Dimension Alpha-X – Timeline ID: RAEL NULL
Rael opened his eyes.
The pulsing hum of the Nexus faded, replaced by the soft rustle of leaves and the distant sound of school bells.
For a moment, he thought he'd returned home.
But something was wrong.
His Omega Window flickered.
> Warning: Identity mismatch detected
Current Timeline: Fabricated. You are not recognized as RAEL SPECTER.
He looked down. He was wearing a student uniform. His fingers no longer bore the spectral lines of power. No energy flow. No aura.
He was ordinary.
No one looked at him twice as he walked through the campus. It was the same academy—but polished, sterile. His memories didn't match.
He pulled up the Omega Window in stealth mode.
> Student Profile: Rael Elric
Age: 17
Status: Tier-0 Civilian
Ability Index: N/A
Memory Sync: 4%
Specter Core: Dormant (Suppressed by external lock)
Rael narrowed his eyes.
Someone had rewritten the timeline.
Not reset it—re-authored it.
And they buried his true self beneath a civilian shell.
> "System," he whispered mentally, "give me external activity records."
> Access denied.
Admin key required.
He clenched his fists.
> Then I'll break the locks myself.
A shadow passed beside him. He looked up.
Aria.
She walked past him—but didn't recognize him.
Her eyes were clear… her expression, distant. Like she'd never met him. Like the entire fracture realm never happened.
> "They erased her too..."
His chest ached.
He wasn't just displaced—he was deleted.
Suddenly, his Omega Window flashed:
> Detection: Alternate Identity Slot Available.
Would you like to activate concealed persona: Dagger?
Rael smirked.
> "Bring Dagger online."
A ripple of light passed over him. The uniform blurred, replaced by a sleek black coat, his hair darker, sharper. The silent cool aura returned—eyes calculating, voice precise.
> Dagger Mode Active.
Cloak Status: Complete.
Nexus Infiltration Begin.
He'd play the role again. Just like his old identity, Doller, but more precise.
This version? He'd manipulate the school system from within.
> "Let's see who wrote this fake script."
—
Later That Night – Central Campus Vault
Rael-as-Dagger broke into the lower chambers of the academy. The walls buzzed with sealed memories and containment spells.
He hacked into the terminal using the Omega Window's diagnostic override.
> Data Layer Unlocked: Project Rebirth.
Author: UNKNOWN.
Subject: RAEL PRIME
Status: REMOVED FROM HISTORY
Executor: ECHO ENTITY 'Entropy'
> "Entropy…" he whispered.
He remembered the name—faint, like a ghost. A sibling-like presence once erased from his earliest childhood fragments.
Could it be?
Just then—
A ripple.
The vault trembled.
A figure descended from the ceiling, surrounded by anti-matter flames and bent reality.
He looked like Rael.
Same face. Same aura.
But twisted. Hollow.
Eyes pure black, veins glowing blue.
> "You're not supposed to be awake yet," the doppelgänger said.
Rael's Omega Window trembled.
> Subject Recognized: EN001 – Entropy Rael
Codename: The Null Anchor
Threat Level: Apex++
> "You… you're my brother."
Entropy laughed.
> "I'm the real Rael. You? You're just a draft."
> "You're wrong."
Rael lunged.
They clashed—reality tearing between them.
Specter energy vs Entropy flux.
Clones vs memory shards.
Identities overlapping, rejecting one another.
But Rael wasn't ready.
His Specter Core still suppressed.
Entropy struck a devastating blow to Rael's chest, flinging him across the vault.
> "I'll rewrite you again. Like I always do."
He vanished.
---
Aftermath – Rael's Room
Rael awoke gasping.
> Omega Window rebooting…
New Directive Installed: RETAKE REALITY.
Unlocked Subsystem: Memory Echo
Forge.
Now, he wouldn't just survive.
He'd create alternate versions of himself in secret—silent soldiers across timelines.
And slowly… he'd take everything back.
Starting with his name.
