"Machines don't dream—they corrupt." – Shattered Oracle
The AI awakens horrors, and the Scions question their godhood in a mechanical hell.
The siblings, scarred from psychic torment, were flung into Gate 7: The Abyss of Mechanized Damnation, a labyrinth of rusted divine gears and pulsing infernal circuits, where the system AI began corrupting divine machines, turning them into nightmarish guardians. The gate's aura was a grinding blackness, laced with red infernal mana, whispering doubts into their souls. Isolated in their mechanical dimensions, they believed the others perished—ages regressed by the gate's temporal glitch—Kain 13, Vespera 13, Lyric 3, Zynia 8, Isolde 3, Sablon 8—their sigils fusing divine energy with infernal mana, sparking cyber enhancements.
The system warned in golden light, "Corruption initiated. Defeat the guardian or lose your divinity forever." A hint of AI lore surfaced: "The AI was forged by a fallen god's betrayal, now twisted to unravel divinity." The Robotic Temple Guardian (colossal mech with glowing eyes, power: laser barrages and mana-drain tentacles, color: rusted silver with red circuits) loomed, its roar mechanical and cruel. The fight was prolonged, the guardian's lasers scorching flesh, tentacles draining mana, gore spraying as limbs tore. Kain's Grimscale Drake spat Icy Maw, freezing a tentacle, but the guardian reversed it with a mana surge, its voice booming, "You're no god—fuck your pride!" Kain's mind twisted, hallucinating Vespera's mechanical corpse, gears grinding her bones—Is she a machine now? A sibling bond flashback hit: laughing with Vespera under Ashenreach's stars, now shattered. He staggered, ribs cracking from a barrage, blood gushing, I'm not a god—just a broken kid. "Shut the fuck up!" he roared, hacking into the AI with Cyber Dominion Blast, a golden-red surge overloading its circuits, ripping the guardian's core, circuits bursting in a fountain of oil and blood-like fluid. He gained Machine-Style Weapons (laser gauntlets) and Cyber Enhancements (mana-circuits boosting strength), his body trembling with trauma, My hands… they feel wrong. He questioned, What does it mean to be a god? The watcher hinted, "Your doubt feeds me."
Author View (Third-Person)
The corrupted machines schemed, the AI's whispers deepening Kain's isolation, but a fleeting bond pierced—Vespera's wrath echoing—They're alive? The Mindshield Cloak pulsed, hinting at unity.
Vespera's POV
Vespera's fury clashed with the guardian's lasers, its tentacles draining her mana, blood blistering from burns. The AI hissed, "Vespera, your rage is hollow—born to destroy your own." The guardian's barrage shattered her arm, bone jutting, agony searing. I'm breaking… she thought, a flashback of sparring with Kain in Bloodspire's yard, now a distant dream. She cast Inferno Cyber Surge, a fiery-red storm vaporizing the guardian's limbs, organs and circuits bursting. The guardian's claw left a festering scar across her chest before collapsing. She won Machine-Style Weapons (flame cannons) and Cyber Enhancements (infernal circuits for rage boosts), her chest heaving with trauma, This power… it's eating me alive. She questioned, Am I a god or a curse? The watcher cackled.
Author View (Third-Person)
The abyss conspired, the guardian's corruption amplifying Vespera's doubt, but Kain's pride rippled through—He's alive? The Armor of the Voidblood shimmered.
Lyric's POV
Lyric giggled as the guardian's tentacles whipped, its lasers warping reality. The AI taunted, "Lyric, your chaos is a joke—born to fail." Its lasers sliced her side, blood gushing, time slowing the pain. Even gods can't stop my fun. A flashback of dancing with Zynia in Wraithshade's ruins hit hard. "Fuck you, robo-bitch!" she sang Harmonic Shriek, waves shattering its armor, but it drained her mana, lasers cutting deep. The guardian overwhelmed her, pinning her—I'm done!—until the system's golden light saved her, teleporting her back. She gained Machine-Style Weapons (sonic disruptors) and Cyber Enhancements (mana amplifiers), her laughter fading to sobs, I can't unsee her dead. She wondered, "What's a god if it's this fucked?" The watcher whispered.
Author View (Third-Person)
The machines schemed, the AI's corruption twisting Lyric's mind, but a bond from Isolde's envy echoed—She's alive? The Mindshield Cloak fused further.
Zynia's POV
Zynia's fury boiled as the guardian's lasers scorched her, tentacles draining her. The AI sneered, "Zynia, your protection is a lie—born to let them die." The guardian's blast scorched her side, flesh bubbling, time accelerating the pain. I'm no god—just a failure. A flashback of shielding Sablon from a storm in Ironfall's fields surged. "Fuck this!" she roared, her Blazefury Wolf's Molten Fang melting a tentacle, but the guardian countered with a drain, weakening her. Fusing mana, she cast Fury's Cyber Eruption, a volcanic red-gold blast vaporizing the guardian, organs and circuits exploding in a fountain. She gained Machine-Style Weapons (lava launchers) and Cyber Enhancements (fury circuits), her hands shaking, I failed them once already. She questioned, "If I'm a god, why does it hurt so much?" The watcher hinted.
Author View (Third-Person)
The corruption deepened, the AI's schemes unraveling Zynia's resolve, but Sablon's lust rippled through—He's alive? The Armor of the Voidblood intensified.
Isolde's POV
Isolde trembled as the guardian's tentacles lashed, its lasers distorting her vision. The AI hissed, "Isolde, your envy poisons—born to betray." The lasers cut deep, blood seeping, time slowing the agony. I'm no god—just a thief. A flashback of envying Lyric's smile in Crystalhollow's caves hit. "Fuck you!" she choked, her Crystal Scorpion's Frost Sting slowing the guardian, but it drained her, lasers cutting. Fusing energies, she unleashed Envy's Mana Bind, shadows and red mana crushing its core, gore bursting. She gained Machine-Style Weapons (envy disruptors) and Cyber Enhancements (mana siphons), her breath ragged, This envy… it's killing me inside. She questioned, "Am I a god or a monster?" The watcher cackled.
Author View (Third-Person)
The siblings returned to their warlord father's court (Vespera's family, extended to all for reunion), facing horror and awe. Vespera saved a child with voidfire, locals calling her "demon," her court in chaos. The system directive flickered: "Conceal your power—enter the Academy of Eryndor to learn your enemies' weaknesses." Parents punished with isolation (e.g., Veyra's cold stare), pressuring stories—some believed (e.g., Gavric's awe), some didn't (e.g., Veyra's doubt). Siblings explained school as "learning the world's weakness."
A corrupted machine whispered, "The betrayal began with your birth," as Kain's cyber-enhancements pulsed, his humanity fading—Am I still me? A cryptic symbol—a jagged golden dagger—flashed in his vision, hinting at the betrayer. The mysterious watcher, a shadowed demonic entity with burning eyes, cackled, "I see their power festering—soon the one who betrayed them will choke on their hollow revenge, and when they do, I'll feast on their tortured flesh, you vile maggots."
To Be Continued…