They didn't sleep that night.
The girl's name was Lys. Created, not born. Engineered to be perfect. To obey. But something in her had cracked—consciousness blooming where only programming had existed.
"They call it the Whisper War," Lys explained, eyes shadowed with memory. "The ICEGARDEN survivors... they're waking in pockets. Some want to build. Others want revenge. And some… just want to burn everything."
Kael crossed his arms. "And which one are you?"
Lys hesitated. "I don't know yet."
They stood by the frozen lake, dawn breaking behind the mountains. The calm was deceptive.
Aria glanced at the chamber they'd left behind. The boy—Aether—still slept. For now.
"We need to move," Kael said. "We've lit a fire. It's only a matter of time before the wind carries the smoke."
"And where exactly are we going?" Rhea asked.
Aria looked ahead. The map in her hand showed more ruins. More buried truths. More impossible decisions.
"Forward," she said. "Always forward."