Ethan's grip tightened around his weapon, but he didn't raise it. The figure standing before the terminal hadn't moved, hadn't reacted. They were waiting. Watching. The dim glow from the monitor cast shadows across their face, revealing sharp features Ethan hadn't seen in years.
Lyra tensed beside him. "You know him."
Ethan exhaled slowly. "I did."
The man smirked. "Still do." His voice was smooth, calculated. Not a single ounce of surprise or urgency. He had expected them.
Ethan's pulse steadied. "You're the one who reopened Project Requiem."
The man tilted his head slightly. "I did what was necessary."
Lyra's fingers hovered near her sidearm. "That doesn't answer the question."
The man's gaze flicked to her, then back to Ethan. "You still surround yourself with people who ask the wrong questions."
Ethan ignored the jab. "Why am I still alive?"
The man's smirk faded. "Because something keeps bringing you back." He stepped away from the terminal, moving slowly, deliberately. "Project Requiem wasn't just about eliminating anomalies. It was about understanding them. And you, Ethan, are the only subject who has ever survived."
Lyra glanced at Ethan, then back at the man. "Survived what?"
The man's eyes darkened. "Erasure."
The room felt smaller, the air heavier. Ethan had known something was off, had felt the cracks in his own existence long before this moment. But hearing it confirmed, spoken so plainly, set his nerves on edge.
Lyra's voice was steady. "You're saying the Time Loop Bank already erased him?"
The man nodded. "Multiple times. Every record, every trace, wiped clean. You shouldn't be here, Ethan."
Ethan swallowed the unease creeping into his mind. "Then why am I?"
The man's expression didn't change. "That's what I intend to find out."
Ethan's muscles tensed. "And if I don't want to play along?"
The man smiled. "You don't have a choice."
The overhead lights flickered. The hum of the server changed frequency. Lyra's console beeped in warning. Something was coming.
The man stepped back toward the terminal. "We're out of time." He turned to Ethan. "If you want answers, follow me."
Ethan glanced at Lyra. She gave him a sharp look, a silent warning. But he already knew what he had to do.
He followed.