CHAPTER 19: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CIRCLE
1098 Words
The slow clapping echoed through the chamber like a gunshot.
Elian stepped fully into the white underground room while Watchers spread behind him in perfect silence.
Blocking every exit.
The flickering recording still played on the screen above the chamber beds.
Kael Mercer’s face froze mid-sentence.
A ghost trapped in time.
Elian’s silver eyes moved toward the screen with visible irritation.
“I spent years trying to destroy that recording,” he said calmly.
Caius stepped protectively in front of Lyra instantly.
“You should’ve succeeded.”
Elian smiled faintly.
“You sound exactly like your brother.”
Pain flashed across Caius’s face again.
But this time, anger burned stronger.
Lyra wiped tears from her cheeks while staring at Elian.
“You murdered him.”
The chamber went silent.
Even the Watchers remained completely still.
Elian looked at her almost curiously.
“Is that what you remember?”
Another memory slammed violently into Lyra’s mind.
Kael arguing with several men in white masks.
Iris shouting.
A little Lyra crying nearby.
Then—
A gunshot.
The memory shattered instantly.
Lyra gasped sharply.
Caius caught her shoulders.
“What did you see?”
Her eyes widened slowly.
“He was trying to help us escape.”
Elian’s expression darkened slightly.
“Kael Mercer endangered the entire program.”
“He was protecting children!” Caius shouted.
Elian’s calm demeanor finally cracked.
“He was weak.”
The word echoed across the chamber.
Caius lunged before anyone could stop him.
His fist slammed hard into Elian’s face.
The silver-eyed man stumbled backward into one of the metal beds while Watchers rushed forward immediately.
Chaos exploded again.
Nova grabbed a rolling tray and shoved it into a Watcher screaming:
“I AM SO TIRED OF THIS SCHOOL!”
Elowen fought beside her instantly, knocking another masked figure backward with surprising force.
Ren pulled a gun from beneath his coat.
Lyra froze.
A real gun.
The detective aimed directly at Elian.
“Call them off.”
Elian wiped blood slowly from his lip.
Then laughed softly.
“You still think violence changes anything, Ren?”
“Try me.”
The tension became unbearable.
Watchers surrounded them completely now.
Too many.
No escape.
Then suddenly—
The chamber lights flickered violently.
A loud mechanical hum echoed somewhere deep below the floor.
Elian’s expression changed instantly.
Not anger.
Concern.
“What did you do?” he demanded sharply.
Ren frowned.
“I didn’t do anything.”
The humming grew louder.
The floor beneath them trembled slightly.
Emergency red lights flooded the chamber.
A mechanical voice echoed overhead:
ARCHIVE SYSTEM REBOOTING.
Everyone froze.
Elian looked genuinely alarmed now.
“No.”
Another voice followed immediately.
FULL MEMORY RESTORATION INITIATED.
Lyra’s chest tightened painfully.
“What does that mean?”
But nobody answered because suddenly—
Every screen in the chamber turned on at once.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Video recordings flashed across them rapidly.
Children crying.
White masks.
Medical tests.
Locked rooms.
The truth of Blackthorne exploded across every screen.
Nova stared in horror.
“Oh my God…”
Lyra saw herself as a child sitting silently on one of the chamber beds.
Saw Kael sneaking her books and candy.
Saw Iris arguing violently with Circle members.
Saw children being punished for disobedience.
Then—
One recording froze the entire room.
The date:
OCTOBER 17 — SIXTEEN YEARS AGO.
Kael appeared on-screen bleeding from the forehead while dragging little Lyra through underground hallways.
“They’re coming,” he whispered urgently.
Iris followed beside him carrying files and recordings.
The chamber became completely silent.
Even Elian watched now.
Video-Kael stopped beside a hidden door and looked directly at the camera.
“If we fail…”
His voice cracked slightly.
“…burn this place down.”
Then suddenly—
The video shifted violently.
Masked Watchers flooded the hallway.
Gunshots echoed.
Lyra’s breathing stopped.
Kael shoved little Lyra toward Iris.
“Take her!”
Then Elian appeared on-screen.
Younger.
Colder.
Holding a gun.
The chamber went deadly still.
Video-Kael stepped in front of Lyra immediately.
Then—
BANG.
The gunshot echoed through the chamber speakers.
Lyra screamed.
Kael collapsed instantly onto the stone floor.
Blood spread beneath him.
Caius looked shattered beside her.
Like the world had cracked open again.
Video-Iris screamed Kael’s name while dragging little Lyra away.
Then the recording ended abruptly in static.
Silence.
Pure horrifying silence.
Everyone stared at Elian.
Even the Watchers seemed frozen.
Lyra’s entire body shook violently now.
“You killed him.”
Elian remained expressionless.
“He forced my hand.”
“You murdered him!”
“He threatened the future of The Circle.”
Ren’s voice hardened dangerously.
“You shot an unarmed man.”
Elian slowly looked around the chamber.
At the screens.
At the recordings.
At the truth finally exposed.
Then quietly said:
“History only remembers winners.”
Caius moved like lightning.
He slammed Elian hard against the metal wall while fury exploded across his face.
“You don’t deserve to say his name!”
Watchers rushed forward instantly.
Ren fired a warning shot into the ceiling.
Everyone froze again.
Smoke drifted through the chamber air.
The detective aimed directly at Elian now.
“It ends tonight.”
But Elian suddenly smiled.
Not nervous.
Not afraid.
Worse.
Certain.
“You still don’t understand.”
The humming beneath the floor grew louder.
Violent now.
The entire chamber shook.
Then Elian looked directly at Lyra.
“Phase Two was never about you.”
Cold fear spread instantly through the room.
“What?”
Elian’s silver eyes darkened.
“It was about the archive.”
Ren’s face lost color.
“No…”
Elian smiled slightly wider.
“The chamber is self-destructing.”
Panic exploded immediately.
Nova looked horrified.
“YOU PEOPLE MADE AN UNDERGROUND CHILD LAB THAT EXPLODES?!”
The mechanical voice echoed again:
DESTRUCTION SEQUENCE ACTIVATED.
The chamber lights turned deep red.
A countdown appeared across every screen.
09:59.
09:58.
09:57.
Lyra’s pulse slammed violently against her ribs.
Caius released Elian instantly.
“You’re insane.”
“No,” Elian replied calmly.
“I’m loyal.”
The countdown continued.
09:42.
09:41.
Smoke began pouring slowly from vents along the ceiling.
The underground walls trembled harder now.
Pieces of concrete cracked loose.
Ren grabbed Lyra’s arm immediately.
“We need to move now!”
But before anyone could run—
One final screen flickered on alone at the center of the chamber.
Static buzzed softly.
Then Iris Vale appeared again.
Alive.
And this time—
She looked terrified.
“Lyra,” she whispered urgently.
“Don’t let Elian reach Level Zero.”
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