The Nexus chamber shuddered as reality twisted violently, paradox currents snapping like lightning across the fractured void. The Architect's influence, omnipresent and relentless, pressed down on Kael with unbearable weight. Each pulse threatened to unravel his very existence.
Kael's mark flared brighter than ever. He could feel the monstrous entity growing within him, a dark, multiversal force that had been seeded by his death and resurrection. Its hunger, its chaos, pulsed against his consciousness, whispering destruction.
Aria Vale's resonance flared beside him, stabilizing paradox currents across critical shards. "Kael, you need to master it—your new powers. You can't just fight outward—you have to fight inward!"
Veyra's shadows coiled protectively, her presence both a warning and a lifeline. "The entity inside you reflects your fears, Kael. Confront it—or it will consume everything you care about."
Ryken Holt, fists blazing, struck at rogue anomalies, his mistrust sharpening every move. "I survive because I anticipate the worst. But even I can't anchor you from within—this one's yours alone."
Kael clenched his fists, paradox currents swirling violently around him. He focused inward, confronting the entity—the part of himself born in death, nurtured in pain, and now threatening to take over. Memories of failure, betrayal, and despair surged through him. Every decision, every loss, every trial became fuel for the battle within.
"I will not let you win," Kael growled, voice echoing across the collapsing realities. "I am more than this… more than the Architect, more than the shadows, more than my own death!"
He projected paradox energy not outward, but inward—resonating with every shard of his own existence, every fragment of the multiverse tethered to him, and every bond he had forged: Aria Vale, Veyra, Ryken. The monstrous entity recoiled, tested by Kael's mastery and resolve.