The moment Rael stepped beyond the silver chamber, the multiverse changed.
Not the fabric of space or the structure of time—but the rules that governed them.
He could feel it in his bones, a gentle, vibrating shift, like gravity had decided to breathe.
[Eidolon Core: Chaos Core Residue stabilizing. Neural connections expanding. Dimensional Awareness Level: 4 achieved.]
A new interface materialized in his vision. It wasn't like the traditional windows—it was a Sphere of Insight, a 3D construct showing floating worlds, connected by glowing bridges of energy.
Each sphere pulsed with a color—red for volatile, blue for stable, gold for unknown.
And one—at the very center—was black. Not dark. Black. Absorbing all light, rejecting observation.
[Unidentified Origin Node: Probability of Connection – 99.999%. Estimated: Origin Point of Host.]
Rael frowned. "Origin Point?"
Was this the place he had been taken from as a child? Or was it something even deeper—tied to the reason the multiverse itself was fracturing?
Before he could speak, a new alert pinged.
[New System Feature Unlocked: Wraith Link – Allows temporary access to hidden echoes across timelines.]
His eyes flared. "Let's see what secrets you're hiding."
Rael extended his hand, and the Sphere responded. A tendril of light reached for the black orb, brushing it gently.
Suddenly—reality twisted.
---
He wasn't in the white hallway anymore.
He was in a massive hall filled with floating monoliths. Figures in long coats and veils sat in circular formations, discussing matters in distorted, backward speech.
In the center—he saw himself.
But younger.
Nine years old.
Frightened. Alone. Hooked up to a machine pulling light from his chest.
"What is this?" Rael whispered.
The memory-self screamed. The machine injected red light into him. His eyes changed color.
Then, abruptly, the vision shattered like glass.
---
Rael stumbled back, gasping.
[Wraith Link ended. Memory Fragment logged. Emotional Surge: 71%.]
Someone had experimented on him as a child.
They changed him.
And yet… he survived. Thrived.
And now, they were scared.
Because he remembered.
---
Back in the silver chamber, the capsule holding his mother reached 100%.
It hissed open with a long, exhausted breath. Mist spilled across the floor.
Velyra Calix's eyes opened slowly.
"Rael…?" she whispered, voice weak but certain.
"I'm here," he said, gripping her hand.
Her gaze scanned his face, then settled on the Sphere of Insight still glowing behind him.
"You unlocked it," she murmured.
Rael nodded. "Tell me what it is."
Velyra tried to sit, wincing from stasis stiffness. "The Sphere is not just a map. It's a prison key. They used it to trap gods, erase timelines, control outcomes. You're the last variable they couldn't contain."
Rael's system chimed.
[Genetic Convergence Detected: Eidolon Core merging with Echo Seed (Velyra Calix).]
Their combined presence triggered a cascade of light.
Information began flooding the chamber—videos, documents, forbidden histories.
Rael stared at one image.
A masked boy... standing in front of an army.
Caption: Codename: Null King.
It was him. But older. Dressed in black.
And leading the very war he was trying to prevent.
"What is this?"
Velyra's voice cracked. "This is the timeline they're pushing for. You becoming the destroyer of order. But there's still time."
Rael gritted his teeth. "I won't become what they fear. I'll become what they never saw coming."
The door behind them burst open.
Figures in black armor charged in—wielding pulse-lances and suppressor fields.
Rael stood tall. His mother stepped behind him.
[Eidolon Core: Synced Partner Detected – Velyra Calix. Duo Protocol unlocked.]
Their systems merged—silver and red interfaces dancing like auroras.
Rael raised a hand. "Mother… shall we show them what a real variable looks like?"
Velyra smiled. "With pleasure."
And together, they struck.
The chamber erupted into chaos.
Rael and Velyra moved like twin storms. Not in panic, not in haste—but with terrifying coordination. The attackers had come expecting a boy and a comatose woman.
Instead, they faced the awakened heirs of forbidden knowledge.
[Eidolon Core: Duo Protocol Active]
— Partner Sync: 97%
— Combat Efficiency Multiplier: 3.2x
Rael leapt forward, palm open. A silver beam surged from his hand, forming a curved blade of pure light—a Chrono Edge, unstable in most hands, but humming in perfect harmony with him.
Velyra's hands glowed with the violet hue of Void Script. Symbols of lost dialects spun from her fingertips, forming shields that absorbed incoming fire like raindrops striking silk.
The black-armored invaders shouted commands.
"Target is syncing with the Origin-Bearer!"
"Disrupt the Duo Protocol!"
Rael smiled coldly. "Try."
He dashed between two guards, his blade humming as it carved the very air. Armor shattered on contact. Sparks exploded across the room.
Behind him, Velyra's symbols wrapped around a fallen soldier. The man convulsed, then screamed—every memory in his mind unraveling as the Mind Reversal Sigil activated.
"Still using neurological dampeners," she said, unimpressed. "Outdated."
[Enemy Threat Level: D+]
[Suggested Response: Containment not required. Annihilation authorized.]
Rael twisted midair and landed with a silent crouch, the Chrono Edge folding into his arm. "Mother, clear the left flank. I'll scan the command node."
Velyra moved, her presence more ghost than woman. Rael accessed the battlefield interface: a 3D grid that mapped every object and signal.
One corner pulsed. Command Unit Located.
He surged toward it, dropping low to avoid a sonic mine before slicing it apart in one smooth motion. He slammed his hand on the node—a small control cube—and his Eidolon Core pulsed.
[Hacking AI—Bypassing Encryption Layers… Complete.]
A data storm poured into his mind.
And there it was.
The real purpose of the ambush wasn't to retrieve Velyra—it was to kill her in front of him.
To trigger something.
He clenched his jaw.
"They want me unstable… reactive. Easy to steer."
He closed his eyes, whispering, "You'll get nothing."
[Decision Registered: Emotional Override Denied. Stability Rating: 92%.]
Behind him, the fight had ended. The black-armored soldiers lay unconscious or worse.
Velyra approached, glancing at the cube. "They're afraid of what you might remember."
"I already do," Rael said. "They took my name. My childhood. My future. But I'll take back everything."
The moment grew heavy. Then—suddenly—the ground trembled.
Not an explosion.
A pulse from beneath.
[Spatial Shift Detected. Underground Structure Activating.]
The floor panels lit with red lines forming a spiral—a teleportation platform hidden beneath decades of dust.
Rael looked at his mother. "We're not alone in this base, are we?"
She nodded slowly. "We never were. This place was a vault long before I was born."
The spiral symbols spun faster.
[Destination: Unknown. Multiverse Anchor Coordinates Unstable.]
"Should we risk it?" Rael asked.
Velyra didn't hesitate. "That's what we do, son. We break what binds the stars."
They stepped into the spiral together.
A blinding light enveloped them—and then the world turned upside down.
---
They landed in a forest.
But not any forest Rael had seen.
The trees bled violet sap. The stars in the sky moved in real time. Creatures made of starlight watched them from the branches without blinking.
And above all—
A castle hung in the air, shattered into floating pieces. At its center stood a man made of glass and shadow.
[Warning: Dimensional Rift Guardian Detected.]
[Threat Level: ???]
Rael's system froze.
Even the Sphere of Insight dimmed, uncertain.
But the figure looked down, smiled—and spoke.
"Welcome home, Rael Calix… or should I say, Null King."
Rael's fists clenched.
"I'm not him."
The figure laughed.
"Then prove it."