Darkness stretched across Sector 7, the sky above tinged in violent red as the breach began to distort reality itself. The once-dormant nexus gate now pulsed with unstable aether, tearing rifts into the ground and sky alike. Buildings cracked under the pressure of dimensional anomalies, and a low, droning hum echoed as if the world itself was groaning in protest.
Coalition transports streaked through the air. One of them carried Selene and the unconscious Noct, his head resting against her shoulder as he drifted in a fevered sleep. She looked down at him, watching the tension etched into his face.
"He's changing," she murmured.
The medic seated across from her glanced up from his terminal. "You say he was like this after the fight at Argent Dawn?"
"Worse. He almost lost himself," she replied. "But something held him back. I think it was... me. Or maybe what little of himself he still clings to."
The transport lurched as it entered Coalition HQ airspace. Down below, armored vehicles, arcane cannons, and aether stabilization towers surrounded the breach zone. Teams of Venators were already deploying—elite forces clad in high-tier relic armor, their abilities flaring in anticipation.
As the transport landed, Coalition Commander Reiken approached the ramp.
"Status?" he asked.
"Subject Noct is stable, but unconscious. Vital signs fluctuating," the medic answered.
Reiken's cold gaze fell to Selene. "We've reviewed the guild incident footage. He massacred seven high-ranking initiates. You understand why he's now classified as an Alpha-Black Threat."
Selene stepped forward. "And you understand that without him, the breach will be harder to close."
Reiken didn't respond immediately, then turned and gestured for her to follow. "Rael is awake. Her data might clarify the connection."
Infirmary – Coalition Medical Bay
Rael sat upright in the medical bed, her body wrapped in bandages. A digital screen hovered before her, displaying fragments of the stolen Creed of Evolution data.
"Selene," she said, her voice gravelly.
Selene rushed over. "You're alive."
"Barely," Rael smirked. "Lucien almost scrambled my mind for good."
Reiken stepped beside her. "What do we need to know?"
Rael enlarged one of the files. It showed diagrams—chaotic layouts of experimental breach generators, infused with flesh-bound aetheric runes. In the center, a symbol: a red spiral devouring a white sun.
"The Creed planted seeds," she said. "Nexus destabilizers, grown using living material and reverse-engineered relic cores. Their data shows they got some of the blueprints from one of the Labyrinths."
Selene's eyes narrowed. "And the purpose?"
Rael hesitated. "They plan on using these generators to cause the nexuses to breach simultaneously. An extinction event to wipe humanity off the planet."
Reiken stiffened. "Is that even possible?"
"Complete and utter erasure," Rael whispered. "The void between definitions. The very thing Seraphon embodies."
Everyone fell silent.
Underground Lab – Temporary Coalition Command Center
Noct lay on a reinforced medical slab, surrounded by containment sigils glowing with pale blue energy. His eyes twitched behind closed lids.
Inside his mind, a storm churned. The shattered reflections of Kael and Lira swirled in the darkness. And above them, perched on a throne of rusted logic and broken dreams, sat the Other Noct.
"They fear us now," the voice whispered.
Noct opened his eyes slowly in the real world.
The containment sigils dimmed slightly. Monitors blared warning signs.
Reiken, now observing the feed, clenched his jaw. "Wake him. We need answers."
Moments Later – Command Briefing Hall
Noct stood, arms crossed, eyes cold. Gone was the desperation of his earlier breakdown. What stood now was a calm, calculated storm—masking a mind walking the edge of oblivion.
"Labyrinths hold secrets that can't be explained with common sense," he said. "The one I was in wanted to consume me. It didn't want anyone to leave with its truth."
Selene and Rael listened carefully to what he had to say.
"They've got the keys to hell and only need to unlock the door in order for the monsters to be set free from their shackles."
Rael winced. "And how do we stop it then?"
Noct smiled faintly. "By using our own monsters."
Reiken scoffed. "You sound like Seraphon."
Noct met his gaze. "Then it's a good thing I don't follow anyone's script."
Sector 7 Nexus Breach Site – 3 Hours Later
The sky had ruptured into a spiral of shifting geometries. Time flowed unevenly—soldiers moved in jerks, like broken puppets. Strange silhouettes walked through the breach, faceless, flickering.
Venators were already engaging, but their abilities malfunctioned the closer they approached the core. The generators were responsible.
Then, Noct arrived.
He stepped forward, eyes locked on the breach. Aether bent around him as he activated Numbers.
Selene and Rael followed at his flanks. Coalition squads maintained distance.
"They're activating the generators. We have to stop them," Selene said.
Noct extended his hand. Equations spun around as he summoned the abyssal flame, sending it toward the generator. But the flame disappeared.
The space around him collapsed into a sphere of silence.
From the breach, a creature emerged. Vaguely humanoid, its body was wrapped in scrolls of forgotten language, bleeding symbols into the ground. It moved without walking.
Rael shivered. "That's not Seraphon... but it's one of his emissaries."
Noct looked up, eyes glowing.
"Then let's give them a new variable to fear."
Twice shimmered into his hand. He stepped into the collapsing space.
And the battle for definition began.
---
Back in the City – A Quiet Hospital Room
In a quiet hospital far from the chaos, Noct's mother pushed a wheelchair through a sunlit hallway.
"You don't have to worry about anything, brother-in-law. Noct will be safe."
The man in the chair didn't respond. He sat still, unmoving. His eyes were vacant, his mouth slightly open. A shadow of the man he once was.
And yet, something about him felt... off.
A nurse passed by and nodded. "He's doing well today. He even twitched a finger."
Noct's mother smiled politely. But inside, a cold unease settled in her chest.
The man might not speak.
But his eyes—those faint flickers of movement—they were watching.
Waiting.