Ethan stood motionless, his heart hammering in his chest. His palm still glowed faintly, the strange, familiar symbol pulsing with an energy he couldn't explain.
A hand-drawn star.
It had been his childhood drawing—something he'd doodled over and over, day after day. He could almost hear his father's voice in the back of his mind, reminding him, "You're my star, Ethan. You'll shine no matter how dark it gets."
But those days felt like they belonged to another lifetime. Now, they felt like a cruel joke, echoing through a fractured reality.
"Rina," Ethan muttered, his voice thick with uncertainty. "You said... my father raised a second AI. ORA. But why didn't he tell me? Why hide her from me?"
Rina's eyes scanned the air around them, her mind working faster than Ethan could follow. "Your father didn't trust anyone. Not even you, Ethan. Whatever Project ORA was, it was dangerous. And now it's linked to Eve—and possibly The Entity."
