The battle between Aris and the Inner Council of the Tower's hidden hall was over, but its consequences resonated through every corner of his being. In the aftermath of the psychic trial, Aris remained seated on the cold marble floor, his breathing heavy, drenched in sweat and tangled thoughts. The glowing sigils on the stone walls pulsed gently, almost like a heartbeat—responding, perhaps, to his now-acknowledged identity.
The smart system window reappeared, this time broader and clearer, as though it too had evolved with Aris.
[Status Window – Evolutionary Path Triggered]
> Designation: Aris Veyne Identity Acknowledged: Real (Hidden), Specter ID (Public) Spectral Rank: Transcendent Initiate Vitality Core: Stabilized [100% Integration Complete] Affinity: Temporal-Kinetic Resonance Class: Specter of the Hollow Stars Passive Ability Unlocked: Echo Trace – Projects delayed afterimages capable of redirecting attacks or creating alternate perception windows. Unique Skill Activated: Specter Ascension – Enter a liminal plane between existence and void for 10 seconds, gaining invulnerability and enhanced speed. Cooldown: 10 hours.
A surge of energy bloomed inside Aris's chest. This wasn't just a stat boost. The tower recognized him. The multiverse had acknowledged his worth. The identity he had been forging—of a silent guardian, a powerful mystery—was no longer a mask. It was truth.
He stood up, cloak fluttering, eyes glowing faintly with the mark of his Specter lineage. A new corridor had opened in front of him, one not visible before. And in it, a voice echoed.
"Welcome, one born of echo and flame. The Trial of Realities begins."
---
The Tower's structure bent again. This time, he found himself walking through a city seemingly suspended mid-air—floating platforms, fractured skyscrapers, neon-lined skies smeared with unending twilight. This was the Shattered Plane, a multiversal junction that only revealed itself to those on the verge of ascension.
Suddenly, a laugh echoed from the shadows.
"I never expected to see you here, Dollar."
Aris froze.
A man stepped out—a white coat flapping in the wind, holographic tattoos glowing along his arms. Sharp smile. Hair like flowing ink. He looked like someone carved out of confidence and charisma.
Vin Ghaleth. A name Aris hadn't heard in five years. An old friend… and a former threat.
"How did you find me?" Aris asked, his voice low.
Vin grinned. "The better question is—who doesn't know you now? The Tower called out your name. Both names."
Before Aris could reply, a warning blared in his mind.
[Temporal Lock Detected – Forced Encounter Initiated]
Vin drew a blade etched with voidlight.
"Don't worry. This isn't personal. I just need to test you. For the Council."
The battle began.
Vin's attacks were relentless—mixing space-bending slashes with illusions and time-delayed strikes. But Aris was different now. His afterimages danced like phantoms, absorbing kinetic force. His Echo Trace formed protective specters, confusing Vin's senses. At one point, Aris activated Specter Ascension—disappearing into a ghost-like blur, stepping between attacks, and emerging inches from Vin's neck.
A whispered warning: "Yield."
Vin laughed, lowering his blade. "You've surpassed the data projections. Looks like they were right."
"Right about what?"
"That you're the one who'll shatter the bindings on this multiverse."
The floating city quaked. From the skies above, a crimson rift opened. A creature descended—six-winged, machine-like, its voice like a thousand chimes.
[Warning: Architect Class Entity Detected]
Aris and Vin turned, momentarily allied by necessity.
The Architect's voice boomed. "You are a fracture in the simulation. Your existence is… incorrect."
Aris narrowed his eyes. "Guess it's time to break the rules."
The weight of silence returned as Zero stood at the edge of the blood-soaked chamber, his breath steady despite the chaos. Behind him, the crystalline structure he shattered in 18.0 had begun to pulse with an otherworldly hum. Not even the System could decipher the signals emanating from it.
"Unknown frequency detected. Initiating isolated scan protocol," the Smart Window System buzzed.
Zero narrowed his eyes. His newly awakened form—Eclipse Mode—still buzzed with residual energy. He could feel it—his body adjusting, syncing with something ancient yet intimately familiar.
From the crystal's core, a small object emerged, levitating. It was a token—shaped like a serpent eating its tail, inscribed with runes from multiple universes. As it floated into Zero's hand, a surge of memories flooded his mind—visions of a place outside time, a fractured world locked away in a forgotten dimension.
System Update: Token identified. Artifact of Ourochron. Unsealing the Lost Pathways.
Suddenly, the walls of the chamber trembled. The space began to bend, twist—folding like paper into a vortex. Shadows elongated and warped into familiar silhouettes.
Zero stood tall. His expression blank, yet aware. A single thought echoed in his mind: "They were waiting."
---
Meanwhile, within the real world, in the Central Federation Academy, the real identity of Zero—Zen Jin—was still believed to be missing. The calm, intelligent student who occasionally skipped levels on quantum exams and made instructors nervous with his analysis was now a ghost in records. Not even Principal Leon could access his current status.
"How can someone with such a high cognition rank just disappear from the System?" the vice-chair of Internal Security muttered.
What they didn't know was that Zen had placed a mirror-node virus within the Smart Window itself—an artificial shadow that responded in his place, answering every check-in and data trail.
Back in the warped dimension, Zero stepped into the shifting landscape. He felt gravity re-align, his smart system flickering.
Environment Analysis: Multi-verse breach corridor. Coordinates unlocatable. Warning: Dimensional pressure exceeding limits.
Yet, he walked forward.
His surroundings morphed: desert, forest, star fields, crumbling empires—all bleeding into one another like ink in water. In the distance, a colossal eye blinked once, and vanished.
"You came early," said a soft voice.
Zero turned. A figure stood ahead—masked, silver robes glowing faintly.
The presence felt eerily similar. Familiar.
System Error: Identity match found. Subject: Z-0 [Temporal Clone].
The figure removed its mask. It was... Zero.
No, not exactly.
His eyes held a tiredness, a weight of having lived countless lives.
"You've activated the Ourochron token too early. You're not ready yet," the older Zero said. "But I suppose that's how all loops begin."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm the version of you that failed. That chose revenge instead of purpose. I destroyed everything I loved in pursuit of answers. And now… I guard what's left."
Zero clenched his fists.
"Then why let me reach this place?"
"Because you might be the one that breaks the cycle. Or repeats it." He extended a hand. "We fight. Now. If you survive, you earn the right to choose the path."
Before Zero could respond, the environment solidified. A coliseum manifested around them, with shattered stars overhead.
Smart System: Preparing battle mode. Warning: Opponent matches 96.1% of your ability matrix. Initiating unpredictability algorithm.
Zero stood, his aura rising like an endless tide.
"Fine. I'll prove I'm not you. I'll surpass you."
They charged.
Blade met blade. Thought met counter-thought. Speed redefined. Worlds trembled with every clash. The echoes of their fight leaked through timelines—sparks seen in distant galaxies as falling stars.
The Smart Window displayed dozens of messages:
[Chrono Echo Detected]
[Memory Dive Initiated]
[Anomaly Anchor Breach Imminent]
Finally, with a reverse feint and triple rotation slash, Zero managed to pierce his alternate's defense. Blood spilled.
The older Zero laughed. "Good. Very good. I remember now. This pain... it means you've changed the rhythm. Go. Claim the vault. The next version of you won't be so kind."
As he faded into mist, the coliseum collapsed, revealing a floating island of machinery and temples.
From its core, a voice echoed:
"Welcome, Sovereign Candidate. Enter the Vaul
t of Infinite Threads."
And just like that, Zero stepped forward—into his next trial.