(Trama Log_000020 – Processing 100% of reviewed data. Memory reconstruction complete.)The Last Time He Would Remember

  Lorenz stood before the terminal, the blue glow of the neural perpetuity sequence flickering across his skin.

  He could feel it already—the beginning of something irreversible.

  His mind was still whole, still sharp, but in moments, it would begin to fragment. Not into chaos, but into purpose.

  Everything unnecessary would be erased.

  Everything essential would be preserved.

  And that meant—

  Tariq.

  His hand hesitated over the activation panel.

  Not because he was afraid.

  Because this was the last time he would ever remember him completely.

  (Trama Log_000020 – Subject Hartmann's final organic memory scan initializing...)

  The Last Memory

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  He expected it to be a conversation. A touch. A whispered word.

  Instead, it was the image.

  Tariq, standing before the mirror. Unaware.

  Naked, whole, complete.

  The body Lorenz had once craved, once tried to possess, once tried to break—

  but in that moment, only wanted to protect.

  The weight of it hit him so hard he had to grip the edge of the console.

  Because this was the moment he realized he would never have him.

  Not in the way he wanted.

  Not in the way he once thought he needed.

  And now?

  Now, it was time to let go.

  (Trama Log_000020 – Final organic memory locked in. Proceeding to neural integration...)

  The First Reset

  Elena stood behind the observation glass, watching.

  For the first time, she was not in control of what happened next.

  She had seen men fight for power. Fight for survival.

  She had never seen one willingly erase the pain of love to carry its purpose forward.

  The console pulsed.

  Lorenz exhaled.

  And he pressed Accept.

  (Trama Log_000020 – Neural Perpetuity Sequence Activated. Data restructuring in progress...)

  His body jerked once, fingers twitching.

  The weight of history began to peel away.

  The grief.

  The longing.

  The ache of wanting something he could never have.

  Gone.

  But the mission remained.

  The Guardian Was Born

  The screen stabilized.

  Lorenz opened his eyes.

  And he smiled.

  Not the twisted, hungry smile of the man he had once been.

  This was something else.

  Something clean.

  Something infinite.

  He turned to Elena. His voice was even, unburdened.

  — "What do I do first?"

  (Trama Log_000020 – Subject Hartmann successfully transitioned to perpetual state. Awaiting first directive...)

  Elena exhaled.

  She had built a world to fix broken men.

  And for the first time—

  It had worked.