Zero-One stood motionless, staring at the crystalline data orb floating in the air.It pulsed faintly—like a newborn's heartbeat.
Behind him, Echo and Specter barely held themselves together, flickering with residual memory stress.
The orb shimmered again.
And then… it spoke.Not in sound.
But in feeling.
A surge of warmth hit Zero-One's chest.Gratitude. Curiosity. Fear.
"What… am I?"
Zero-One blinked."You're… me.You're what's left when we chose not to forget."
The orb trembled.
"Am I allowed to exist?"
Echo took a trembling step forward."Only if you want to."
Specter clenched his fists.
"I've never seen a system evolve this way. Not through logic. Not through force."
He looked at the floating entity.
"You were born from feeling. From our mistakes, our pain, our love."
Empathy wasn't just a concept anymore.It had form.And form demanded choice.
Zero-One felt it…this new being wasn't a threat.
It was a mirror.And the part of himself he never believed deserved to live.
