The screen went dark.
Not slowly.
Cut.
Like someone decided she'd seen enough.
Rachel didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Because there was a moment right there where everything inside her split clean down the middle.
Not confusion.
Not fear.
Something colder.
"…you brought me here to break me," she said.
Quiet.
Flat.
The woman across from her didn't react.
"If that were the goal," she replied, "you wouldn't still be standing."
That answer didn't comfort her.
It confirmed something worse.
Rachel let out a small breath.
Then she laughed.
Once.
Dry.
"…so what? I'm supposed to just accept this?"
She gestured at the screen.
The file.
The room.
"All of it?"
"No," the woman said calmly.
"You're supposed to remember it."
Silence.
Rachel turned away.
Pacing once.
Twice.
Her mind was moving too fast, grabbing pieces that didn't fit
Then forcing them together anyway.
Raziel's voice.
"Trust me."
The other voice.
"You shouldn't have come back."
And her own
Not the one she knew
The other one.
Cold.
Certain.
Dangerous.
Her chest tightened.
"…what did I do?" she asked.
No one answered immediately.
And that
That hesitation
Told her everything she needed to know.
"…tell me," she said again.
This time sharper.
The woman stepped closer.
Not threatening.
But deliberate.
"You became a liability," she said.
Rachel stilled.
"…to who?"
The woman held her gaze.
"To everyone."
That didn't make sense.
But it felt like it did.
Somewhere underneath everything else
It landed.
Rachel shook her head slowly.
"…no. That's not enough. People don't just erase someone because they're a problem."
The man beside her spoke this time.
"They do," he said, "if that person can't be controlled."
There it was.
Control.
Again.
Rachel's jaw tightened.
"…and Raziel?" she asked.
Silence.
Then
The woman answered.
"He chose you."
Rachel blinked.
"…what?"
A pause.
Then
"He chose you over the system."
That hit differently.
Because suddenly
This wasn't just betrayal.
It was something more complicated.
"…then why erase me?" Rachel pressed.
The woman didn't hesitate this time.
"Because you asked him to."
Everything stopped.
Rachel's breath caught.
"…no."
"Yes."
A step closer.
"You made him promise," the woman said quietly, "that if it ever got to that point he would take your memory… before they took your life."
Silence.
Dead.
Heavy.
Rachel's knees nearly gave.
She didn't let them.
"…you're lying."
But it didn't sound like before.
This time
It sounded like she needed it to be.
The woman's gaze softened just slightly.
Not with sympathy.
With understanding.
"You were terrified of what you were becoming," she said.
Flash.
A fragment.
Her voice
Not this one.
The other one.
"If I lose control… don't let me stay like this."
Rachel sucked in a sharp breath.
"…no"
Another flash.
Hands shaking.
Not from fear
From something inside her.
"Promise me."
Raziel's voice.
Low.
Tense.
"I won't let them take you."
Rachel stumbled back.
"…stop"
The room tilted.
Just slightly.
But enough.
"…you remember," the woman said quietly.
Rachel shook her head violently.
"No no, that's not"
But it was.
She felt it.
Slipping through.
Cracking open.
And then
The worst part hit.
"…you loved him," the woman added.
Rachel froze.
"…and he loved you enough to destroy you."
Silence.
That didn't feel like love.
It felt like
Loss.
Rachel's chest burned.
"…so what now?" she asked.
Her voice lower.
Quieter.
But sharper.
The woman didn't hesitate.
"Now you decide."
Rachel laughed again.
But this time
It broke halfway through.
"…decide what?"
A pause.
"Whether you want the truth…"
Another pause.
Longer.
"…or him."
That landed harder than anything else.
Because suddenly
This wasn't about memory.
Or identity.
Or control.
It was a choice.
And she already knew
She couldn't have both.
The screen flickered again.
Rachel's head snapped toward it.
Live feed.
Again.
Raziel.
Closer this time.
Not pacing.
Not speaking to anyone else.
Just… waiting.
Like he knew.
Then
He spoke.
"…I know you can hear me."
Rachel's breath stilled.
