The Assembly city never felt quiet.
Even in its stillest moments, the air carried a low hum of distant energy fields and moving structures. Towers shifted slightly as if breathing. Bridges glowed faintly beneath passing figures.
Erickson stood alone on a high observation platform overlooking the vast metropolis.
The meeting in the Hall of Classification had ended hours ago, but the tension it created had not faded.
They were watching him.
He could feel it.
Every step he took, every movement—recorded, analyzed, judged.
Tricrypt remained partially dormant across his forearms, thin metallic threads resting beneath his skin like sleeping circuitry.
Inside his mind, Orion remained silent.
For now.
Footsteps approached behind him.
Not cautious.
Not hesitant.
Confident.
Erickson did not turn immediately.
"I was wondering how long it would take," he said.
The man who stopped behind him gave a small laugh.
"You always did hate surprises."
Erickson turned.
Alex Vale stood a few meters away.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. His armor rested inactive around his torso, small mechanical components folded neatly across his back like dormant wings.
But it wasn't the armor Erickson noticed.
It was Alex's expression.
Not hostile.
Not friendly.
Something older than both.
Alex studied him quietly.
"You really don't remember, do you?"
Erickson frowned slightly.
"Remember what?"
Alex walked closer until they stood face to face.
"The house."
Pause.
"The lake."
Another pause.
"The old workshop our father used to disappear into for days."
Erickson's eyes narrowed.
"That's a strange way to start a conversation."
Alex folded his arms.
"It's a strange situation."
He glanced toward the city below.
"Two brothers standing in a secret superhuman civilization while a third one tries to rewrite evolution."
Erickson stiffened slightly.
"Choose your words carefully."
Alex shook his head slowly.
"No. I think it's time we stop pretending."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Alex said it.
"You know Ericsson wasn't always Ericsson."
Erickson's gaze hardened.
"His name was Kade."
Alex nodded.
"Only because our father's first wife refused to allow the name."
The words landed like quiet thunder.
Erickson said nothing.
Alex stepped closer.
"Our father wanted his first son to be named Ericsson."
He paused.
"But his wife hated the name. Said it sounded like a burden."
"So they called him Kade instead."
A faint wind moved across the platform.
Erickson's mind felt suddenly distant.
Alex continued.
"Years later, when things started falling apart, Kade disappeared."
His voice lowered.
"Official story: he fell from a mountain during a research expedition."
Alex looked directly into Erickson's eyes.
"But we both know that's not what happened."
Fragments of memory flickered in Erickson's mind.
Snow.
Wind.
A distant cliff edge.
A body falling—
Then nothing.
Alex watched the reaction carefully.
"He faked it."
Erickson exhaled slowly.
"Yes."
Alex nodded once.
"Of course he did."
They stood in silence for several seconds.
Then Alex spoke again.
"Do you remember the night our father died?"
That memory came easier.
A dark room.
Machines beeping slowly.
Their father's breathing weak and uneven.
Alex and Erickson standing at opposite sides of the bed.
Twins.
Both young.
Both silent.
Their father reaching out with trembling hands.
Alex spoke quietly.
"You and I were there first."
Erickson nodded.
"Yes."
Alex's eyes softened slightly.
"He told us he was proud of us."
Erickson looked away.
"He told us to stay together."
"Yes."
Alex continued.
"Then he closed his eyes."
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Alex finished the memory.
"After we left the room… someone else walked in."
Erickson turned slowly.
"Ericsson."
Alex nodded.
"Back then he was still Kade."
Another memory surfaced.
A hospital corridor.
Dim lighting.
Footsteps approaching.
A young man entering the room after everyone else had gone.
Their father opening his eyes one last time.
Barely conscious.
Barely breathing.
And whispering something.
Alex spoke the words quietly.
"He said…"
Alex's voice softened.
"…I wish your name had been Ericsson."
The wind grew stronger across the platform.
Erickson felt something heavy settle in his chest.
Alex looked toward the horizon.
"He waited his entire life to hear that name spoken the way it was meant to be."
Silence returned.
Then Alex smiled faintly.
"Do you remember when we were kids?"
Erickson frowned.
"That's a vague question."
Alex laughed quietly.
"The lake behind the house."
He gestured with his hand.
"You and me trying to build that ridiculous wooden boat."
Erickson blinked.
Another memory surfaced.
Three boys standing near a half-finished structure made from uneven boards.
Alex hammering nails badly.
Erickson arguing about balance.
Kade standing nearby, watching them with quiet amusement.
Alex continued.
"Remember how Kade refused to help?"
Erickson nodded slowly.
"He said the design was stupid."
Alex grinned.
"And when the boat sank after five minutes?"
Erickson exhaled softly.
"He said he warned us."
Both brothers fell silent again.
For a moment the Assembly city disappeared.
Only the past remained.
Then Alex's expression hardened again.
"That boy became Ericsson."
He looked directly at Erickson.
"And now he's trying to build something much bigger than a boat."
Erickson crossed his arms.
"Nyphrnyx."
Alex nodded.
"Yes."
His voice dropped.
"And if we don't stop him…"
He looked out over the city.
"…the next thing he builds won't sink."
The wind moved across the platform again.
Somewhere deep inside Erickson's mind, Orion finally spoke.
ORION SYSTEM NOTE:
Memory resonance detected.
Ericsson Vale.
Identity origin confirmed.
Brother.
The past had finally caught up with the present.
And it was only the beginning.