The metal giant stepped out of the burning doorway, each footfall cracking the floor beneath him.
Gold ember veins pulsed across his armor like living fire, syncing with the deep mechanical hum inside his chest.
Lian felt the heat from several meters away—
a suffocating pressure that made his own ember thrash within his ribcage.
Raine pushed him back.
"Stay behind me."
"That thing used to be… Arden?" Lian whispered.
Raine didn't answer.
Her silence was answer enough.
The Predator's Scan
Omega Arden's faceplate twisted open, revealing a dark cavity beneath—
no human eyes, only two molten slits glowing deep orange.
A deep resonance vibrated through the corridor.
TARGET LOCKED.
PRIORITY: LIAN HART.
SECONDARY: RAINE SOLIS.
Raine spat a curse under her breath.
"He remembers names. That means his mind isn't fully wiped."
Lian swallowed.
"Can we reason with him?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because the Ember overrides everything."
She raised both blades.
"At Omega level, he's pure instinct. Pure weapon."
Omega Arden took another step—
BOOM.
The lights flickered.
Lian felt the ember inside him respond, flaring in panic.
"Raine—my ember—it's reacting to him."
"It's supposed to."
Her stance tightened.
"He's hunting you."
First Strike
Omega Arden moved.
A blur of gold and steel—
Raine barely had time to intercept.
Their clash detonated the air.
CRAAAAASH—!
Shockwaves split the floor.
Raine was thrown back, skidding across the ground, boots sparking.
Lian ran toward her—
"Raine!"
"I'm fine!" she snapped, pushing to her feet, though her arm trembled.
"Stay back! He'll tear you in half!"
Omega Arden turned his burning gaze toward Lian.
Then he charged.
Lian froze—
But Raine wasn't fast enough to reach him this time.
Omega Arden swung his massive arm—
FOOOM—
Instinct — fear — desperation — ignited Lian's ember.
A crimson shield burst into existence—
But the Omega's strength shattered it instantly.
Lian was thrown like a ragdoll, slamming into the corridor wall.
Pain exploded across his back.
He tasted blood.
A Voice in the Ember
Darkness tunneled his vision.
But then—
A whisper.
Not from the corridor.
Not from Raine.
From inside him.
A voice wrapped in heat, faint but unmistakable.
Get up, Lian.
His eyes widened.
"Who… who's there?"
Another whisper, like wind through embers.
You're not ready to die.
Not yet.
The voice wasn't his father's.
It wasn't Raine's.
It was…
Someone younger.
Rawer.
Angry.
Don't let them turn you into me.
Lian's breath caught.
"Arden…?"
The voice faded instantly.
But the ember inside him surged violently.
He gasped awake.
Second Clash
Omega Arden loomed overhead, raising a molten blade grown from his forearm — a weapon formed from his own ember.
Raine sprinted toward them, screaming—
"LIAN MOVE!!"
The blade swung down—
Lian thrust out his hands without thinking—
And a wave of uncontrolled ember energy exploded outward.
BOOOOOOM—
The blast hurled Omega Arden backward, slamming him into the corridor wall.
Sparks rained from his armor.
Raine stared, stunned.
"You… blasted an Omega unit back. That's impossible."
Lian panted hard.
His hands shook.
Heat twisted up his arms.
"I didn't— I didn't mean to—"
"Doesn't matter. You bought us five seconds."
Raine pulled him to his feet.
"We run. Now."
Arden's Echo
Before they could move—
Omega Arden straightened.
Slowly.
Mechanically.
Pieces of his armor re-fused where Lian's blast had cracked them.
Then—
He spoke.
Not in the cold mechanical voice.
But in a broken, distorted human tone.
"L…i…an…"
Lian froze.
Raine grabbed his wrist hard.
"Don't listen. It's a memory echo. Not him."
But Omega Arden tilted his head, ember veins flickering like a heartbeat.
"R…un…"
Lian's breath stopped.
For a moment—
just a moment—
Arden's real voice broke through.
Then his body jerked violently, systems overriding.
TERMINATION RESUMING.
His ember flared white-hot.
Raine shoved Lian forward.
"Move!"
They sprinted, feet slamming the ground.
Behind them, Omega Arden charged, faster than before.
The corridor shook.
Lian looked back once—
And saw the Omega forming a massive ember cannon along his arm.
A weapon meant to kill an Heir in a single hit.
It pulsed—
Raine pulled Lian around a corner—
And a beam of white-hot ember energy tore through the hall behind them, melting steel like butter.
End of the Chapter Punch
They burst into another chamber—
a vast circular room with a glowing platform in the center.
Raine dragged him toward it.
"We're heading to the Core. It's the only place that can stop an Omega."
Lian stumbled.
"Will it stop him completely?"
Raine didn't answer.
Because Omega Arden's footsteps thundered closer—
And the chamber doors began to melt.