“For you.”
The words did not echo.
They settled.
Mark did not move for several seconds. The rebirth inside him reacted—not with aggression, not with fear—but with recognition.
Elias’s eyes glowed faintly in the dim light of the cell. Not bright like Mark’s when he released power. Not volatile.
But alive.
Devon stepped forward. “Preparing him how?”
Elias’s lips were cracked. His voice trembled, but not from weakness—more from exhaustion.
“They needed a stable host,” he said. “The catalyst was never meant to stop at one integration.”
Mark felt something cold slide into place in his mind.
“The Architect said three survived partial integration.”
Elias nodded faintly.
“Three prototypes,” he whispered. “You were the final candidate.”
Mark rose slowly.
“Untie him,” he said.
Devon h
