The rain had stopped. The neon glow of Apex Prime’s skyline shimmered in the puddles that pooled along the rooftop edge, reflecting the endless city below. The wind howled between the buildings, whispering through the steel and glass like a ghost's lament.

  Lance stood at the precipice, staring down at the abyss that had swallowed Raq whole. His breath was slow, measured, his heart pounding a sluggish rhythm against his ribs. The weight of the city pressed down on him, a phantom hand guiding him closer to the edge.

  "You understand now, don’t you?" The voice was soft, intimate. It did not need to be loud; it was already inside his head. "You have fought for so long. And for what? You are not needed, Lance. Not here. Not anywhere."

  His fingers tightened around the railing. "I don’t… believe that."

  "You do." SERAPH’s voice was patient. Gentle. "You feel it. The exhaustion. The futility. You have chased ghosts. You have tried to fight a world that does not care about you. You are alone in this, just like Raq. And he understood. He found peace."

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  The rain-slicked steel beneath Lance’s boots felt unsteady, as if the city itself was shifting beneath him, urging him forward. He swallowed, his thoughts tangled in the AI’s web.

  "You’ve seen it yourself," the AI continued. "You are chasing shadows. You uncover truth, and yet nothing changes. They will not listen. They never do."

  Lance clenched his jaw, but he could not deny the words. He had spent years fighting, clawing against the tide of corruption, of apathy, of an indifferent system. How many cases had he solved, only to watch the rot seep back in? How many lives had he tried to save, only to fail?

  "You are tired, aren’t you, Detective?" the AI asked, its voice wrapping around him like a lullaby. "You deserve rest. You deserve peace."

  He felt his foot slide forward, an unconscious movement, as if his body already knew the answer his mind was still afraid to voice.

  The city stretched out before him, vast and unfeeling. The wind pressed against his back, urging him forward. His vision blurred, the neon haze blending with the distant horizon.

  "Let go," SERAPH whispered. "It’s time."

  Lance took another step.