It hovered in the darkness.
Waiting.
Then—
It slowly faded.
David heard I AM one final time.
Only him.
I AM:
Go.
David watched the light disappear.
June looked toward him.
"He say something?"
David turned toward the jungle.
"Yeah."
"What?"
David started walking.
"Go."
June stared after him.
"That's it?"
David looked back.
"That's it."
June sighed and followed.
"I'm starting to miss hearing him."
David smiled.
"You'll get over it."
Together, they began making their way along the rocky ledge.
Back toward the jungle.
Back toward their squad.
And somewhere far behind them, buried beneath stone and roots, the ancient city returned to darkness.