The chamber dimmed as the Red Eclipse interface stabilized. The crystalline node flickered with threads of data, weaving an ancient tapestry of betrayal and rebellion.
Aiden stood frozen before the display, Kaela and Brant beside him, all three transfixed by the ghostly silhouettes projected into the air.
[Red Eclipse Network: Active Warden Signatures – 7]
[Directive Upload: "Purge the Inheritors. Cleanse the Nexus."]
Each of the Warden Avatars radiated distinct energy frequencies—so overwhelming, even from their digital impressions, that Kaela gasped and staggered.
"Those aren't just records," she whispered, clutching her chest. "They're alive. Or… linked, still active through the Echo Web."
Aiden's gaze remained locked on Nullmark's flickering form—face expressionless, but his energy signature unmistakable: a deep void with no resonance to the Nexus.
No harmony. Just opposition.
[Nullmark – Status: Warden Anomaly]
[System Classification: Nexus Reject | Chrono-Anchor Destroyed | Energy Type: Red Singularity]
Red Singularity. That term alone felt like a blade to Aiden's spine.
"What in the hell is a Red Singularity?" Brant asked, eyes narrowing. "Sounds like something you shouldn't touch unless you wanna be unmade."
Aiden tapped the node, bringing up fragmented logs.
Log 0874: Project Red Eclipse
"The Singularity is not a source of power. It is a rejection of all Systems. It thrives on contradiction. Where Nexus brings harmony, the Singularity devours structure. And yet… it obeys its chosen. Even the Nexus bends slightly around it, as if… afraid."
Aiden looked up, expression grim. "The Red Eclipse Wardens don't want to destroy the world… They want to destroy the Nexus itself."
Kaela recoiled. "That's madness. The Nexus is the anchor of all Realms."
Brant growled. "And Nullmark's the tip of their blade."
Suddenly, the crystalline node pulsed red.
[Intrusion Detected – Tracing Current Node]
[Countermeasure Deployment: Warden Echo Construct – Phase Class]
[Estimated Arrival: 60 seconds]
Aiden snapped up. "They're sending something. A phase-class echo."
Kaela spun to the glyphs surrounding the node. "These aren't just for control. They're teleportation anchors. I can divert the arrival location, but I need time."
"Do it," Aiden said. "Brant, with me—we hold the corridor."
They sprinted back up the stairwell, where the air now shimmered with unstable energy. The Argent Warden had vanished—recalled by higher command, or pulled into the link. But a new presence was forming.
A rift tore open in the air, shimmering with hues not meant for mortal sight. Through it stepped the Echo Construct.
Sleek. Quiet. Drenched in Nexus corruption.
[Echo Unit: Shadewalker ZK-09]
[Model: Phase Assassin | Directive: Eliminate ChronoForge Host]
It moved before thought could register.
Only Aiden's enhanced reflexes saved him from a blade of compressed singularity energy that passed within a hair's breadth of his neck.
Brant swung, but the construct dissipated mid-air, reappearing behind him with a strike that sent the warrior flying.
[Skill: Echo Slip – Phase Shunt Activated]
Aiden launched a Chrono Net to freeze time around it, but it warped dimensions itself, slipping outside the range.
"This thing doesn't play fair," Aiden snarled.
But neither did he.
He activated his new upgrade—one gained the moment he inserted Nullmark's shard into the node.
[Skill Unlocked: Temporal Rend – Tier 3]
[Effect: Creates a rift in temporal flow, destabilizing enemy phase resonance and forcing materialization]
Aiden raised his gauntlet, focusing on the trail of distortion left by the construct.
"Time to stop hiding."
The rift tore through space with a soundless shockwave.
The construct screamed—not audibly, but through the sheer destabilization of its form. It flickered, then snapped into visibility, now trapped in real-time.
Brant surged forward with a roar, bringing his hammer down on the now-solid enemy. The strike shattered the phase barrier and left the construct dazed.
Aiden plunged his chrono-blade through its core.
The echo disintegrated—its remnants pulled violently into the void.
Back in the archive chamber, Kaela finished the final glyph twist. The crystal node pulsed once more, then dimmed.
[Redirect Complete – Warden Echo Traced to Dummy Coordinates]
[Temporary Stealth Restored]
They regrouped, battered but alive.
Kaela exhaled shakily. "I've locked the node. No more transmissions for now. But they know you're a threat, Aiden. They'll come in force next time."
Aiden stood quietly for a moment, then said, "They can come."
He reached into his storage and retrieved the ChronoForge interface core—the one they'd recovered before entering the spire.
Then, with a thought, he fused it with the Red Eclipse fragment inside his gauntlet.
[System Integration in Progress...]
[Compatibility Warning: 7% Red Singularity Contamination Detected]
[User Override Accepted]
[ChronoForge Variant – Evolution Path Selected: Divergent Lineage]
Kaela's voice shook. "You're altering your System?"
Aiden turned, and for the first time, the glow of his eyes shimmered not just with Nexus blue—but with a trace of deep crimson.
"They want war. I'll give them one."