Chapter 15 · The Price of Light

“Step away from her, Officer.”

It wasn't just a voice. It was a frequency that rattled Nora’s teeth and vibrated in the marrow of her bones.

Elias didn’t budge. He yanked Nora flush against his tactical vest, his grip on her waist like a vice. He stepped forward, shielding her with his body, eyes locked on the shimmering holographic interface bleeding out of the vault door.

“Who the hell are you?” Elias barked. “And why do you sound like a ghost?”

“I am the Archive,” the voice replied. Smooth. Breathless. “And you are the Guardian. You’ve brought the key back to the lock. Now, let her go.”

Nora felt a wave of vertigo. The voice was a mirror of her mother’s—the same soft tilt, the same cadence from those old, glitchy recordings. She tried to push up, legs still shaking from the neural overload, but Elias held her firm. He wasn't letting go.

“Not happening,” he muttered, low and dangerous. “She’s half-dead. We aren't leaving until I get a real answer.”

“The answers are here,” the Archive said. “The blackout is a systemic failure caused by Serah Vale’s greed. I can reverse the collapse.