Mael looked at them both, the breeze tugging faintly at his coat. His smile faded.
"The Creators are planning something."
Jian's head lifted sharply, a crease forming between his brows. "Planning what?"
Eva's eyes widened, voice slicing through the quiet "What do you mean? What kind of plan?"
Mael's tone darkened, words falling heavy.
"Something connected to all the experiments. All the recursion layers. All of us."
Jian stepped forward slightly, his voice low. "What exactly are they planning?"
Mael's gaze flicked toward him, steady. "All of us."
Eva blinked."But... I haven't felt anything strange. Nothing's changed."
Mael gave a small, humorless smile. "Because it's a secret projection. Off-grid. Hidden. Even Damien and Raven don't know about it."
Jian frowned, the lines on his face deepening.
"Then who does?"
Mael hesitated..then answered quietly:
"The old Creators. The ones before Damien. But the real disaster… isn't just the project."
Jian's voice hardened. "Disaster? What kind of disaster are we talking about?"
Mael nodded slowly. His expression wasn't dramatic. It was tired. Resigned.
"One of the old Creators made a deal."
Eva's voice snapped. "A deal with who ?"
Mael closed his eyes for a beat, then opened them. His voice was barely audible.
"Coox."
The name hit the air like a fracture. Jian's jaw tightened. Eva took a half-step back, eyes wide.
"That's not possible," Jian whispered.
Eva shook her head, stunned. "How do you even know that?"
Mael looked between them. His smile was gone now.
"I can't tell you. But I'm part of it too. Whether I want to be or not." He paused. "None of us know what this will turn into. Not just for us. For the world itself. Something's already shifting."
Eva stared at him, her voice sharp. "I don't trust you."
Mael met her eyes calmly. "That's up to you."
He looked at Jian. "But I had to say it. To both of you. While I still could."
Jian narrowed his eyes."Why us?"
Mael held his gaze for a heartbeat... then didn't answer. He turned, footsteps soft in the grass, and began to walk away.
Eva and Jian stood frozen, watching his figure retreat into the sunlight. Neither of them saw it, but as Mael moved into shadow, a slow, dangerous smile curled across his lips.Something was coming.
Eva looked at Jian, fear flickering in her eyes subtle, but real. Jian's gaze stayed locked in the direction where Mael had just vanished, as if trying to see something even after it was long gone.
"Jian?" she said softly.
He turned his head, not fully snapping out of his trance. Jian nodded slowly, unsure.
"Do you trust him?" Eva asked after a pause.
"I don't know," Jian replied, his voice low. "Something about what he said felt real. But if he's lying… why say something so intense? So heavy?"
Eva looked toward the trees where Mael had disappeared. "I don't know either. But… I didn't feel anything strange about the creators "
Jian stayed silent, then finally spoke again. "But one thing he said… it's true."
Eva turned to him, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
He hesitated. "Voox," he said. "Ever since we got back from that place.. from Coox... I've still been hearing her. Feeling her. I see her, sometimes. Always in the same place I can't recognize. Just standing there with her head down… like she's being swallowed by something."
Eva's voice dropped. "Swallowed by what?"
Jian replied quietly, "Sadness. Pain. I want to reach her, Eva. I really do… but I don't know how."
He looked at her, something vulnerable in his eyes. "Can you help me find her?"
Eva looked down, then slowly met his gaze again and nodded. "Yes. I can."
Jian's voice softened into a whisper. "Thank you, Eva."
Eva held his gaze, her expression tightening with worry.
"Are you sure about that, Jian?" she asked, voice low but firm. "You know you and Voox can't meet if this happens…"
Jian's eyes darkened for a moment, haunted by the weight of what she meant. Then he completed the thought quietly, almost like it hurt to say it:
"She may explode… and destroy half of the earth." He paused, steadying himself. "I know what could happen, Eva. But I really need to find her. I have to."
Eva stared at him, torn between fear and understanding. Then, slowly, she nodded.
"Then I'll do my best," she said softly. "To find her."
The silence between Jian and Eva was gently broken by the sound of light footsteps approaching. Elara stepped into view, a warm, soothing presence like sunlight breaking through the clouds. She moved straight to Eva, wrapping her in a soft, tender embrace.
