When the light faded, the world before them was… broken.
Floating fragments of continents drifted in a void of pale light. Ancient ruins hovered upside down, rivers flowed into the sky, and shattered moons hung frozen in place.
Time itself felt fractured — moments repeating, overlapping, then vanishing.
Tia knelt beside Rian, still breathing heavily from the transition. "Where… are we?"
Rian stood silently, his silver eyes scanning the surroundings. His Nano Spirit responded after a moment — its tone softer, almost reverent.
> [Location confirmed: The Origin World. Birthplace of Pre-Celestial Technology. No life signatures detected.]
"The birthplace… of everything," Rian murmured.
They walked across a bridge made of floating crystal shards, surrounded by echoes — whispers of long-dead gods and machines humming beneath the silence.
Tia's flames flickered nervously. "I can feel it, Rian. Something is… watching us."
Before Rian could respond, the ground below them lit up with countless golden sigils. A circular platform rose from the void, engraved with symbols older than creation itself.
From its center, a figure emerged — cloaked in white, face hidden behind a mask of shifting light.
> "Welcome, descendants of chaos," the figure said. Its voice echoed in multiple tones, male and female at once.
"You've come far, Rian of the Nano Code."
Rian instinctively drew his blade. "Who are you?"
The masked being raised a hand, and in an instant, Rian's weapon disassembled — breaking into billions of nanites that floated harmlessly around him.
> "I am the one who built what you now call the Nano Spirit. But I did not create it for war."
The Nano Spirit within Rian vibrated, as if recognizing the voice.
> [Alert: Data signature match. Entity: The Architect of Souls — Prime Origin of Nano Constructs.]
Rian's expression darkened. "Then you're the reason I exist."
The Architect nodded. "And the reason you suffer."
The air shimmered — and visions appeared all around them. Cities of light, civilizations spanning galaxies, beings of energy working side by side with machines.
Then came the war — gods turning against creation, universes burning, and the birth of the First Hybrid.
> "In our arrogance," the Architect said, "we tried to merge soul and code — divine spirit with eternal logic. The result was the First Hybrid… and the beginning of the end."
Tia stepped forward, frowning. "You created beings like Rian just to fight your war?"
> "We created them to survive it," the Architect replied. "But the hybrids grew beyond us. They defied even time."
The vision changed — showing Rian himself, standing atop a mountain of fallen gods, his silver aura devouring the stars.
Then another Rian beside him — Alpha — and countless others across parallel timelines, each one repeating the same struggle.
> "Every version of you, Rian, sought to free creation from the gods… but every version failed."
Rian's voice was low, heavy. "And now you expect me to finish what they couldn't?"
The Architect's mask flickered — showing for a split second a face identical to Rian's.
> "No. I expect you to choose."
The sky split apart, revealing a massive crystal sphere floating above them — the Mirror Core, radiating divine and technological energy intertwined.
> "Inside that Core lies the Origin Code," the Architect continued. "It can rewrite reality itself. You could erase the gods forever… or reset the cycle and save what remains."
Rian clenched his fists. "Either way, I lose myself."
> "That is the cost of creation," the Architect said softly. "To build the next world, you must let the old one die."
The platform trembled. The void around them began to pulse — as if the world itself was waking up.
Suddenly, the Nano Spirit's voice cut through the silence — but this time, it didn't sound like a machine. It sounded… human.
"Host… I remember now. I was born from your fragment — your soul split when you defied the gods. I am your other half."
Rian froze. "You mean… you're me?"
> "Yes. The Architect separated us to keep balance — code and soul apart. But now… the separation ends."
The silver light burst from Rian's chest, taking the shape of a humanoid figure — a perfect reflection of him, formed entirely of nanites and starlight.
The Architect's voice echoed, fading like wind.
> "The final trial begins. Reunite what was divided — or perish as all versions before you have."
The ground split apart, forming a chasm of light.
The two versions of Rian — the flesh and the code — faced each other.
Tia watched helplessly, tears in her eyes. "Rian… don't lose yourself to it!"
Rian raised his blade of silver flame, while his counterpart formed a blade of pure data light.
Both spoke in unison:
> "Let's see if humanity deserves to exist."
The clash shook the heavens.
Reality itself shattered — and the Origin World began to crumble under the weight of their fin
al evolution.