Sleep didn't come.
It hadn't—
for six years.
But tonight—
it was different.
Because for the first time…
Aeris wasn't just remembering.
She was searching.
Her room was dark.
Only the glow of her screen lit her face.
Files opened.
Closed.
Reopened.
Security reports.
Old news archives.
Buried case files.
All of them—
incomplete.
"…Cleaned," she whispered.
Not lost.
Not destroyed.
Removed.
On purpose.
Her fingers paused over the keyboard.
"…So you're not just hiding."
A slow breath.
"…You're powerful."
And that—
made it interesting.
🩸 THE MEMORY (FRAGMENT)
Her eyes closed.
Not fully.
Just enough.
And then—
That night.
A door half open.
Lights flickering.
Silence too loud.
And then—
movement.
Not fast.
Not chaotic.
Controlled.
A shadow turning—
slightly.
As if—
it knew she was there.
Her breath hitched—
just once.
And then—
Gone.
Her eyes snapped open.
"…You saw me."
Not a question.
A realization.