"Hey, sweetie," she whispered, pressing her cheek to Eva's head. "Mommy missed you."
Eva closed her eyes for a moment, the weight of everything fading briefly in her mother's arms. "I missed you too, Mommy," she murmured. When she opened her eyes again, she caught Jian looking at her..not at her exactly, but at the embrace between mother and daughter. There was something aching in his expression, something deep and unspoken.
Elara noticed too. She glanced between them, her voice gentle but curious. "Is everything okay?"
Jian looked away, his jaw tightening slightly. He nodded once, quietly. Eva didn't speak, but her eyes stayed on him, reading what he couldn't say. She knew that look. Jian wasn't looking at her..he was looking at Elara… and seeing the version of her he once knew. The Elara from before. From 2001.
Something in Eva's chest ached for him. Elara, sensing the tension but choosing not to press, let it go. She looked around and asked,
"Where's Mael?"
"He said he had to go," Jian replied, still not meeting her eyes.
Elara nodded slowly. "Alright… then let's go inside."
Just as they reached the steps of the house, Jian suddenly stopped. A strange tension flickered in his posture.
"I'm sorry," he said abruptly, stepping back. "I need to go somewhere."
Both Eva and Elara turned to him. Elara raised a brow but simply replied, "Okay."
Eva's eyes didn't leave Jian. She could feel it..he was going somewhere important. Somewhere he didn't want to take her. She took a small breath, ready to say something, but Jian had already met her gaze. He understood. The look on her face said everything: Take me with you. But he remained quiet.
Without another word, Eva began to squirm in Elara's arms, trying to slide down to the ground.
But Elara's grip tightened around her protectively.
"Where are you going, Eva? Stay still or you'll fall," she warned gently.
"I want to go with Uncle Jian!" Eva insisted, twisting a little more.
"No," Elara said calmly but firmly. "Uncle Jian has something important to do. You can't go with him this time."
Eva turned a sharp, angry gaze toward Jian, her small fists clenched. But Jian avoided her eyes, looking only at Elara.
"I have to go now," he said flatly, and without another word, turned and walked away. Eva's chest tightened with frustration..anger even, but she didn't let it spill in front of Elara. Instead, she stayed silent, her eyes burning as she watched him disappear into the distance. Elara held her gently and carried her inside the house.
Eva sat on her bed, small fists clenched and brows furrowed, her tiny body trembling with bottled-up frustration. She whispered harshly to herself, voice low but sharp
"Because I'm wearing this stupid child body, you think you can do anything you want... You stupid Jian."
She grabbed the pillow and bit into it, muffling a scream of rage. Days passed. Jian didn't show up. Eva stayed mostly in her room, her thoughts constantly spiraling. She paced, she stared at the ceiling, and she sat by the window hoping, waiting. Then one evening, while watching the dusk settle in, her mind sparked with a sudden thought.
"Where did he go? It's been days now," she whispered, standing slowly. Her eyes darted toward the horizon. "I hope he didn't get himself into trouble."
A second later, her eyes widened. Her breath caught in her chest.
"I hope he's not in that place…" she muttered, dread sinking in. "Where the Creators are…"
She shot to her feet, panic starting to rise. "Oh my god, Jian, no. That's too dangerous. You stupid, reckless idiot..what are you doing?!"
Just then, the door to her room creaked open. She froze. Standing there in the hallway were Damien and Raven, silhouetted by the hallway light. Their eyes locked on her..Damien's calm but curious, Raven's sharp and analytical.
Eva turned slowly to face them, still standing stiffly by her bed. But she said nothing. She just stared at them, lips pressed in a hard line, hiding the whirlwind of fear and fury building behind her quiet gaze.
The door swung open, creaking softly as Elara stepped into the room. Her eyes immediately caught sight of Damien and Raven standing inside with Eva. The tension in the air was heavy, nearly suffocating.
Elara's gaze darted from them to Eva, alert, guarded. Her tone was sharp. "What do you want?"
Eva looked at her, and a chill ran through her. That voice… that posture… she recognized it instantly.This was Elara from 2001.. Eva said nothing, lips pressed tight.
Damien stepped forward, composed but urgent. "We really need your help."
Elara's brows furrowed, her voice colder. "We can't."
