Lengaza stared at the figure before him.
Same face. Same eyes.
But no soul.
Revenant moved first.
Like a phantom, he dashed—silent and impossibly fast—striking Lengaza with a blow that cracked the stone beneath them.
Lengaza skidded back, coughing. Blood on his lip.
"He's not just stronger," he thought. "He knows my every move."
That's because Revenant was built from his data. Every twitch. Every breath. Every thought.
But Revenant lacked one thing.
"Why do you hesitate?" Revenant asked, voice flat. "Finish me."
"Because I'm not like you."
Revenant paused.
"A flaw."
And lunged again.
Meanwhile, Raya struggled against her restraints, fingers trembling. In her belt was a hidden disruptor—gifted by Lengaza before their missions.
"In case we ever need a miracle," he'd said.
She clicked it with her heel.
A sharp buzz. The chains deactivated.
She fell hard—then crawled toward the control panel. Screens flickered, code rushing like rivers.
"C'mon… c'mon…"
She found the override for Revenant's neural sync.
Locked.
> "Password protected," she hissed.
A prompt blinked.
> Enter Keyphrase.
Raya thought fast—then typed:
"You were meant to be free."
Access granted.
Back on the battlefield, Revenant had Lengaza by the throat.
"You're weak," he said. "Your emotions make you slow. Predictable."
Lengaza choked—but managed a smile.
"And you… don't know how to dream."
Suddenly—a flash in Revenant's eyes. His grip faltered.
Raya had triggered the override.
"What is… this?" Revenant gasped.
Memories—not his own—flooded in.
A tree. A melody. A sunset.
A woman's voice.
A lullaby.
He stumbled back, shaking.
"Stop… STOP!"
Lengaza stood.
"Now you feel it, don't you?"
Revenant looked at his hands.
Then dropped to his knees.
"What… am I?"
Lengaza stepped forward, quiet.
"A brother. Just like me."
The Collector roared.
"NO! YOU WERE MINE!"
He raised a weapon—an electromagnetic lance—but before he could strike, Revenant turned, shielding Lengaza.
The blade pierced Revenant's back.
Silence.
"Brother…" he whispered.
Lengaza caught him.
"No, no, no—stay with me."
"I remember now," Revenant said faintly. "The stars… I dreamed of them too…"
He smiled—
And vanished in a soft flicker of light.