Kael didn’t move.
The voice had come from somewhere beyond the door.
It sounded like him.
Not similar.
Not close.
Exactly him.
Shade stood beside him, staring into the darkness.
Kael tightened his grip on his weapon.
“Did you hear that?” Shade nodded.
“Good.” Kael stepped forward.
The corridor beyond the door was narrow, but unlike the rest of the Abyss, its walls weren’t made of black stone.
They were covered in names.
Hundreds of them.
Some were carved deeply into the walls.
Others had been scratched out.
Kael ran his fingers across one.
The name disappeared beneath his touch.
He pulled his hand back.
“What the…” The wall repaired itself.
Shade moved closer.
Kael looked at it.
“You know this place.” Shade shook its head.
Then paused.
It touched one of the names.
A faint black light spread beneath its fingers.
The name appeared again.
SHADE.
Kael stared.
“You were here before.” Shade looked at him.
“No.” It touched the name again.
“Made.” Kael frowned.
“Made here?” Shade nodded.
A memory flashed through Kael’s mind.
A room.
A table.
A body lying beneath a sheet.
Someone standing over it.
A voice saying: “If the original fails, create another.” Kael staggered.
The vision vanished.
He grabbed the wall.
Shade caught him.
“Kael.” He looked at Shade.
“You were created to replace something.” Shade’s expression changed.
“Who?” Kael stared at the darkness ahead.
“I don’t know.” A sound echoed through the corridor.
Footsteps.
One.
Two.
Three.
Kael raised his weapon.
“Someone’s coming.” Shade moved beside him.
The footsteps stopped.
A figure appeared at the end of the corridor.
A man.
Tall.
Wearing an old military uniform.
His face was hidden beneath a cracked helmet.
Kael took a step forward.
“Who are you?” The figure raised his head.
Kael froze.
The uniform had the emblem of Expedition 07.
The man removed his helmet.
He was dead.
His skin was grey.
His eyes were empty.
Yet he smiled.
“You’re late.” Kael’s grip tightened.
“Late for what?” The corpse pointed toward the darkness behind Kael.
“For the others.” Kael slowly turned.
The door was gone.
Shade was no longer beside him.
Kael spun back.
The dead soldier was standing inches away.
“Don’t worry.” Its mouth opened wider than it should have.
“They’re still waiting.” THE WORLD ABOVE Cairos stood alone inside the archive.
The thirteen names remained on the screen.
Serah had left five minutes earlier.
She had said nothing.
That worried him more than anger would have.
Cairos opened another file.
EXPEDITION 07 — FINAL REPORT Most of it had been erased.
One sentence remained.
He read it again.
The thirteenth subject was not sent into the Abyss.
Cairos’s fingers tightened.
Another line appeared beneath it.
He entered willingly.
Cairos closed his eyes.
“Of course you did.” A knock came from the doorway.
Cairos turned.
Serah stood there.
“You lied to me.” He didn’t answer.
“You told me Kael died trying to close the gate.” “I believed that was what happened.” “No.” She stepped closer.
“You knew he entered willingly.” Cairos looked away.
Serah placed a document on the table.
“I found this.” Cairos looked down.
His face changed.
It was an old photograph.
Thirteen people stood outside the Expedition 07 gate.
Twelve soldiers.
And Kael.
But there was something wrong.
Someone had been cut out of the photograph.
Only a portion of their arm remained beside Kael.
Serah spoke quietly.
“Who was standing next to him?” Cairos didn’t answer.
“Who?” He finally whispered: “The first person the Abyss ever returned.” Serah stared at him.
“Who was it?” Cairos looked toward the security camera.
His voice dropped.
“We don’t know.” The lights flickered.
Both of them froze.
Every screen in the archive activated simultaneously.
One message appeared.
EXPEDITION 07 HAS BEEN REOPENED.
Then: SUBJECTS: 13 A final line appeared.
SURVIVORS: 1 Cairos stared.
Serah whispered: “Riven.” Cairos shook his head.
“No.” He looked at the screen.
“That’s not Riven.” THE ABYSS Kael opened his eyes.
He was lying on the floor.
Shade was kneeling beside him.
“Kael.” He pushed himself up.
“What happened?” Shade looked toward the corridor.
“Dead.” “The soldier?” Shade nodded.
“Where?” Shade pointed ahead.
There was nothing there.
No corpse.
No corridor.
No door.
Only darkness.
Kael slowly stood.
Something was carved into the floor.
He crouched.
A single sentence.
THE FIRST ONE FAILED.
Kael stared at it.
Then another line appeared.
THE SECOND ONE FORGOT.
A third.
THE THIRTEENTH REMEMBERED.
Kael’s heart began to pound.
He looked at Shade.
“What does that mean?” Shade shook its head.
Kael looked toward the darkness.
Then a familiar notification appeared.
MEMORY RESTORATION: 21% Kael froze.
The number had increased.
But he hadn’t activated anything.
Another message appeared.
MEMORY RESTORATION IS NO LONGER UNDER YOUR CONTROL.
Kael’s expression hardened.
“That’s a problem.” The Abyss trembled.
And somewhere far below them— thirteen voices began speaking at once.
All of them said the same thing.
“Remember.” Kael closed his eyes.
For the first time since returning to the Abyss…
he was afraid of what he might remember.
Kael thought he was searching for answers.
But what happens when the answers start searching for him?
And the question remains…
Who is the real survivor of Expedition 07?