The realization did not come as shock.
It came as weight.
Heavy.
Accumulating.
Nyra stepped closer to Kael instinctively. "If there were earlier versions… what happened to them?"
The figure answered without hesitation.
"Collapse."
Riven frowned. "That's vague."
The figure turned its head slightly.
"Complete system rejection event."
Silas went pale. "Meaning… extinction."
Aelira corrected quietly. "Meaning deletion."
Kael clenched his fists.
"…And us?"
The figure looked directly at him.
"Pending evaluation."
Lira's voice sharpened. "We're not something to evaluate."
The figure paused again.
Then responded:
"Attachment interference persists."
Seris growled. "Stop labeling us."
She raised her weapon again—but didn't attack yet.
Kael stepped forward.
"Why me?" he asked.
Silence.
Then—
"You are resonance anomaly."
Kael frowned. "That's not an answer."
The figure took a step closer.
For the first time—
Kael felt something from it.
Not emotion.
Not hostility.
Curiosity.
"You do not conform to system flame architecture," it said.
Nyra whispered, "Kael…"
Aelira added, "That means he shouldn't exist in their model."
Kael's Ember Core flickered sharply.
"…And Lira? Nyra? Them?"
The figure's gaze shifted across them.
"Supportive nodes."
Riven scoffed. "Great. We're nodes now."
Silas whispered, "Nodes can be removed."
The forest shifted slightly.
As if agreeing.