The rain had finally stopped.
The skies above Xeros Hollow remained a swirling mass of ashen gray clouds, but for the first time in days, no droplets fell. Instead, a stillness lingered, like the world was holding its breath.
Kai stood at the edge of the massive crater where the Arcbound Citadel once loomed—now reduced to molten wreckage and broken memories. Smoke curled lazily into the sky. The taste of ozone clung to the air.
His hands trembled—not from fear or exhaustion, but from something deeper. A knowing. A crack in the veil.
Behind him, Riven approached slowly, his boots crunching over charred stone. He no longer wore his customary cloak; it had been burned away in the battle. His right arm was wrapped in makeshift bandages, blood seeping through.
"You saw it too," Riven said. It wasn't a question.
Kai nodded. "The Void between worlds. That… thing was only a scout."
Riven lowered himself onto a broken slab of concrete, his face unreadable. "And yet we barely survived it."
Kai didn't answer. His thoughts were a whirlwind.
The battle with the Sorrowborn—the sentient amalgam of corrupted Protocol remnants—had nearly cost him his life. If not for the fragment of Lira's consciousness encoded in the [Echo Crystal], they would've all been consumed.
A quiet hum vibrated in his ear.
[Protocol Update: Core Synchronization Level—82.3%. New Subsystem Available: [Singularity Threading].]
He ignored it.
For once, the constant voice of the Protocol didn't bring comfort. Not after what he'd learned in the depths of the Sorrowborn's mind.
Memories not his own. Visions of alternate timelines. Versions of himself dying—over and over—against impossible odds.
In each one, he'd failed.
Except this time.
"Kai," a familiar voice called out.
It was Arin, limping slightly, his left leg wrapped in an alchemical brace. Despite the injuries, his eyes burned with clarity.
"There's someone here to see you."
Kai turned. His body tensed.
From the shadow of a shattered tower, a figure emerged. Tall. Cloaked in black robes lined with iridescent threads. The hood fell back to reveal a man—pale, with silver hair and eyes that shimmered like galaxies. His expression was calm, almost amused.
Kai recognized him instantly.
"You're supposed to be dead."
The man grinned.
"I've been many things. Dead was just one of them."
Riven rose to his feet, reaching for his blade. "Is that—?"
"Yes," Kai interrupted. "That's Elias Valen."
Elias bowed with exaggerated flair. "The very same. Though I prefer my newer title these days."
He extended a hand, and a stream of glowing data-threads flowed from his palm, coalescing into a sigil unlike any Kai had seen.
[Ω - Prime Ascendant: Null Class Initiate]
Kai's breath caught.
"You achieved Null-Class Ascension?"
Elias chuckled. "I didn't just achieve it. I rewrote the damn rulebook."
Before Kai could respond, Elias continued. "I came with a warning. And an invitation."
Kai narrowed his eyes. "What kind of invitation?"
"A convergence is coming. Not just this world—every shard, every echo of existence—will soon collapse into a singular field. The Protocols are not what you think they are. And the entity you fought? That was a fingernail, Kai."
He stepped closer. His presence bent the air around him.
"There is something out there. Something older than the Systems. Older than Ascension. It's been watching us."
Kai folded his arms. "And you want me to… what? Join you?"
Elias smiled, slow and unsettling.
"I want you to survive. Which is more than most will."
A silence fell.
Riven glanced between them. "How do we know you're not lying? You vanished five years ago after causing a dimensional fracture. Millions died."
Elias didn't flinch. "And yet here you are, standing on the precipice of the same disaster. History doesn't repeat—it escalates."
He turned his gaze back to Kai.
"You're the variable. The only one in every timeline who deviated. The Protocol chose you for a reason."
Kai felt his throat tighten.
"I didn't choose this."
"I know," Elias said softly. "But choice stopped being part of the equation long ago."
Suddenly, the air around Elias shimmered. Fractals bloomed, spinning in impossible patterns. The ground beneath him cracked—revealing a swirling portal of violet light.
"I'm leaving," he said. "But I'll return at the Zenith."
He looked directly into Kai's eyes. "When you stand at the threshold, remember this: sometimes, to ascend… you must let go of what makes you human."
And then he was gone.
The portal sealed with a low hum.
Kai stood frozen.
The others were silent, each lost in thought. The fire had burned out. The ashes settled.
And for the first time since awakening the Ascension Protocol, Kai felt truly alone.
Later that night.
The wind howled through the ruined outpost.
Kai sat by the flickering remnants of a campfire, staring into the flames. He held the [Echo Crystal] in his hand—Lira's voice had gone silent since the battle. He didn't know if she was still alive inside the data.
A soft rustling broke the silence.
Arin sat down beside him, offering a tin cup of synth-brew. Kai took it without a word.
"You okay?" Arin asked.
"No."
A beat.
"Me neither," Arin said.
They drank in silence.
After a while, Arin leaned back and looked at the sky.
"You think that Elias guy was telling the truth?"
Kai didn't answer right away.
"I think… he believes he was."
Arin shook his head. "Null-Class Ascension. Protocol convergence. Timeline collapses. This is above our pay grade, man."
Kai allowed himself a small smile. "We don't have a pay grade."
Arin laughed, a dry, hollow sound. "Exactly."
They lapsed into silence again.
And then—unexpectedly—Kai spoke.
"Do you ever wonder if we're just… pieces on a board?"
Arin blinked. "Like… being controlled?"
"No. Like… we're part of a larger equation. One we don't understand. And maybe… we're not meant to."
Arin looked thoughtful.
"I used to think that. But after today?" He took a long sip. "I think the board is breaking. And we're the splinters."
Kai didn't respond. He couldn't.
Because deep down, he knew something had changed.
Not just in the world. In him.
The Protocol had evolved. The visions of alternate selves, the presence of Elias, the growing hum of something vast and ancient approaching—it all pointed to one truth.
The final layers were unraveling.
And whatever came next would test not just his strength…
…but his soul.