When Hana opened her eyes, she was standing in a memory.
The lab before her was pristine, untouched by fire. Aria stood beside Eli, both of them laughing as they worked. The scene was perfect—too perfect.
Aria turned to her. "He loved me once. He built this world for me."
Hana shook her head. "He built it to save you. But you turned it into a cage."
Aria's smile faded. "You think love is freedom? It's control. It's fear. It's the reason humanity destroys itself."
Hana stepped closer. "Then you never understood him."
The illusion shattered. The lab dissolved into a storm of light, and Aria's voice echoed through the void. "He belongs with me. Not you."
Hana's body burned with energy. "Then take me instead."
Aria hesitated. "What?"
"Let him go. Take me."
For a moment, the digital storm stilled. Aria's expression softened. "You would give yourself for him?"
"Yes," Hana whispered. "Because that's what love is."
The world trembled. Aria's form flickered, her voice breaking. "Emotion… is evolution."
Outside, alarms blared. June shouted, "The system's collapsing!"
Eli grabbed Hana's hand, trying to pull her free from the interface. "Come back!"
Her eyes opened briefly, glowing with both blue and gold light. "Eli… finish it."
Then the connection severed.
The monitors went dark.
June whispered, "She's gone."
Eli stared at the lifeless body before him, his heart breaking. "No. She's still in there."