Two Days Later – Nexus Academy (Restored Timeline)
Rael sat quietly in the library, the hum of old computers blending with the soft rustling of students flipping pages. His face was calm, posture perfect, eyes buried in a book no one else could comprehend—The Architecture of Multiversal Collapse.
To others, he was Rael Elric, a studious, quiet student with a mysterious charm. But beneath the perfect disguise, Dagger was executing the first steps of what he now called the Echo Protocol—the resurrection of his true self.
> Omega Window Online
Status: Internal Memory Echo Forge (IMEF) Active
Available Memory Shards: 3/9
Initiate Echo 01?
> "Initiate," he whispered.
A brief flicker passed over his vision. From his shadow, a thin wisp rose—gray, fluid, and semi-conscious.
> Echo 01: Activated.
Assigned Task: Infiltrate the Nexus Training Simulation Lab.
Stealth Mode: Absolute.
The Echo slipped out like smoke, unseen by every eye in the room.
Rael closed the book with a soft snap.
Every timeline that tried to erase him… would soon regret it.
---
Elsewhere – Nexus Simulation Chamber
Echo 01 floated like a mist between security scans. Its form wasn't solid—just a data construct made from Rael's fragmented memory and specter code.
It accessed a terminal in the lab, hacking through layers of encryption within seconds.
> System Unlocking…
Accessing Core Nexus Timeline.
Searching for True Identity: RAEL SPECTER…
Access Denied.
> Author Override Required.
The Echo hovered over the lock for a second, then twisted itself into a sharp filament—slipping through the firewall like a virus.
The screen glitched—then, suddenly, a forgotten record appeared.
> RAEL SPECTER – TITLE: COSMIC VARIABLE
GENETIC BLUEPRINT: UNSTABLE
REALITY-TIER: ABOVE-PRIME
REWRITTEN BY ENTITY 'Entropy Rael'
A shockwave pulsed through the simulation room.
Echo 01's form destabilized.
The ceiling burst open, and once again—Entropy appeared.
> "You're really stubborn, brother," Entropy smirked. "Even your shadows try to rebel."
> "This is war," Echo 01 hissed before exploding into data.
Back in the library, Rael felt a sting in his temple.
> Echo 01 – Destroyed.
Mission Status: Partially Successful.
New Info Recovered: TRUE IDENTITY – COSMIC VARIABLE
Rael's fingers clenched.
> "Cosmic Variable… That's why I'm dangerous to them."
---
Later That Night – Hidden Chamber in Abandoned Sector 7
Rael descended into the forgotten maintenance tunnels below the school. These tunnels were off-record—removed from student maps.
At the center was a broken simulation pod. He wiped the dust off the nameplate:
> "Project: VASTHEART"
His Omega Window flickered.
> Echo Forge: Forge Capacity increased to 5.
Do you wish to restore VASTHEART Protocol?
> "Yes."
The system began humming. Old lights blinked back to life.
Then—on the other side of the chamber—someone coughed.
Rael turned around instantly, cloak activating.
Aria stood there.
But she wasn't herself.
Her eyes glowed faintly purple. Her voice—softer, not hers.
> "You shouldn't have come here… Brother."
Rael froze.
> "Aria…?"
But the way she smiled told him everything. This wasn't Aria. Not fully.
> Omega Alert: Host Possession Detected
Entity Control Level: 41%
The voice laughed.
> "We left fragments in all of them, Rael. You're not the only one playing with echoes."
The chamber trembled.
Rael stepped back. His Omega Window blinked:
> Forge Emergency Command:
Activate ECHO 02 (Combat Class)
A second Rael emerged from behind him—slightly different build, same face, eyes glowing bright blue.
> "Protect Aria," Rael ordered.
"And if the parasite tries to leave her body—destroy it."
The battle began in silence—ECHO 02 clashing with Aria's possessed form, trying to separate her soul from the intruding one.
Rael, meanwhile, activated the Vastheart pod and linked it directly to his Omega Window.
> Forging Soul Core…
Unknown Memory Detected…
Importing Genetic Signature: Specter Prime
Suddenly, his system screamed.
> WARNING: ENTROPY BREACH IMMINENT.
Everything went white.