When The Rain Fall

The storm outside intensified, lightning splitting the sky as Mia stared at the screen in disbelief. The glowing blue eyes of Subject Zero sent a shiver down her spine.

Who were they? Why did they say her name?

A suffocating silence filled the room as everyone processed what they had just seen.

Jonah broke it first. "Mia, if they know you, then that means—"

"I was part of this," she whispered, her fingers tightening into fists. "Somehow, I was connected to Project Echo."

Liam's voice was careful, measured. "Then we need to figure out why."

Evelyn pulled up another document from the decrypted files, scanning through it quickly. "Project Echo wasn't just about enhancing Isla's abilities—it was about unlocking something buried deep in certain individuals. The Hollow Veil believed in a theory called 'The Echo Phenomenon.'"

Mia frowned. "What does that mean?"

Evelyn exhaled. "According to these files, certain people have an ability called Echo Resonance. It's not magic, and it's not genetic. It's something else—something that exists between time and memory."

Isla's breath hitched. "I remember them talking about this. They said some people leave behind more than just memories. They leave behind an 'echo'—a fragment of themselves imprinted on reality."

Jonah's eyes widened. "Like… a soul imprint?"

"Something like that." Evelyn clicked on another document. "Graves theorized that when someone experiences extreme trauma or emotion, a part of them lingers beyond the physical world. These 'echoes' can be harnessed, controlled… even weaponized."

Mia swallowed hard. "And I have this?"

Evelyn turned the laptop around, showing them the screen. A page labeled SUBJECT: MIA CARTER was open, filled with detailed notes.

Liam read aloud:

"Subject Carter displays extreme Echo Resonance potential. Unlike Sinclair, whose abilities developed through artificial enhancement, Carter's ability is natural—a pure anomaly. Initial tests indicate that her presence in high-energy environments causes temporal distortions, memory dissonance, and, in rare cases… spontaneous projection of past events into the present."

Mia's hands trembled. "Temporal distortions… does that mean—"

Jonah's voice was quiet. "It means you don't just remember the past, Mia. You can bring it back."

The air in the room felt heavy. Mia pressed a hand to her temple, flashes of forgotten moments flickering through her mind.

Flickering lights in a sterile white room.

A voice whispering her name.

A hand reaching out… before vanishing into nothing.

She gasped, stepping back. Liam caught her. "Mia?"

Her breathing was shaky. "I—I just saw something. But it wasn't a memory. It was real. It happened just now."

Isla's voice was careful. "That's your Echo at work."

Mia's heartbeat pounded in her ears. "Then if I can control this, I might be able to see everything they erased from my mind."

Evelyn nodded. "And not just that. According to this, there are others like you. People with latent Echo abilities. And The Hollow Veil has been hunting them for years."

Jonah frowned. "Do we have names?"

Evelyn scrolled through the document. "One stands out. Elias Voss. Last known location: Vienna, Austria."

Mia straightened. "Then that's where we go next."

Liam hesitated. "Are you sure? We still don't know what we're dealing with."

She met his gaze. "I don't care. If The Hollow Veil is after me, then I need to understand why. And Elias Voss might have the answers."

Outside, the storm began to fade, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. But inside Mia's mind, the storm was only just beginning.

Because now, she knew the truth.

She wasn't just a victim of The Hollow Veil.

She was one of their greatest secrets.

And soon… she was going to make them regret ever trying to erase her.