Ben bit his lip, doubt creeping in.
He hadn't tried it. Not yet. Not because he couldn't, but because he was afraid. Not of failure, but of success.
He knew what it meant to play god. He knew how those stories ended. Artificial beings too smart, too strong… what if they turned?
The hive mind kept them loyal, the system bound them, but his old-world fear still whispered at the back of his mind. Maybe he was just being paranoid. Maybe not.
BOOM!!!!
Another shockwave. A golden column of flame erupted behind them, splitting the dark. It shook the earth.
Draeven stumbled mid-stride, fists clenched, breath ragged. That was it. The final flare. The last of his brother's light.
Ben didn't slow. "Pick up the pace," he called, voice steady. "We don't have much time."
Draeven didn't answer, but he ran. Neither of them looked back. Because if they did… they might never look forward again.
