The kiss haunted her the next morning—but not for the reasons she expected.
Because before she could fully process it, a coded message came through the Phoenix Circle line.
"Aria. If you're seeing this… it means you've found your way back. I'm alive. Come alone."
Her father.
Xander didn't want her to go.
"It's a trap," he argued. "He's baiting you."
"I have to see for myself," she said. "I need the truth."
She left that night under a moonless sky, traveling to the coordinates sent through the signal: an old mining facility buried in the edge of the dead zone.
Inside, the air was thick with dust and memories.
Then he stepped into the light.
Taller. Gaunter. Eyes like hers.
"Hello, Aria."
She didn't speak.
"I thought you were dead," she finally said.
"I was. But they brought me back… for a reason."
His smile was bitter. "They want you. Because you're the last prototype that worked. Your mother hid you before they could activate the final strain."
Aria stared. "What final strain?"
Her father stepped forward.
"You're not just enhanced. You're evolving."