When Ryan entered, Lilia trembled slightly, unsure of how to react. Celine gently squeezed her hand, understanding immediately.
_"Don't worry. He's not evil in the literal sense. He is actually… your real father."
Ryan did not smile, but calmly raised a hand. _"I'm here to fix what can still be fixed… and to set all of you free. The boy… the third entity, is not conscious right now. What Lilia and Celine heard through that digital voice was the result of your minds being linked to his. It was nothing more than systems and analytical responses."
Marcus felt deeply confused, but he understood that the truth was different from what they had believed.
_"So you're saying the third consciousness isn't some mental entity… but an actual human being? And he… exists?"
Ryan nodded slowly
_"Yes, he exists… but he needs our protection. We cannot interfere with him directly until he is prepared for real life. His condition is still unstable."
Everyone sat around the table as Ryan explained in a calm voice.
_"The third entity, the child, is connected to the past experiments, but he is not conscious. The voice Lilia heard was only a form of digital telepathy caused by his connection to the machines. We want to restore the complete entity to life, to a real physical body, safely and far away from the experiments."
Lilia felt a chill run through her body
_"So… everything I heard was never truly him… only an echo."
_"Exactly," Ryan replied. "And I alone will remember the truth. I won't tell anyone. That child will be part of our new life, but true freedom will belong to all of you, and the organization will never hunt you down or kill you."
Ryan continued:
_"Each of you will keep your childhood memories and the beautiful moments you lived through. Everything connected to the organization will be erased. The digital city, the gate, and your experiences will remain, but as separate events. You will no longer remember that the organization had anything to do with them. We will all move somewhere new, far away from any trace of this place, to ensure complete peace."
That had been the organization's deal. If they refused to obey, they would all be killed.
Marcus looked at Lilia and Celine, then at Marlene.
_"I may not remember everything… but this time, I'll protect you."
Ryan reassured him immediately.
_"Don't worry. I'll handle the entire process myself. I promise your personal memories will remain untouched. I won't allow this tragedy to repeat itself. I swear it."
Eva said nothing, but slightly raised her hand in acceptance. She knew that lasting peace was better than exhausting knowledge.
The machines began to operate, and the erasure process started. Every face from the organization, every address, every word they had spoken… gradually vanished from memory.
Celine felt a weight leave her heart, but she turned toward Lilia.
_"We won't let them manipulate us ever again as they did before."
Lilia smiled softly
_"Yes… Our memories are now ours. Or rather, they always did, they do now, and they always will."
Marcus felt an emptiness inside him, yet he still said:
_"True freedom is protecting the people we love… even if we can't remember every detail."
When it was over, the men left immediately. The house became quiet, and the painful memories disappeared, leaving behind only the faint echo of what they had endured.
After they regained consciousness, Ryan looked at them before speaking.
_"The child is now under my protection. No harm will come to him, and all of you will live freely."
Everyone still remembered what Ryan had told them about the third child, and they knew his mind had once been connected to Lilia and Celine's. But they no longer remembered that the organization had caused it, and they never questioned it, because the memory-erasing technology had rearranged their thoughts carefully enough to prevent them from feeling that something was missing. Even if the situation itself was not entirely logical, Ryan's technology had stabilized their minds completely, leaving no room for suspicion or doubt.
For the first time in a very long while, Marlene smiled. A deep sense of peace filled her heart.
Standing side by side, Lilia and Celine felt that the world before them had not merely begun again, but that every moment ahead was truly worth living.
Marcus, Marlene, Grandmother, Eva… all of them shared the same feeling of belonging. Life was now being written in calm, steady, genuine lines.
Lilia stood by the window, gazing at the small garden outside. The ground was still damp from the recent rain, and the flowers swayed slowly in the breeze. She felt something she had not known for a very long time: real freedom. There were no mirrors anymore, no strange creatures, no voices invading her mind. Only the world itself, clear, pure, and full of color. She raised her hand toward the morning sunlight streaming through the glass.
Marcus sat on the couch, watching the two girls with cautious eyes filled with love and pride. He did not need words. Every movement, every laugh, every quiet breath spoke of victory over everything they had survived.
In the corner, Grandmother sat silently, her eyes shimmering with a peaceful smile. She said nothing, but she felt that it was finally over: the pain, the fear, the experiments. Everything had been left behind, and the house had become real once again, a place of warmth, safety, and life.
When Ryan returned to the organization's base, the third child was lying inside the laboratory's recovery chamber. He was still unconscious.
Ryan watched him in silence, his heart heavy with regret, yet relieved that he could still protect his daughter and repair what could still be repaired...
To be Continued in the 4th Volume!!!