Chapter 7: Shadows of the Past
The rain never stopped in Neo-Edo. It fell like static across the skyline, washing color from the towers until every light looked like a wound. Kai and Vex moved through the lower transit tunnels in silence, the hum of old train lines echoing through concrete halls streaked with mold and graffiti. The smell of iron and burnt ozone hung heavy in the air.
Vex's scanner flickered red every few seconds. "Lucid's signal disappeared, but don't assume it's gone. S-Class units don't die easy."
Kai said nothing. His hands were shoved deep into his coat pockets, claws hidden. Every nerve still buzzed from the fight. His body was healing too fast, his senses too sharp. The world looked different now—edges clearer, sounds layered. He could count the heartbeats of rats hiding in the walls. He hated it.
[System Notice: Adaptation Stability 47%. Neural Overload Risk: High]
He rubbed his temples. "This thing inside me—it's not just adapting. It's rewriting me, cell by cell."
Vex stopped, his metal fingers tightening around his data-pad. "That's exactly what it's built to do. The Apex Algorithm isn't a weapon, Kai. It's a mirror. It takes whatever you are and pushes it until it breaks."
Kai smirked weakly. "Great pep talk."
They reached a maintenance gate sealed with biometric locks. Vex knelt, hacking the panel with practiced ease. "There's someone we need to see," he said. "If anyone can explain what's happening to you, it's the Archivist."
"The who?"
Vex glanced up, expression grim. "He used to be part of Project Genesis. The same program that made you."
Kai froze. "Project Genesis…? That's what Lyra called the collapse."
"You remember that name?"
"Just pieces," Kai muttered. "Like a dream burned into static."
The lock beeped. The gate slid open with a shriek. Beyond it stretched a vast data vault, a cathedral of glass and cables. Thousands of servers pulsed with dim blue light. In the center sat an old man wired directly into the network—eyes closed, skin pale, half his body replaced with circuits.
"The Archivist," Vex whispered.
The man stirred, voice crackling through the speakers. "You brought him here."
Kai stepped forward. "You know who I am?"
"I know what you were," the Archivist replied, his voice layered with echoes. "A prototype. The first host. The child Lyra Vance saved when BioCrown tried to erase its own creation."
The words hit Kai like a blade. "She saved me?"
"She saved her experiment," the Archivist said. "Your mother died during the trial. Lyra used her genetic template to stabilize you. That's why the Algorithm responds to her. You are two halves of the same code."
Kai's breath caught. The golden glow beneath his skin flared in rhythm with his pulse. "So that's why she called me 'the seed.'"
The Archivist nodded. "When the Apex Algorithm reaches full sync, you will no longer be human. You will be the next stage—humanity rewritten in its own image."
Vex slammed his hand on the console. "Then how do we stop it?"
The old man smiled faintly. "You don't. Evolution cannot be stopped. It can only be guided."
The servers around them hummed louder. A red warning flashed across the walls.
[ALERT: External Breach – BioCrown Uplink Detected]
Vex swore. "They traced us."
The Archivist opened his eyes for the first time. They glowed bright gold. "Go. The Hunter is returning. I will hold them as long as I can."
"Kai—move!" Vex grabbed his arm, pulling him toward a side tunnel.
As they ran, the vault erupted in white light. The last thing Kai saw before the blast swallowed the room was the Archivist standing calm amidst the storm, cables tearing from the ceiling as he whispered, "Guide the future, or become its prey."
The tunnel shook violently. Dust rained down. Kai stumbled, catching himself against the wall. His veins burned, his skin splitting with golden cracks.
[Evolution Threshold Approaching: 82% Sync]
"Kai!" Vex shouted.
Kai looked up, eyes glowing like molten glass. "It's too late to hide."
From the end of the tunnel, Lucid emerged again—armor damaged, movements slower but more deliberate. Its voice was distorted, almost human now. "Phase two… begins."
Kai straightened, every muscle vibrating with raw energy. The storm outside rumbled in answer.
"Then let's end phase one," he said, and charged.