Chapter 17 · The Memory Flood

“Get your hands off the console, Mara! Now!”

Cael didn't wait for her to move. He lunged. His shoulder slammed into her chest, pinning her hard against the vibrating metal wall. The impact knocked the wind out of her, but his grip on her wrists was iron, locking her arms above her head.

“What the hell are you doing?” Mara hissed. She struggled, but he didn't budge. The air tasted like ozone and burnt copper.

“The countdown is at six seconds!” she yelled. “If we don’t override the core, everything—including you—gets wiped!”

“That’s the point!” Cael shouted. His face was inches from hers. She could feel the heat radiating off him, the frantic, heavy thud of his pulse against her palms. His eyes weren't just desperate. They were terrified.

“You don’t get it. Stopping the reset isn’t a clean break. It’s a dam bursting. Every stolen memory, every scream the Crown ripped out of people for a century... it all comes back. All of it.”

“I want them back!” Mara snapped. She twisted her hips, trying to throw him off balance. “I want my brother back!”

Cael pressed closer.