The wind howled outside the transport as it sped through the mountains of southern France, slicing through the snowy terrain under cover of darkness. Mira sat beside Lian, her hand protectively resting on his knee. He was asleep, head resting against her shoulder, but even unconscious, he clung to her as if letting go would shatter him into pieces.
Alina sat across from them, reviewing encrypted files on a tablet. The glow of the screen highlighted the shadows under her eyes—she hadn't slept in thirty-six hours.
Leonard stood near the back of the transport, speaking in low tones with Dr. Marceau and Rafe.
"We can't stay in Geneva," he said. "Too many leaks. Elara might already know we moved them."
"She does know," Rafe muttered. "We just don't know what she'll do with that knowledge."
"Then we need to disappear," Leonard said firmly. "Go underground until we understand the full scope of the bond."
Marceau nodded. "And before the next spike hits."
Twelve hours later, they arrived at a secluded estate tucked between forested cliffs and an abandoned vineyard in western Ireland. The house had once belonged to a diplomat, long since passed away. Now, it was fortified with sensor jammers, solar grids, and underground bunkers.
Safe.
For now.
Mira carried Lian to one of the second-floor bedrooms. She didn't ask for help. She just held him—light as a shadow, fragile as glass.
He stirred as she tucked him into the bed.
"You're not leaving again, are you?" he asked softly.
"No." Her voice was steady. "Not unless I'm taking you with me."
His fingers curled around hers. "Good."
Then he drifted off.
In the control room below, Leonard and Alina reviewed the full neuro-link report from Dr. Marceau.
"Look at this pattern," the doctor said, pointing to a rhythmic surge of pulses across both Mira and Lian's neural scans. "It's no longer passive mimicry. They're syncing during waking hours—spontaneously."
Alina frowned. "Is that dangerous?"
"Potentially. Especially if it grows deeper."
Leonard crossed his arms. "What's the endgame?"
Dr. Marceau looked grim.
"If they fully synchronize... one mind could override the other."
Later that evening, Mira stepped out into the cold air. The snow had stopped, leaving a crystalline frost over the ground. She stared at the stars, her breath steaming before her.
Rafe joined her, holding out a steaming mug of tea.
"Couldn't sleep?"
She accepted the cup. "He dreams in my voice now."
Rafe raised an eyebrow.
"Last night, he called out to me in a nightmare. But it wasn't his voice—it was mine."
They stood in silence for a long moment.
"He's not just my brother, Rafe," she said finally. "He's… me. And I'm him."
"Sounds beautiful," Rafe said softly.
"Or terrifying."
Inside the house, Lian's fingers twitched in his sleep. Sweat beaded on his forehead. His dream was fractured, filled with flickers of broken glass and lightning. A sterile white corridor. A metal table. And a man with no face.
Then he saw Mira.
Strapped to that table.
Screaming.
He jolted awake with a cry—and Mira was already there, bursting into the room, heart pounding.
"Lian!"
He threw himself into her arms, shaking.
"They were going to hurt you."
"I'm okay," she whispered, stroking his hair. "It wasn't real."
But even as she said it, she felt the echo of that table. The straps on her wrists. The cold metal. It was real.
Just not yet.
The next morning, Alina gathered the core team in the briefing room.
"We've confirmed Elara has a mole inside Geneva. The leak was sophisticated—encrypted transfers, rerouted pings through military satellites."
"Then why isn't she attacking?" Rafe asked.
"Because she doesn't need to," Leonard replied grimly. "She's waiting for them to self-destruct."
Dr. Marceau entered with a grim update.
"The link between Mira and Lian is evolving. It's starting to manifest externally."
Alina leaned forward. "How?"
"During sleep, Lian generated a psionic pulse. Short-range, non-lethal—but it fried every camera in the hallway. Including the one outside his door."
"That's impossible," Leonard said.
"It happened," Marceau replied. "And Mira's brainwaves spiked at the exact same moment."
Mira entered the room then, Lian clinging to her side. "Maybe it's not an accident."
They all turned to her.
"Maybe we're changing. And maybe it's time we stop being afraid of that."
That night, Mira took Lian into the woods behind the estate. Snow crunched under their boots, and their breath made soft clouds in the moonlight.
She stopped near a clearing, turned to him, and held out her hands.
"Let's try something."
He looked hesitant. "Like what?"
"I want you to think about light."
"Light?"
"Yes. Imagine a ball of it. Warm. Gentle. Growing from your chest."
He closed his eyes, face scrunched in concentration.
Nothing.
"It's not working," he said.
"It's okay. Try again. But this time—don't force it."
Mira took a breath, closing her own eyes. She imagined light—a tiny star behind her ribs. Warm, not blinding. Alive.
And then—A spark.
A real one.
Between them, a single filament of glowing energy flickered like a lightning thread. Pale silver, shimmering like moonlight.
Lian gasped.
"You see it too?" he whispered.
Mira opened her eyes and smiled.
"I do."
Inside the estate, alarms blared suddenly.
Red lights flashed across the command console. Leonard sprinted to the main panel.
"Perimeter breach—northwest sector!"
"Visual?" Alina demanded.
"Negative. Sensors are glitching."
Rafe swore. "It's them. They found us."
Alina slammed her fist against the table. "Seal the lower levels. Get Mira and Lian back now!"
But Mira was already running.
She grabbed Lian's hand and raced back through the trees. She could feel them—cold minds, crawling through the edges of the estate like spiders.
"Don't let go," she hissed.
"I won't."
They burst through the rear entrance of the estate just as a deafening crash echoed through the eastern wall. A sleek black drone-ship hovered over the trees, its scanners sweeping the ground.
In the control room, Alina barked orders.
"They're not firing. They're scanning. Looking for something specific."
Leonard stared at the screen. "They want the resonance signature."
Dr. Marceau added, "They want the bond."
Mira skidded to a stop in the main hallway. Two black-armored agents descended from the drone, weapons raised.
Lian whimpered.
"Don't be afraid," Mira said. "Just listen to my voice."
The agents opened fire.
But before the bullets could reach them—A shockwave exploded outward from Mira and Lian, pure energy cascading in silver arcs that bent the air itself.
The bullets melted mid-flight.
The walls buckled.The agents were hurled back, screaming, before vanishing into the trees.
Silence fell.
Lian was still holding her hand.
Mira was shaking.
Alina and Rafe arrived seconds later, stunned at the destruction.
"Did you do that?" Alina asked quietly.
Mira nodded.
"No," Lian said beside her, eyes glowing faintly. "We did."