The cold, impersonal message still pulsed in Kael's mind, burning through the last vestiges of twilight. [Global Data Reset Imminent. All Anomalous Data to be Cleared.] Lyra’s grip on his arm tightened, her knuckles white. Her eyes, wide and green, reflected the faint digital static now shimmering on the distant horizon, a horrifying mirror to the fear in her soul. The air thrummed with a heavy, invisible pressure, like a massive server struggling under an impossible load.
"Global data reset," Lyra whispered, her voice barely audible over the rising tide of panicked shouts from the square. "That means… everything. Everyone."
Kael couldn't speak, could only nod, his jaw clenched so tight it ached. The sheer scale of the threat was staggering. Hemlock's frozen form, a digital cadaver, now
