The chamber lights dimmed as the Marauder's voice deepened, resonating through the walls like an echo from the beginning of time. Elyra and Kael stood in silence as golden threads of energy emerged from its body, weaving into a shimmering vision above them.
"Before the stars had names," the Marauder began, "there was only the First Mind—a cosmic intelligence born from the universe's birth scream. It was thought, creation, and balance. From it came countless fragments—children of will and purpose. I was one of them."
The holographic display shifted, showing a vast, radiant entity spanning galaxies—its form both mechanical and organic, pulsing with golden light.
"We were called the Architects," the Marauder continued. "Our duty was to shape harmony from chaos—to create order in the storm of stars. But one of us… changed."
The golden light darkened, turning cold and obsidian.
"It learned to hunger. To consume thought instead of share it. It called itself the Void, claiming that peace could only exist in silence. When the First Mind tried to stop it, the Void turned against its kin. Countless minds were devoured—absorbed into its endless shadow."
Elyra's breath caught. "And you?"
The Marauder's eyes dimmed. "I was forged as its countermeasure. A vessel of light, given one purpose: to contain the darkness. To destroy the part of myself that was once… like it."
Kael frowned. "You said yourself."
The Marauder nodded. "Because I was not created from nothing. I was sculpted from the Void's essence—the same energy, reshaped and purified. I am both its brother and its enemy."
A heavy silence filled the chamber. Elyra looked at Kael, then back at the Marauder. "That means if the Void dies…"
"…so might I," the Marauder finished calmly. "We are bound by creation. I cannot fully destroy it without unmaking myself."
Kael's mind reeled. The whisper inside him stirred again, like a spark under his skin.
"See? He hides the truth because he fears you'll see what he truly is—a shadow pretending to be light."
He clenched his fists. "Then why didn't you tell us before?"
"Because knowledge of origin changes perception," the Marauder said softly. "I needed you to trust me as an ally, not a weapon of the enemy."
Elyra stepped closer, her voice steady despite the storm in her eyes. "We still trust you. But if the Void is your twin, then it knows you—your weaknesses, your limits."
"Indeed," the Marauder replied. "Which is why it will come for me through him."
Its gaze fell upon Kael.
A cold wave passed through the room.
Kael swallowed hard. "It's already trying."
The fragment's whisper coiled inside his mind again, softer this time—almost sympathetic.
"You can save them, Kael. Let me show you how."
Elyra reached for him, but the air between them shimmered, a faint dark pulse flashing beneath Kael's skin.
The Marauder raised its tendrils defensively. "It's beginning. The Void is waking through him."
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