Chapter 30 · Zero Was Never a Name

The door's still glowing when Ashmark's hand lands on my shoulder.

"Don't," he says.

I shake him off. The corridor smells like rust and old paint, and my mom's voice is still echoing in my skull. Welcome home, Zero. Zero. I've heard that word before. I know I have. But it's slipping already, sand through my fingers, and I'm so tired of losing things I can't even name.

"You knew." I turn around. Ashmark's face is all hard lines in the door's blue glow. "You knew what I was called down here."

He doesn't deny it. Just stands there, one hand still half-raised like he's thinking about grabbing me again.

"How long?" I ask.

"Kai—"

"How long have you known?"

He exhales through his nose. His jaw works. Finally: "Since before you came up."

Something hot and sharp twists in my chest. I take a step toward him. He doesn't back up.

"You said you'd help me find the truth," I say. My voice comes out low. Shaking. "You said you owed me that."

"I did. I do."

"Then why the hell didn't you tell me my own name?"

"Because it's not your name.