The joy of being engaged didn’t last as long as they had hoped.

Just when Jason and Leah had started planning their wedding; talking about flower colors, beach venues, and playlists, the news came in like a punch to the gut.

The Obsidian Hand had created something new. A smarter, scarier version of the Collective Echo.

They called it Architect 2.0.

And just like that, everything changed.

No more sweet mornings with coffee by the water. No more joking about first dance songs. The laughter faded, replaced by stress. Long nights in the lab. Whispered phone calls at 2 a.m. They were back in survival mode.

Jason slammed his hand...