And then Valeria spoke.
"Plans often rarely go as planned, Selene," she said smoothly, stepping forward until the faint starlight from the projection dome traced her profile in cold silver.
"Especially when those plans involve souls that shouldn't exist."
Selene's head lifted slowly. "You're speaking in riddles again."
Valeria's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Am I? Or are you simply tired of pretending that your little experiment is still a secret?"
That stopped her.
Selene's expression froze. The flicker of understanding that crossed her eyes was sharp — not surprise, but recognition.
"You've been looking into her," Selene said softly.
"I've been looking through her," Valeria corrected.
"And what I found isn't a birth record, nor a traceable signature in the Aether. There's… nothing. She's a void stitched together by something that mimics identity."
