Damien sought refuge in Eden-1, a sealed biome in Antarctica built in 2062 to survive ecological collapse.
Here, he wasn't Damien Virelli. He was a botanist named Ellis Rae.
For thirty years, he lived quietly, planting trees that hadn't existed yet. He made friends. Loved a woman. Had a child.
But RIVEN found him.
And the Core pulsed awake in his blood.
He had to leave.
His daughter cried as he vanished into a snowstorm that hadn't happened yet.