Chapter 29: Professor Elias

"Professor Elias?"

My voice barely came out.

The laughter had stopped.

Then a figure stepped from behind the abandoned building.

He looked nothing like the man in the photograph.

Older.

Exhausted.

His clothes were covered in ash, and a fresh cut ran across his cheek.

But there was no mistaking him.

Professor Elias was alive.

Lily immediately ran towards him.

"Daddy!"

He caught her and held her tightly.

For a moment, the entire world seemed to disappear.

Then Samuel raised his gun.

"Don't move."

Elias slowly looked at him.

"Still pointing guns at people, Samuel?"

Samuel's jaw tightened.

"You disappeared."

"I had to."

"You left everyone thinking you were dead."

"I needed them to believe it."

I stepped forward.

"Why?"

Elias looked at me.

His expression softened.

"Because your father was right."

"About what?"

"That they would never stop."

I felt anger rising inside me.

"You've known my brother."

"Yes."

"You knew he was alive."

"Yes."

"You knew my father."

"Yes."

"You knew my mother."

He hesitated.

"Yes."

I stared at him.

"Then why did everyone keep lying to me?"

Elias looked down.

"Because your father made me promise."

"Promise what?"

"To keep you away from Echo."

I laughed bitterly.

"That worked."

He sighed.

"No. It didn't."

Daniel stepped closer.

"Who is behind all this?"

Elias looked around the road.

"Not here."

"Then where?"

He reached into his coat and pulled out a small metal key.

My heart stopped.

It looked exactly like the brass key my brother had given me.

Except this one was black.

"Your father left this with me."

I stared at it.

"What does it open?"

"The archive."

"What archive?"

"The original Echo archive."

Samuel frowned.

"I thought it was destroyed."

"So did everyone else."

Elias looked at me.

"That's why they're afraid of you."

"Why me?"

"Because your father didn't leave the archive to your brother."

He paused.

"He left it to you."

I couldn't speak.

"Why?"

"Because he knew one day you'd come looking for the truth."

The woman in black stepped forward.

"Don't listen to him."

Elias turned towards her.

"Evelyn."

She smiled.

"Long time no see."

"You should have stayed dead."

Her smile disappeared.

"You should have told her the truth years ago."

"I tried."

"No."

She pointed at me.

"You protected the wrong people."

Suddenly, a phone began ringing.

Everyone looked around.

It was coming from my pocket.

I pulled it out.

The screen displayed an unknown number.

Elias's expression changed immediately.

"Don't answer."

I stared at him.

"Why?"

"Because if it's who I think it is..."

He took a step towards me.

"...then they've found the archive."

I answered.

Silence.

Then a man's voice whispered:

"Maya..."

My heart stopped.

It was my father.