"Because the third party I mentioned is not a person, Mr. Nakano." Seraphina walked back to the window and pressed her palm against the glass. The city sprawled beneath her like a kingdom waiting to be claimed. "It is not a government. It is not a corporation. It is not any human organization that exists within the conventional power structures of the post-Rupture world."
She turned to face me, and for the first time, I saw something in her eyes that looked almost like fear.
"It is the same entity that engineered the Rupture in the first place."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I actually took a step backward, my hand instinctively reaching for the bat case by the elevator before I caught myself.
"You're saying the thing that caused the Rupture is still active."
