When The Rain Fall

The dim light from the cracked windows cast eerie shadows across the room as Mia's eyes locked on the figure standing in the doorway. Her pulse quickened, her breath shallow.

Elias Voss.

His presence was as unsettling as it was familiar. The man she had thought was lost to time—gone from her life for years—was now standing in front of her, his cold eyes fixed on hers with an unsettling calmness.

"You… you're not supposed to be here," Mia whispered, her voice trembling.

Elias didn't smile. Instead, he took a slow step forward, his boots making a soft echo against the concrete floor. "And yet, here I am."

Mia's mind raced. The man who had once been her mentor, the one who had helped her unlock the mysteries of the Echo, the one who had disappeared without a trace—he was here.

"Elias," she breathed, her hands instinctively moving toward the small device she carried in her pocket—the one that had helped her track the Nexus fragments. But before she could retrieve it, Elias raised a hand.

"Don't bother," he said, his voice smooth and controlled. "That little device won't work in my presence."

Mia froze. "What do you want?"

Elias' eyes darkened. "What I want, Mia, is for you to finally understand the truth. The truth you've been avoiding for so long."

Liam stepped in front of Mia, his eyes narrowing at Elias. "You were supposed to be dead."

Elias' lips curled into a bitter smile. "Dead? No. Merely forgotten."

Seraph stepped forward, their gaze focused on Elias. "You've been hiding in plain sight, haven't you?"

Elias didn't flinch. "It was never about hiding. It was about survival."

Jonah, still crouched behind cover, spoke up, his voice laced with suspicion. "Survival from what?"

Elias' gaze flicked to Jonah, then back to Mia. "From the Hollow Veil."

Noah's eyes widened. "But they're your—"

Elias raised a hand, silencing him. "My creations? Yes, in a sense. But they became something far more dangerous than I intended."

Mia's mind was spinning. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Elias' expression shifted, as though the weight of the years had finally caught up to him. "The Hollow Veil was supposed to be a tool—a means of controlling the Nexus, of harnessing the Echo. But I underestimated its power. I underestimated how easily it could corrupt."

Mia took a step closer. "And now they're after us, after the Nexus."

Elias nodded slowly. "Yes. They always have been. You were never meant to be part of this, Mia. You were just… an accident."

The words hit Mia like a punch to the gut. "An accident?" she repeated, her voice cracking. "You mean… I wasn't supposed to survive?"

Elias' gaze softened, but only for a moment. "You were the anomaly, Mia. You were never supposed to live long enough to uncover the truth."

Mia shook her head in disbelief. "Then why help me? Why—"

"I didn't," Elias interrupted sharply. "I helped you because you had the potential to be the key to stopping the Hollow Veil."

Mia's mind was in turmoil. Elias had always been a father figure to her, the one who had taught her everything she knew about the Echo, the Nexus, and the mysterious forces controlling them. But now, hearing him speak with such detachment, it was clear that everything had been a lie.

Liam stepped forward, his voice full of accusation. "You expect us to believe that you're the good guy now? After all you've done?"

Elias' expression hardened. "I don't expect you to believe anything. I expect you to listen."

He turned his attention back to Mia. "The Hollow Veil has been hunting for the Nexus for years. They don't want it to simply survive. They want to control it—to use it as a weapon. And they're close. Too close."

Mia's stomach churned. "So what does that mean for us? For everyone?"

Elias sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It means you're all in danger. The Nexus is the key to unlocking the full potential of the Echo. But if they control it, they'll be able to rewrite reality itself."

Noah clenched his fists. "And you just let them get away with it?"

Elias' face grew darker. "I tried to stop them. I did. But the Hollow Veil is a hydra—it doesn't matter how many heads you cut off. They keep coming."

Mia stepped forward, her eyes fixed on Elias. "What do we need to do to stop them?"

Elias' gaze met hers, filled with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. "You need to find the source. The Heart of the Nexus."

Jonah raised an eyebrow. "And where is that?"

Elias hesitated before replying, his voice quieter now. "I don't know. But I know someone who does."

The room fell silent.

Mia's heart raced. "Who?"

Elias didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a small, silver key. "This will lead you to the answers you seek."

Mia took the key, feeling the weight of it in her hand. It felt cold—unnatural.

Seraph stepped forward. "Who else is involved in this, Elias? Who else knows about the Nexus?"

Elias' eyes flicked to Seraph before he spoke. "There are others. People who are working with the Hollow Veil. People who have been hiding in the shadows. But one name should be enough to start with."

Mia swallowed hard, her voice tight. "Who?"

Elias looked directly at her. "Dr. Marcus Kreel."

Mia's blood ran cold. She knew that name.

Dr. Marcus Kreel was a scientist who had disappeared years ago after a controversial experiment involving memory manipulation and the Nexus. He had been a ghost in the scientific world, a shadow lurking at the edges of her research.

But now, it seemed, he was more than just a name on a file. He was the key.

"I'll guide you," Elias said, his voice low and measured. "But only because I have no choice."

Mia tightened her grip on the key. The road ahead was uncertain, dangerous, but now more than ever, she understood that she had no other choice.

The Hollow Veil wouldn't stop until they had the Nexus. But neither would Mia.

The final battle had begun.