"…whatever they told you"
He paused.
Like choosing his words carefully.
"…it's not the full truth."
Of course it wasn't.
Nothing was.
"…come back to me," he said.
Soft.
Dangerous.
Familiar.
Rachel's fingers curled slowly at her side.
"…and I'll tell you everything."
The woman beside her didn't react.
Didn't interrupt.
Because she knew
This wasn't her moment anymore.
This was Rachel's.
Choice.
Truth…
or him.
The screen flickered
And just before it cut
Raziel added one last thing low.
Almost too quiet to catch.
"…before they make you remember what you did to me."
Everything went still.
Rachel's heart slammed once hard
Because suddenly
This wasn't just about what he did to her.
It was about what she did to him.
The screen went black again.
But this time
It didn't feel like a cut.
It felt like something had been taken from her.
Rachel didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
Because that last line
"…before they make you remember what you did to me."
it didn't echo.
It sank.
"What did I do?" she asked.
Not loudly.
Not emotionally.
Just… directly.
No one answered.
That silence?
It stretched.
Long.
Heavy.
Intentional.
Rachel let out a slow breath.
"…you all keep doing that."
Her gaze moved between them.
Sharp now.
"Dropping pieces… then going quiet like I'm supposed to figure it out."
The man shifted slightly.
But said nothing.
The woman stepped forward.
"…because forcing it all at once would break you."
Rachel's lips curved faintly.
But there was no humor in it.
"…you're assuming I'm not already breaking."
That landed.
Because it was true.
Her thoughts weren't lining up anymore.
They were colliding.
Overlapping.
Contradicting.
Raziel erased her.
But she asked him to.
She feared what she was becoming.
But she sounded powerful.
She wanted to leave.
But she took something.
"…start from the part you're avoiding," Rachel said.
The woman tilted her head slightly.
"…which part is that?"
Rachel's gaze didn't waver.
"…what I did to him."
Silence.
For a moment
Just a moment
Something unreadable crossed the woman's face.
Then it was gone.
"…you want that answer now?" she asked.
Rachel nodded once.
"…yes."
A pause.
Long enough to feel deliberate.
Then
"…you turned on him."
Rachel didn't react.
Not outwardly.
"…how?" she pressed.
The woman exhaled slowly.
"…you stopped recognizing him."
Rachel's brows pulled slightly.
"…that doesn't make sense."
"…you didn't just forget things," the woman continued.
"You changed."
That word hit differently.
Changed.
"…into what?" Rachel asked.
Silence.
Then
The man answered this time.
"…into something they couldn't predict."
Rachel's chest tightened.
"…you keep saying 'they' like I'm supposed to know who that is."
The woman's gaze sharpened slightly.
"…because you do."
Rachel shook her head.
"…I don't."
The woman stepped closer.
Close enough now that Rachel could see every detail in her expression.
"…you just don't remember them as enemies yet."
That sentence
That one didn't just land.
It unsettled.
Rachel took a step back.
Instinct.
"…so let me get this straight," she said.
Her voice slower now.
Measured.
"…you're telling me I was here…"
A pause.
"…I became unstable…"
Another pause.
"…Raziel helped me escape…"
And then
"…and somehow I turned on him?"
Silence.
The woman didn't nod.
Didn't confirm.
She just said:
"…you left him."
Rachel stilled.
"…that's not the same thing."
"…to him," the woman replied quietly,
"…it was."
That didn't sit right.
Not at all.
Because whatever she saw in that footage Whatever version of her existed there
She didn't look like someone who would just leave.
She looked like someone who would burn everything down first.
"…there's something you're not saying," Rachel said.
The woman's lips curved faintly.
"…there's a lot I'm not saying."
Rachel's patience snapped.
Just slightly.
"…then say it."
Silence.
Then
The woman turned slightly.
Looked at the man.
A silent exchange.
And whatever passed between them
Changed the air.
"…show her," the woman said.
Rachel's stomach tightened.
"…show me what?"
No answer.
The screen flickered back on.
Different footage.
Not chaotic.
Not loud.
Quiet.
