Chapter 56 · His eyes stayed on the copy

She looked at Kade.

He said nothing.

The silence cut worse than any answer.

"Kade."

His eyes stayed on the copy. "I don’t know if it’s true."

"You know enough to look guilty."

"I know the Crown had Jonah’s file. I saw it during the purge."

"And you kept that from me?"

"I didn’t remember it until this thing spoke."

"Convenient."

"You think I wanted my head broken open?"

"I think you always have one more secret."

The copy took a step toward them.

Kade’s blade lifted.

Evelyn moved with him, blocking the line between them. "No."

"Get behind me."

"You’re not killing it until I know what it knows."

"It’s not a person."

"It has your memories."

"That doesn’t make it me."

The copy touched two fingers to its chest. "You’re sure?"

Kade’s face went pale.

The rift behind the copy widened. A deep vibration rolled through the platform. Blue fractures spread beneath Evelyn’s boots, and one of the support beams snapped with a sound like a rifle shot.

A red warning glyph flashed across the air.

EXIT WINDOW: 00:48.

Evelyn pointed at it. "Forty-eight seconds."

"I know."

"Then stop acting like you have time to play executioner.