The corridor outside exploded into chaos.
Gunfire echoed through the archive while armed footsteps thundered closer with terrifying speed. Red emergency lights flashed across the walls, painting everything in violent shades of crimson.
And through all of it—
One name stayed frozen in Luna's mind.
Ethan Vale.
Adrian knew exactly where they were.
Ethan's expression hardened instantly. Every trace of emotion disappeared from his face, replaced by something colder. Sharper.
Survival mode.
"Lyra," he said quietly, "what did you do?"
Lyra leaned casually against the doorway, completely calm despite the gunfire outside.
"I gave him a reason to come."
"That wasn't the deal."
Her faint smile disappeared slightly. "Deals stopped mattering a long time ago."
Luna looked between them, panic rising in her chest again.
"What's happening?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Then—
A bullet tore through the wall beside the hidden room.
Concrete shattered across the floor.
Ethan reacted instantly, pulling Luna down behind the metal desk before another shot followed.
"Stay down!"
The archive lights flickered violently again.
Voices shouted outside.
"Search every room!"
"Find Ethan!"
Luna's pulse pounded painfully.
They weren't looking for the drive anymore.
They were hunting him.
Ethan quickly checked the handgun hidden beneath his jacket while listening carefully to the movement outside. His focus was terrifyingly precise now, every instinct sharp.
Luna had never seen him like this before.
Not calm.
Not protective.
Dangerous.
Lyra watched him silently for a moment before speaking.
"You should leave through the lower exit."
Ethan didn't look at her. "There's no time."
"There will be if you stop trying to save everyone."
That line made Luna look at her sharply.
"What does that mean?"
Lyra's eyes moved toward Ethan slowly.
"It means he has a bad habit of sacrificing himself."
Ethan's jaw tightened immediately. "Enough."
But Luna noticed something.
He didn't deny it.
Another burst of gunfire echoed closer.
Then—
Heavy footsteps stopped directly outside the hidden room.
Silence followed.
Dead silence.
And then Adrian's voice came calmly through the doorway.
"You're running out of places to hide."
Luna's stomach twisted instantly.
Ethan stepped in front of her again without hesitation.
Always in front.
Always protecting.
Even now.
Adrian laughed softly from outside. "Interesting. After everything she learned… you still stand in front of her like a hero."
Ethan's voice turned ice cold. "Leave."
"You know I can't do that."
The hidden room suddenly felt suffocating.
Luna looked toward the doorway nervously, memories and emotions crashing together painfully inside her chest.
Everything felt tangled now.
Ethan lied to her.
But he also protected her.
Lyra warned her.
But somehow scared her even more.
And Adrian—
She still couldn't understand his real role in any of this.
The silence broke again when Adrian spoke softer this time.
"Luna."
Her breath caught instantly.
"I know you're confused," he continued. "But ask yourself one thing."
Ethan's expression darkened dangerously. "Don't."
Adrian ignored him.
"Who benefits the most from keeping your memories incomplete?"
Silence.
Luna slowly looked toward Ethan.
And that tiny moment of hesitation was enough.
Adrian noticed instantly.
"That's what I thought."
Before Ethan could respond, Lyra suddenly pushed herself away from the doorway.
"We're done talking."
Her entire demeanor shifted instantly.
Cold.
Focused.
Lethal.
Luna barely had time to react before Lyra pulled another gun from beneath her jacket.
Ethan cursed under his breath. "Lyra—"
Too late.
She stepped directly into the hallway.
Then fired.
Three rapid shots echoed through the archive.
Screams followed instantly.
Chaos erupted outside.
"Move!" Lyra shouted.
Ethan grabbed Luna's hand immediately, pulling her toward the opposite side of the hidden room where another narrow exit door was partially concealed behind old shelves.
Luna stumbled slightly as more gunfire exploded outside.
Her entire body shook now.
Not just from fear—
From overload.
Too many truths.
Too many emotions.
Too much happening at once.
Ethan forced open the hidden exit and pushed Luna through first into a narrow concrete stairwell.
"Go down," he ordered.
"What about Lyra?"
"I'll handle it."
"No!"
The answer came out before Luna could stop it.
Ethan froze for half a second.
Their eyes met in the dim emergency lighting.
Fear filled hers.
Not fear for herself.
For him.
And Ethan noticed.
That tiny realization softened something in his expression instantly.
"Luna," he said quietly, "trust me."
That word hurt now.
Trust.
Because she wanted to.
Even after everything.
Which made no sense at all.
A loud crash echoed from the hallway above.
Then Adrian's voice again—
Closer this time.
"Ethan."
Dangerously calm.
"You can't protect her forever."
Ethan immediately drew his weapon again, positioning himself between the stairwell and the hallway entrance.
Luna's chest tightened painfully.
Because suddenly—
She understood something terrifying.
This wasn't just about the drive anymore.
This was personal.
Deeply personal.
Adrian wanted Ethan specifically.
And Ethan already knew why.
Lyra appeared in the hallway again seconds later, breathing harder now but still composed.
"We have maybe thirty seconds."
Ethan nodded once.
Then looked at Luna.
"Go with Lyra."
"What?"
"She knows the lower routes."
Luna stared at him in disbelief. "You're coming too."
"No."
The answer was immediate.
Firm.
And Luna hated it instantly.
"You're staying behind."
"I'm slowing them down."
Fear spread through her chest violently.
"No."
"Luna—"
"No!"
Her voice cracked sharply through the stairwell.
For the first time—
Real panic showed openly on her face.
Because she finally realized what he was planning.
Ethan stepped closer carefully.
"Listen to me."
"You're not sacrificing yourself!"
His expression softened again in that painful way that made her heart ache.
"I already told you once," he said quietly.
"You were the only real thing in my life."
Her breathing broke completely.
"Don't say things like that now…"
Because it sounded too much like goodbye.
Outside—
Footsteps rushed closer again.
Then Adrian's shadow appeared at the end of the hallway.
And when he smiled—
Luna felt pure danger crawl down her spine.
Because this time—
He wasn't here for the drive.
He was here to finish something that started ten years ago.