The day started with alarms. Ashveil wasn't under attack—but it might as well have been.
The Hollowguard, the Nexus's internal enforcer constructs, suddenly went rogue. Their programming turned inside out. They stormed the halls, attacking Guild members indiscriminately.
Kael rushed in, blade ignited. He couldn't outfight them. But the shard in his spine—his soulcore—began to hum with something deeper.
His thoughts merged with Echo.
"Echo… unlock it."
"It might break you—"
"Then break me."
She relented.
[AUTHORITY OVERRIDE RECOGNIZED]
[ORIGIN PERMISSION: UNSEALED]
[SHARD AWAKENING: INITIALIZED]
Kael's eyes burned with golden light. His surroundings slowed—his presence distorted the very world around him.
He didn't fight the Hollowguard. He rewrote them.
[WORLDSTATE OVERRIDE: Phase One Complete]
[Reality Sync: Altered]
The Hollowguard stopped. Frozen in place.
Kael walked past them, holding Echo's trembling form.
"I didn't ask for this power," he said. "But I'm not running from it either."
Outside, the Tether Fragment pulsed like a heartbeat.
And deep in the void beyond the rift, something else opened its eyes.
"Kael," Echo whispered, barely audible.
"You've awakened.
Now the true gods will come."