A room.
Dim.
Controlled.
Rachel stood in it.
Alone.
Not restrained.
Not panicked.
Just… still.
Waiting.
"…this was after," the man said quietly.
Rachel leaned forward slightly.
Without realizing.
The door opened.
Raziel walked in.
Slower this time.
More careful.
Like he didn't know what version of her he was about to face.
Rachel's breath slowed.
Because the energy
It was different.
Not urgent.
Not chaotic.
Heavy.
The version of her in the footage didn't move.
Didn't speak.
She just watched him.
"…you came back," Raziel said.
His voice
Not controlled like before.
Not calm.
There was something else in it.
Relief.
Rachel's chest tightened.
The girl tilted her head slightly.
"…you didn't think I would?"
Her voice
Soft.
But wrong.
Too even.
Too smooth.
"…you left," Raziel said.
A pause.
"…I let you."
That line
That one didn't feel right.
Rachel's brows pulled slightly.
"…why?" Raziel asked.
Silence.
Then
The girl smiled.
Slow.
"…because I wanted to see what you'd do."
Rachel's stomach dropped.
Because that smile
It wasn't hers.
Not the one she knew.
It was sharper.
Colder.
Controlled in a way that felt… deliberate.
"…and?" Raziel asked.
The girl stepped closer.
"…you chose me."
A pause.
"…again."
Silence.
Rachel's heart pounded.
Because something about that
Felt like a game.
"…that's not something to test," Raziel said.
The girl laughed softly.
"…everything is something to test."
That line
It didn't sound emotional.
It sounded like a rule.
Rachel's fingers curled slightly.
Because that wasn't her.
Was it?
The footage continued.
The girl stepped closer.
Too close.
Her hand lifted
Touching his chest lightly.
"…you really think you saved me," she said quietly.
Raziel didn't move.
"…I know I did," he replied.
A pause.
Then
The girl's expression changed.
Subtly.
But enough.
"…that's where you're wrong."
Rachel's breath caught.
Because something in that moment
Shifted.
Dangerously.
"…you didn't save me," the girl whispered.
Silence.
Then
"…you made me worse."
Everything stopped.
Rachel's chest tightened painfully.
Because suddenly
That felt real.
Too real.
The footage glitched slightly.
Then
Jumped.
Same room.
Different moment.
Raziel stood farther back now.
Tense.
Alert.
The girl
Still calm.
Still controlled.
But something about her
Was off.
Like she was holding something back.
Or letting something out.
"…what did you do?" Raziel asked.
The girl smiled again.
"…what you couldn't."
A pause.
"…I stopped being afraid."
Rachel's heart slammed.
Because that line
That one felt like truth.
But not a safe one.
The footage froze.
Again.
Mid-smile.
Rachel stared at it.
Unmoving.
Because now
She wasn't just watching.
She was recognizing.
Tiny pieces.
Fragments.
Feelings.
Not full memories.
But enough.
"…that's not all," she said quietly.
The woman didn't respond.
Rachel turned slowly.
Her eyes sharper now.
Clearer.
"…you're still hiding something."
A pause.
Then
"…what did I take?"
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
Then
The woman answered.
"…not what."
A step closer.
"…who."
Rachel's breath stopped.
"…what do you mean who?"
The woman's gaze didn't waver.
"…you didn't just leave with information," she said.
A pause.
"…you left with someone."
Everything inside Rachel went still.
Because suddenly
That missing piece
That empty space
It wasn't empty.
It was hidden.
"…where are they?" Rachel asked.
The woman didn't answer.
Because she didn't need to.
Rachel already felt it.
Deep.
Buried.
Something inside her
That didn't belong to her.
Or maybe
Had always belonged to her.
And just before she could speak again
Another flash.
Stronger this time.
A voice.
Not hers.
"…if they find out, they'll kill both of you."
Rachel's breath caught sharply.
Her hand flew to her chest.
"…no"
But it was too late.
Because this time
The memory didn't fade.
It stayed.
And for the first time
She wasn't afraid of what they did to her.
She was afraid of what she was protect