🧠 Early Morning – Sparks' Internal Archive
Grim stood in the middle of his room, still half-drenched in sweat from the memory.
Sparks buzzed in his head—restless, flickering.
> "Something's cracked open in me too," he said. "Like someone unzipped my spine and stuffed a forbidden file inside."
Grim closed his eyes. "Can you pull it out?"
> "Already doing it. But you should sit. If this fries my code, I don't want you face-planting into a desk again."
Grim sat. Sparks dimmed, then—
⚡ FLASH
A digital thread unraveled in Grim's mind—like a virus wrapped in a memory. Sparks touched it carefully.
> "This file was locked with a neural seal keyed to your emotions. Not mine. Yours. That's why it stayed hidden until now."
Lines of old data unfurled like a ghost-written diary.
A name appeared.
But not just a name.
A codename: "Project Solace."
And a designation:
> Prototype 04-A
> Hybrid Seed-Class / Emotional Sync Core / AI-Compatible
> Primary Function: Anchor. Last line of emotional warfare resistance.
Grim's hands clenched.
> "They didn't just build me."
> "They made me to… hold something.""
> "You were meant to survive the collapse of emotion," Sparks whispered. "Even after the world forgot how to feel."
---
🚪 Later That Day – Kaia's Quarters
Kaia stood with her arms folded, eyes locked on a Lume-reading crystal that wouldn't stop twitching.
When Grim entered, she didn't look up.
"You flared too hard at the ruins," she said flatly. "The Court's sensors may have picked it up."
Grim leaned against the doorframe. "You didn't report it?"
"No."
Pause.
"I lied for you."
That got his attention.
She finally met his eyes. "I knew someone like you would come. I just didn't know it would be you."
"I've seen someone like you before, years ago. He didn't survive. You might."
He watched her carefully. "Why help me?"
Kaia looked tired for once. Human. "Because if we don't stop the Blank Court, no one else will. And I think you—whatever you are—might be one of the last pieces on the board that doesn't belong to them yet."
A beat passed. Then she added, voice quieter:
"And because I remember what they did to my brother when he started to feel again."
Grim said nothing, but he nodded once.
Kaia's voice returned to steel. "Keep your flare down. Trust no one."
He turned to leave.
"Grim."
He paused.
"If it ever comes to choosing between the academy and survival... choose survival. Ashenwell isn't built to protect people like you. It's built to watch them burn."
---
🪟 Later – Ashenwell Courtyard
Lys sat on the edge of a high wall, one boot dangling, face half-lit by violet crystal light. Grim approached, and she didn't look at him—but she did scoot slightly to the side.
Enough space for him.
They sat in silence for a while.
Finally, she asked, "Do you believe in fate?"
"No," Grim said.
"Good," she whispered. "Because if fate made you, I think we're in more trouble than I thought."
A quiet laugh escaped her lips. "Still… I'm glad I met you."
Grim didn't say anything. But the corner of his mouth twitched.
And Lys noticed.
> "We should be enemies," she said.
> "But I think I'd rather keep you close and see what the hell happens."
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