“What if I refuse damping?” he asked.

Kaelen stared at the screen, his reflection a ghost in the dark glass. For three years, he had been the backup. The second choice. The alternative .

Or so he had thought.

The diagnostic read

“Explain ‘nulled,’” he said, his voice dry.

“Darya,” Kaelen said, stepping from the shadows.

“I can do this,” she whispered.