Raven took a single step forward, his eyes narrowing as they fixed on her like a blade. "If you refuse… you'll never return to this body. You'll disappear. Completely."
Elara stiffened, her jaw tightening. Eva's heart pounded. She clenched her small fists, her voice trembling with fury.
"You…" she pointed at Raven, her words biting. "You're one of the Creators. You made us suffer. How dare you come here now, acting like you need help?"
She turned to Elara, her voice cracking. "What happened to you… what happened to me … it's all because of them!"
Raven's cold stare dropped to Elara again, unreadable. But before he could speak, Damien cut in.
"Then you'll stay like this forever," he warned, his tone harsher now. "Trapped in that child's body.. your mind will fade with it. You'll forget who you are, what you were. Even him."
Eva flinched, her chest tightening. "No…" she whispered. "You're lying..Leave us alone!" she shouted, stepping back toward Elara.
But Elara didn't respond the way Eva hoped. Instead, she turned..slowly.. looking back at Eva for a heartbeat. Her expression was unreadable. Calm. Almost… detached. Then, without a word, she stepped toward Damien and Raven.
Eva's breath caught. "Elara?" she whispered, voice trembling.
But Elara didn't turn around. Didn't speak. She kept walking, each step toward them silent… but deafening. And all the while, Raven never took his eyes off Eva.. his stare like a shadow stretching across her soul.
Eva's face twisted with rage as she stepped forward, her voice sharp and trembling.
"You've controlled her now, haven't you?!" she shouted at Raven and Damien. "I'm not helping anybody! Get Elara back, you dumps!"
Raven and Damien said nothing. Their expressions remained unreadable...calm, patient, too quiet. That silence only made Eva's anger burn hotter. But then Elara spoke, her back still turned.
"They're not controlling me, Eva," she said, her voice low, distant. "Let's go with them."
Eva's heart skipped. She stared at Elara, then turned a wary gaze toward Damien and Raven. Their silence felt heavier than words.
"No…" Eva whispered. Then louder, desperate, "At least let's wait for Jian."
Elara didn't move. Didn't answer. The room felt suddenly colder. Then Damien's voice came, cool and steady:
"Didn't you notice?" he asked. "Jian's been gone for days. And he never disappears like that without a reason."
Eva's breath caught in her throat. She turned sharply to him.
"What are you saying?"
Damien's expression didn't change.
"He agreed to help us. And he's waiting for you ."
Eva's eyes widened. Her jaw clenched. She felt the ground tilt under her, as if reality had slipped just enough to make everything uncertain. He's waiting for me? Why didn't he say anything? Why wouldn't he..
She looked between them...Damien's steady eyes, Raven's unsettling calm, and Elara… standing still, quiet, unreadable. Eva stood frozen. Confused. Silent. She didn't know what was real anymore.
And the worst part was something deep inside her feared they might be telling the truth. Or may be not .
Three days had passed since Jian had left. Now, he stood once again at the doorstep of Eva's house. His hand reached to knock, but the door creaked open with a soft push. Unlocked. His eyes narrowed slightly. Something felt off.
"Eva?" he called softly, but the house answered only with silence.
He stepped inside. The air was still. Furniture unmoved, lights off. No voices, no footsteps. He walked down the familiar hall, a strange tightness forming in his chest.
When he reached Eva's room, he paused.The door was half-open, and inside, the bed was neatly made, but empty.
"Where did they go…?" Jian whispered to himself, stepping inside slowly.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees, deep in thought. His mind ran in circles, Where was Eva? Did she leave with Elara? Or…
Then, out of the corner of his eye, something caught his attention.A folded piece of paper on the desk. Jian stood, walked toward it, and picked it up with cautious hands. The handwriting was unmistakable ..Eva's. He opened it and read, eyes scanning quickly. When he finished, he whispered under his breath:
"So… she already found Voox's place…"
He stood there, the weight of her decision heavy in the quiet air. Then he took a pen from the corner of the desk and another blank sheet of paper. His hand moved quickly, and he left a short note in return:
"Thank you for finding her. I will be back again."
He placed the note on the desk where she'd left hers, glanced around the empty room one last time, then turned and walked out. The door clicked shut behind him.
To be continue ...