The system reinforces. Loop established. Loop holding.
He moves forward one deliberate step. Non-threatening posture.
Incorrect.
Everything about him is threat. Everything.
“You’re alive,” he says.
The words do not process correctly. Irrelevant data. Discard.
“You left me,” I say again.
He stops within striking distance. Within memory range. Fragments push forward, uncontrolled.
Sand.
Heat.
Impact.
My voice?—
‘Run.’
The fragment collapses. Corrupted. Rejected. Maintain current structure. He did not stay. He left. He let them take me. Conclusion holds. Conclusion remains.
“No,” he says, shaking his head.
Contradiction. System flags. Reject.
“No,” he repeats. “I did not leave you.”
False.
The system pushes back. Memory confirms abandonment. Pain reinforces it. Certainty stabilizes. Holds.
“You were not there,” I say. Evidence-based. “You were not there.”
His jaw tightens. Reaction noted. Not denial. Not defense. Conflict.
He takes another step closer. Too close. I do not move back. I do not yield space. Engagement range optimal.
I flex my hand. Muscle memory engages. Grip formation. Angle calculation. Strike path?—
“Kael.”
Her voice. Close. Immediate. The system stutters. Disruption. Unacceptable.
I do not turn. Cannot turn. Target remains.
He does not move. Does not react. Focus remains on me.
“You were taken,” he says. The words cut. Not loud. Not forceful. Precise. “You were taken before I could reach you.”
System rejects. Incorrect sequence. Memory shifts. Unstable. Reordering. Fragments misalign.
I tighten my jaw. Force correction.
