The moment it spoke, something inside me opened in a way that could not be reversed.
“You remember me.” The words did not echo or fade, but settled deeply within me with a certainty that felt older than everything I had known so far. My breath slowed as the connection expanded again, and this time it did not feel like something reaching into me, but something recognizing me.
I do not remember you, I said, but even as I spoke, the denial felt weak against the truth rising within me. “You do,” the core replied, and there was no force in its voice, only certainty.
Fragments surfaced again, clearer and more structured than before, forming patterns that no longer felt unfamiliar. I saw darkness, not empty but waiting, and I saw movement forming from thought rather than matter. The images did
