Location: Anchor Vault – Deep Spire Archive, Planet 10
Time: [Post-Bluetooth Sync Madness / Core Status: Fabulous]
The parasite stood there.
Glitching. Cracking.
Breathing heavily like he was the one chased around like a hot potato with daddy issues.
R/NULL-REN (spitting blood-glitch):
"You think syncing the Anchor makes you worthy?"
REN (smirking):
"No.
But it makes me dangerous, unpredictable… and kinda petty."
SNARKSTEEL (now in sassy sword mode):
"You want insult or injury first, Ren?"
REN:
"Surprise me."
Ren lunged—then tripped.
Midair.
Face-first.
And by total accident, his foot kicked a loose shard of memory-glass straight at the parasite.
CRACK!
It embedded itself in the Echo's forehead.
R/NULL-REN:
"...Ow."
AETHERIUM CORE (quietly smug):
> HEADSHOT > UNINSTALLING CORRUPTED BUILD > ERROR FIXED WITH: Dumb Luck + Violent Slippery Physics
Then—
The parasite exploded.
But not cool-explosion.
He burst like a piñata made of binary code and bad fashion.
BLAZE (shielding her face):
"Eww. He popped like expired data spaghetti!"
FROST (deadpan):
"I think his coat is still trying to monologue."
The room spun with confetti glitches and weird code static.
And then... quiet.
R/Null-Ren was gone.
Not even ash.
Just a flickering message left behind in the floor:
"This version of the Riftborn has been terminated.
Thank you for not upgrading."
REN (lying on the floor, arms out):
"Did I just win with... tripping?"
SPACE (floating in sideways with sunglasses):
"You won with style.
Clumsy, idiotic style. But style."
TIME (snorting):
"I've seen timelines unravel because someone sneezed at the wrong moment.
You? You kicked reality's butt... with a foot cramp."
GRAVITY (finally speaking, very softly):
"...Accurate targeting. Acceptable outcome."
REN (blinking):
"Holy crap. Gravity just approved of me."
BLAZE:
"Write that down. Frame it. Tattoo it on your butt."
The Anchor pulsed inside Ren's chest — synced, calm, like it'd always been part of him.
The vault's walls cracked slightly, revealing a hallway bathed in golden driftlight. It looked… less terrifying.
Like whatever needed to happen down here was finished.
FROST (stretching):
"So... we just leave?"
REN:
"Yup. No weird visions. No final test. No secret bosses behind the next door."
SNARKSTEEL (grumbling):
"I'm almost disappointed."
SPACE (grinning):
"Don't worry. Next time you trip, it'll probably kill you."
They walked out of the vault, bruised, exhausted, still confused, but a little victorious.
No hints.
No purpose talk.
Just dumb luck, sarcasm, and glowing existential upgrades