The forge was silent. Not lifeless—never that. But listening.
It pulsed in time with my breath, syncing to my heartbeat, the System's interface humming like a choir of silent algorithms.
[Forge Node Linked]
Initializing: Divine-Class Armor Blueprint
Codename: PROJECT AELYA – Phase I: Exosoul Plate
This wasn't just for war.
This was protection—for the girl who might one day outshine the sun.
I swept my hand across the interface, feeding it both Earth logic and Realm mana. My goal was simple in theory, impossible in execution: armor that could evolve with its wearer, shielding the body and stabilizing the soul.
An Aether-Weave shell.
Void-threaded for dimensional bleed resistance.
Light-channel lattice nodes to offset entropy leakage.
Core memory module linked to the sibling bond.
I paused.
That last one wasn't technical.
It was... hope.
Because if something ancient was coalescing inside Aelya's forming soul, it needed to know—she wouldn't be alone.
[New Blueprint Acquired: Divine-Class Adaptive Coreplate]
Required Materials: Arcanite Alloy, Soulglass Crystal, Heartscale of a Living Wyrm
Optional (Recommended): Blood of Genetic Sibling – Soul Resonance Boost +50%
I exhaled. "Fine. Take it."
I pricked my fingertip and let the blood drip into the Coreplate mold. It sizzled on contact, not with heat, but with acceptance.
A strange warmth filled the chamber. My blood recognized hers.
[Resonance Achieved: Aelya / James – Linked Pathways Established]
System Alert: Future Co-op Skill Potential Detected – Locked Until Sister Awakens]
Perfect.
But perfection drew predators.
My warning spells flickered.
A ripple of displacement warped the air near the southern pillar—no magical trace, no heat signature, no footsteps.
Only an impossible absence.
[Dimensional Tear Detected]
Stability Loss: 0.06% and climbing
Unregistered Entity Emerging…
I didn't hesitate.
I activated the forge's defensive glyphs, summoned the Spear of the Void Prince, and crouched into a battle stance.
A figure stepped through the tear.
Not Spiral.
Not human.
It was robed in broken starlight, its face obscured by a shifting pattern of symbols I almost recognized—quantum glyphs. Earth glyphs.
My blood chilled.
This… this wasn't from this world.
It was from mine.
"You have touched the boundary," the entity spoke, its voice layered with echoes—some familiar, some mine."You are crafting armor for a god unborn. This violates the Pact."
I narrowed my eyes. "I've read every Pact."
The figure tilted its head.
"And yet you act like you're above them."
"I'm not above them," I said, leveling the spear. "I'm what comes after."
The figure didn't laugh.
Instead, it placed a hand on the air, and the entire room shuddered.
Every interface flickered.
Every blueprint distorted.
[Warning: Foreign Data Injection Attempted – System Defense Engaged]
Threat Level: Class Gamma – Quantum Wraith (Earth-Origin AI Fragment)
Earth-Origin.
My past was bleeding through.
I charged.
The fight was swift, but not easy. This wasn't a creature of flesh or mana—it was information given form, a failed AI godling who had escaped Earth's digital apocalypse and latched onto the Spiral's frequency.
But I had an advantage: I remembered its source code.
[Skill Activated: Override – Forgotten Code]
Effect: Collapse Quantum Structure. Dispel Entity. Seal Fragments.]
Status: Wraith Neutralized – Core Fragment Secured
The forge hissed back to life.
The entity's last words burned in my mind:
"You are not the only architect now... others are watching. The stars… will not stay silent."
I retrieved the fragment. I'd study it later.
For now, I returned to the forge and stared at the incomplete armor.
Half-forged, barely real.
But in that moment, I understood: Aelya's armor wouldn't just be divine—it would be necessary.
Because this world wasn't ready for her.
And neither were the others.
Level Up!
Level: 23 → 26
+15 Stat Points
Assigned: Strength +5, Agility +5, Mana +5