Kael stood in the ruins of his past.
His old apartment flickered like a damaged projection. The walls cracked, the lights dimmed, and the image of his sister glitched as she stepped closer.
"You couldn't save me," she whispered again. "You'll fail them too."
He closed his eyes.
The voice was warm. Familiar. But it wasn't her. Not really.
And that was the point.
This wasn't a vision. It was a test.
The suit wanted to know who he was—not when he was fighting, but when he was alone. Vulnerable. Unarmed.
"What if it's right?"
That thought cut through him sharper than any weapon.
He looked at the frame core in his palm. Still cracked. Still dim.
"You don't need to be perfect."
"You just need to choose."
Kael took a breath.
Then another.
And finally… he let go.
Not of his fear—but of the need to fix it.
He stepped forward, past the ghost of his sister, and walked straight through the flickering wall of his memory.
The light behind it swallowed him whole.
Real World – Vault Chamber
The pod holding Kael flared red.
Lines of jagged code twisted around it, then straightened—as if recognizing him.
His core synced.
Full.
Hard.
The room shuddered.
The memory lock shattered.
One by one, the others began to stir.
Mira's pod lit next—her eyes opening wide, tears streaking her cheeks. She gasped, clutching her frame core.
Juno's pod hissed, armor plating folding away from her limbs. Her breathing was slow, tight, but steady.
Ryke didn't move at all.
Because he hadn't flinched in the first place.
Kael stepped out of his pod.
Red and black armor fully active, plates clean and sharp, lines glowing bright like they finally belonged on him. The helmet was off—resting in his hand. His expression wasn't angry.
It was clear.
Resolved.
Mira stared at him, blinking slowly.
"You synced."
Kael nodded once. "Fully."
Juno stepped out of her pod. "What changed?"
He looked at her.
"I stopped trying to fight it."
The child still stood in the center of the room.
Watching.
Studying.
Then, slowly… he smiled.
And began to disappear.
Not like a glitch.
Like he was finally released.
Kael walked to where the child had stood.
Left behind was a single word—etched into the steel.
A code string.
.EXE_OBELISK_BRANCH: ACTIVE
Elsewhere
Far below Lunaris, deep within the Nullcore, the voice of the Nullfather stirred.
"One of them passed."
"It begins again."
[END OF VOLUME 1: THE FIRST SYNC]