I'd seen madness before—on Earth, in war, in rulers, in gods.
But Vaerion's smile wasn't madness. It was something worse.
Calculated innocence.
The kind a star might wear as it watches worlds burn beneath it.
He walked barefoot across the marble of the final seal chamber, runes lighting up beneath his steps. Each one pulsed a note—a frequency I recognized but couldn't place.
Beside me, Elira shivered.
"He's not lying," she whispered.
"He is like us. He was born from code and blood. But something inside him is… broken."
"I'm not broken," Vaerion said, turning his star-lit eyes toward her.
"I was just... unfit for the world the Precursors wanted. So they locked me here. Like a bug in amber."
His gaze turned to me.
"But you… you're the update. The final version. You're the heir they dreamed of but never perfected."
"I don't want to be their legacy," I said.
"I want to build my own."
Vaerion's smile widened.
"Good. Because they're coming back to reclaim what's theirs."
System Update:
Entity Vaerion: Data Class – Omega-Cipher | Status: Sentient Precursor Construct (Part Organic)
Interaction Path Unlocked: Merge / Duel / Release / Bind
New Thread: "The Star That Was Denied"
We camped within the ruins that night. The stars above KAL-9 didn't move. The same three constellations hung frozen in the heavens—locked in a sky that had not aged since the first seal was placed.
Vaerion sat on a broken column, humming a lullaby.
"You know what I envy about you, Jaden?"
"What?"
"You have a sister."
His voice cracked for a moment.
"They never gave me one. They were afraid I'd… imprint. That I'd become 'too human.' I guess I did anyway."
"Why are you helping us?"
"Because the cage is breaking. And when it shatters, they won't just come for me. They'll come for you. For your kingdom. For your planet. I was locked away because I refused to be their harbinger."
"And if you're lying?"
He turned, slowly.
"Then I'll be the first god you'll have to kill, Jaden Valen. And maybe the last."
That night, the Machine Moon sent a single ping across the stars.
A warning.
EXTRADIMENSIONAL RIPPLE DETECTED
Ω-Class Signature Approaching: 47 Light-hours
Est. Arrival: 3 Days
Elira grasped my arm as the glyphs on her back ignited with urgency.
"They're coming early. We don't have time."
I looked at Vaerion.
"If you're going to betray me, do it now."
He stood. For the first time, the air around him pulsed with raw godlight.
"No, Jaden. I won't betray you. I'll stand beside you."
"Why?"
"Because if the universe ends, I'd rather it be with someone who dreamed of building it better."
System Update:
Vaerion added to Party (Temporarily)
Class: Fallen Heir – Type: Quantum-Reject Deity
Abilities Locked: 40%
Warning: Emotional Volatility Factor High (73%)
We returned to the ship.
As the engines fired, KAL-9 closed behind us—its final message engraved in the void:
Legacy is not inherited. It is earned.
I looked toward the stars, where the ripple in space was growing like a tear in reality.
The Precursors were returning.
And they were bringing judgment.