The power surged through her like a storm with no sky.
Valeria raised her hand.
The walls of the chapel cracked. The air burned electric.
Number Three screamed.
> "You'll end us all!"
"No," Valeria said, eyes glowing, "I'll free what you tried to bury."
With a pulse of light—
The chapel exploded inward, collapsing into a vortex of stone, fire and dust.
When silence returned, Valeria stood in the center of the ruin, untouched.
But where the altar once stood…
Was a staircase.
Stone. Ancient. Leading deep underground.
She hesitated only a moment, then began to descend.
Each step echoed. The symbols on her arms glowed, illuminating the way.
And then—
She reached the bottom.
A vast chamber.
Walls of obsidian.
In the center: a massive sphere of glass… with someone inside.
Suspended. Sleeping.
A young girl. Maybe eight. Eyes closed. Hands crossed. And carved into the glass:
> 0000
Valeria's heart stopped.
> "Who is she?" she whispered.
> "She's the true Zero," said a voice behind her.
She turned.
Number One. Her brother.
> "You thought you were the end," he said softly. "But you were the distraction."
Valeria stepped closer to the sphere. "What do they want her for?"
> "She's the beginning. The reset. If they awaken her… time itself restarts."
Valeria placed her hand on the glass. The girl twitched.
> "She's dreaming," Valeria said.
Her brother nodded. "Of a world that never existed. One we erased."
And suddenly Valeria realized—
If she destroyed the sphere, she could stop the ritual.
But if she saved the girl…
Maybe she'd see the truth behind all the lies.