The room pulsed faintly with leftover energy, the shard in Ronan's palm still glowing dimly. Its warmth wasn't just physical—it vibrated with something deeper. A memory. A presence. Something old… watching.
Kael stepped back from the shattered containment pillar. "This wasn't just a relic," he said. "It was a seal."
Ronan looked at him sharply. "A seal for what?"
"For knowledge," Kael said. "Or a warning."
Lyra was still kneeling beside him, her hand brushing his. "That vision you had… about the Circle. Are you sure they were scientists?"
"I saw them clearly," Ronan said. "White coats, test tubes, simulations… they were running *experiments*—not empires. The Judges were meant to be fail-safes, not executioners."
Kael muttered, "Then something corrupted the system. Or someone."
The shard in Ronan's hand pulsed once—brighter. And then, without warning, it disintegrated into dust, sinking into his skin.
**[Memory Shard Absorbed.]
Legacy Access Expanded: Cognitive Sync 3%]**
Ronan winced as a dull ache pulsed in the back of his head. Then silence.
He stood, slowly. "Whatever's happening… it's accelerating."
***
Back in the Resistance control room, alarms flashed red across the holo-panels.
"Multiple heat signatures," a tech officer shouted. "Gate activity spiking!"
Kael leaned over the display. "Judges?"
The officer nodded grimly. "Not yet. But Gate 17 is opening. Eastern quadrant."
Ronan's chest tightened. "That's near the fringe towns. There are people there."
Lyra turned to him. "Then we go. Now."
Kael hesitated. "You're not at full strength. Whatever that shard did—"
"We don't have time," Ronan said, already heading for the dropship bay.
Lyra followed without a word. Kael cursed and joined them.
The ship lifted, cutting through cold wind. Clouds tore apart beneath them. On the horizon, flickers of unstable light danced—a breach.
"What do you think is coming through?" Lyra asked quietly.
Ronan's jaw clenched. "Something the Circle wants us to fear."
***
As they neared the breach site, the ground below became a blur of craters, shattered buildings, and fleeing civilians. The Gate was mid-air—twisting open like a jagged eye.
A figure stepped through.
Tall. Armored in obsidian and violet. Its face hidden behind a smooth, mirrored mask.
Kael stiffened. "That's not a Reaper."
"No," Ronan whispered. "That's a Herald."
**[System Alert: Class-B Threat Level Approaching.
Do not engage unless Legacy protocol is active.]**
His heart pounded.
"What's a Herald?" Lyra asked.
"A scout for the Judges," Kael replied grimly. "And executioner for failed worlds".
The dropship hovered as low as it could, thrusters burning through smoke. Civilians ran beneath, some shouting, others frozen in terror. The Herald stood unmoving, observing, calculating.
Ronan clenched his fists. "I have to go down there."
Kael grabbed his arm. "Without full Legacy protocol? Are you insane?"
"I'm not letting it slaughter people while I watch," Ronan snapped.
Lyra stepped forward, eyes intense. "Then we go with you."
Without waiting for a response, she jumped. Ronan followed. Kael cursed again and leapt after them.
They landed hard. The ground trembled beneath their feet. The Herald turned, head tilting slightly—as if intrigued.
Ronan's system flared.
**[Threat Registered: Herald Class.]
**Engagement Protocol: Locked.
Core Sync Required: 75%
Current Sync: 61%]**
Still not enough.
But he didn't care.
The Herald moved. One step—and the air shimmered. A wave of force blasted out, sending rubble flying. Ronan raised an arm, shielding Lyra. Kael rolled to the side, barely avoiding a collapsing wall.
Ronan stepped forward, power coiling beneath his skin. He unleashed a Blast—a compressed shockwave that struck the Herald dead on.
It didn't even flinch.
Instead, it lifted a hand.
Ronan saw a pulse begin in the creature's palm. Reality distorted—like a black hole forming. And then it fired.
He pushed Lyra aside and took the hit.
Pain exploded through him. He flew back, slammed into a stone wall, and crumpled.
His system buzzed—
**[Core Integrity: 38%
Warning: Neural Link Damaged]**
Lyra screamed his name. Kael fired a volley of energy bolts, distracting the Herald, but it walked through them like mist.
Ronan struggled to stand. Blood trickled from his lip.
Then—
*A pulse.*
From the dust beneath his feet.
The shard's essence—the one he absorbed earlier—rose in his vision.
A memory.
*"You are not chosen. You are born…"*
His system flared wildly.
**[Legacy Path Engaged.]
Temporary Override: Activated.
Core Sync Boosted: 76%]**
Power surged through him.
Ronan stood tall, energy crackling around him in sharp pulses. The Herald paused. For the first time, it tilted its head… *backward.*
As if… curious. Or concerned.
Ronan charged.
Their clash lit the sky.
***
Fifteen minutes later, the Herald fell—dissolving into a cloud of static and fragments.
Ronan collapsed to his knees, panting. Lyra ran to him, catching him before he fell again.
"You did it," she whispered.
He shook his head. "No… I survived. That's not the same."
Kael approached, wiping blood from his cheek. "That was a Herald. Not even a Judge. And it nearly broke you."
Ronan looked up at the swirling clouds above the broken Gate.
"They're testing us," he said. "Sending scouts. Measuring resistance."
Lyra's voice was soft. "And the Judges?"
"They're still coming," Ronan said. "But now… they know I'm real."
His system pulsed again—
**[Core Synchronization: 76%
Legacy Evolution—Unlocked.]**
He stood slowly, staring into the darkening horizon.
"The war hasn't begun," he said. "But it will."
---