On the Eclipse, Malakor watched the feed from the Purifiers cut to static. The final image was of Skodar Vakhas, awake and radiant with an energy signature that defied all previous models.
There was no rage. There was a cold, intellectual fury—the frustration of a scientist whose perfect equation has been contaminated by an unknown variable.
"Analysis," he hummed.
A holographic aide materialized. "Energy signature designated 'Prima' has mutated. It now displays harmonic and adaptive properties. It successfully neutralized Reforged cybernetics and Purifier systems by inducing a catastrophic sympathetic resonance. The Vakhas subject, Skodar, appears to be a functioning nexus for this energy."
"A nexus," Malakor repeated. He zoomed in on the silvery scars on Skodar's skin. "He integrated the dampener. He didn't resist the antithesis; he absorbed it. He made it a part of his whole." A spark of something almost like perverse admiration glinted in his void eyes. "Fascinating. He is no longer a pure sample. He is a hybrid. A successful integration of chaos and order."
He turned from the screen. "The Silent Night Protocol is compromised. The Dawnspire location is now a fortified beacon. Ground assault is statistically unfavorable due to the new adaptive defense variable."
"Orbital bombardment?" the aide suggested.
"Inelegant. Destructive. And it would destroy the hybrid specimen and the mutated Stone. Unacceptable." Malakor steepled his fingers. "We must change the paradigm. If we cannot silence the signal, we must… drown it out. If we cannot take the mountain, we must make the mountain irrelevant."
A new schematic bloomed before him—a massive, ring-shaped structure. "Initiate Project: Chorus. We will build our own resonance. A perfectly ordered, logical symphony of energy that will blanket the planet. Not a dampener, but an Overwriter. It will not erase the Prima Gene; it will subjugate it, tune it to my frequency. The Vakhas will become my instruments. Their power will fuel my order."
It was a plan of breathtaking scale and arrogance. To build a planetary amplifier to mentally enslave an entire genetic lineage.
"And the hybrid?" the aide asked.
Malakor's lips thinned. "He is the conductor of their ragged choir. When the Chorus sings, we will see if his chaotic melody can withstand a perfect, orchestrated harmony. Dispatch the architects to the Singing Canyons. Begin construction. And send a… messenger to Dawnspire. A formal invitation to my new world order."