He didn't need the ghost anymore. He could feel her in every beat of his heart.

In the neon-soaked silence of Sector 160, the rain didn’t wash things away; it just made them reflect.

"Kael, look at me," she said. "The drive, the server, the data—that’s just a ghost in a box. You spend all your time trying to save a memory, but you're forgetting to live the life I left for you."

"The scanners were heavy near the docks," Kaelen whispered, leaning his head back against the cold brick.

Elara’s digital image flickered, a glitch of sorrow crossing her face. She leaned in, pressing her transparent forehead against his. In the code-space of his mind, he felt a phantom warmth.