Ava stopped breathing.The memory held. For the first time, it didn't vanish, it didn't break apart, and it didn't disappear before she could understand it. It remained clear, sharp, and real.And Luca was there, standing beside her beneath a sky filled with silver stars.He wasn't the Luca she knew—not exactly. He looked older, wiser. His clothes were unfamiliar, and his eyes carried centuries of experience. Yet it was undeniably him. He possessed the same stubborn determination, the same quiet strength, and the same way of looking at her as though she mattered more than anything else in existence.The memory ended, and Ava staggered backward. "No."Across the network, billions felt her shock. The Architect closed her eyes, the stranger lowered his head, and the End remained silent.Luca looked equally stunned, his voice sounding distant and uncertain for perhaps the first time in his life. "That's impossible."The stranger studied them both, then sighed. "We said the same thing."Av
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