What Was Left Behind

Chapter 21: The Final Betrayal

The ground shook beneath their feet as the machine roared back to life, the air vibrating with the crackling energy pouring from its core. Dust and debris rained down from the crumbling ceiling, and Maia's heart raced with terror. This wasn't over. The nightmare was just beginning again.

Levi yanked Maia to her feet, his face pale with fear. "We need to move, now!"

The creatures that had fallen moments before were starting to twitch, their glowing eyes flickering back to life as the machine's energy pulsed through the room. The eerie hum grew louder, and with every second that passed, Maia could feel the intensity of the machine building, like it was preparing to unleash something far worse than what they had already faced.

"What do we do?" Maia gasped, her eyes darting between Levi and the machine. "We broke it! How is this happening?"

Camilla was silent, her eyes fixed on the machine, her body trembling with something more than fear. There was a strange, haunted look in her eyes, as if she knew something Maia and Levi didn't.

Suddenly, a sharp crack split the air, and the ceiling above them gave way. A massive chunk of stone came crashing down, shattering the ground just inches from where they stood. Levi grabbed Maia, pulling her away from the falling debris, his grip tight with panic.

"We're running out of time!" Levi shouted, his voice hoarse with urgency. "If we stay here, we're going to be buried alive!"

But Maia couldn't move. Her eyes were locked on the machine, the way its core pulsed with unnatural energy, sending waves of electricity through the room. The creatures stirred again, their movements jerky and disjointed as they began to rise to their feet, their glowing eyes fixed on her. This machine was different. It wasn't just bringing them back—it was controlling them, commanding them.

Camilla took a shaky step forward, her face pale and her breath coming in ragged gasps. "I remember..." she whispered, her voice breaking. "I remember what this is."

Maia turned to her, dread pooling in her stomach. "What do you mean? What do you remember?"

Camilla's hands shook as she pointed toward the machine. "This isn't just about preserving memories or consciousness, Maia. It's a failsafe. My father and yours—they didn't just want to control people's minds... they wanted to implant themselves into others. To live on, through them."

Maia's blood ran cold as the horrifying truth settled over her like a suffocating blanket. "No... that can't be true."

But Camilla's wide, terrified eyes told her everything she needed to know. It was true. Their fathers hadn't just experimented on these people to erase their memories. They had been trying to transfer themselves, their consciousness, into others. They wanted immortality—not just through science, but through possession.

"That's why they kept them alive," Camilla whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "That's why the machine is still running. They weren't just subjects... they were vessels."

Levi took a step back, his face pale as he stared at the machine. "This whole time, they were trying to transfer their minds into other people? That's insane."

Maia's mind reeled as she tried to make sense of it. Her father had created this—this monstrous machine designed to give him eternal life by taking over the minds and bodies of others. And now, as the machine powered up again, it wasn't just trying to preserve the creatures below. It was preparing to complete the transfer.

Her stomach twisted with disgust and terror. "They wanted to live forever... by taking over someone else's body."

Camilla nodded, her voice trembling. "And we're next, Maia. The machine... it's going to use us as the final vessels."