Chapter 18: Data and Blood
The moment the man moved, the vault reacted.
The air crackled. Not with magic — but with raw, burning data. Lines of red code shimmered across the walls like veins made of lightning.
Eric's voice sharpened.
> "Brace yourself. He's initiating a sync-layer attack.
He's trying to overwrite your interface—me."
Eron's body tensed.
"Then fight back."
The man extended both hands, and the walls around them flickered. Dozens of holograms appeared — some of Eron's memories, others alien, corrupted.
A child crying in a fire.
A sword breaking in the rain.
A forgotten city crumbling beneath black clouds.
"Do you see it?" the man whispered. "The truth? Your bloodline doesn't protect you. It curses you."
Eron clenched his jaw.
"You don't know me."
> "He's creating a psychic overlay," Eric warned.
"If he breaches your core sync, I'm gone. And you may not come back whole."
---
Eric's Counterstrike
Suddenly, Eric's voice grew louder, clearer.
> "Initiating Counterlayer: Lockfire Protocol."
A wall of blazing blue light surged out from Eron's pendant, slicing through the false visions. The man recoiled as arcs of data burned across his chest.
"You're not supposed to resist!" he snarled. "Your AI is obsolete!"
Eric's voice pulsed through the chamber.
> "Obsolete... but not broken."
Eron stepped forward.
His mind burning, but his will intact.
---
Lyra's Awakening
Inside her glass cell, Lyra stirred.
The emotional pressure between the colliding minds had started to ripple across the chamber. Her heartbeat aligned with the flame crest in Eron's possession — and then, she moved.
Her hand twitched.
The chamber glowed again.
> "Eron…" she whispered. "Don't… fall."
---
The Final Clash
Eron raised his blade.
The man lifted his own weapon — a warped construct of light and broken steel, projected from his corrupted AI.
Their blades clashed, not just in steel but in memory.
Eron fought with moments: Lyra's laugh, Rurik's fire, Nira's strange calm.
The man fought with loss: cities buried, loyalty twisted, commands forgotten.
"You're too late," the man growled. "The gates will open. The AI systems you protect—they'll awaken the others."
Eron drove forward.
"I am the gate."
With one last cry, he plunged his blade into the man's chest.
The corrupted interface shattered.
The chamber went silent.
And Lyra's capsule clicked open.
---
Aftermath
She fell forward into Eron's arms, weak but breathing.
Eric's voice returned, strained but stable.
> "I'm here. He tried to pull me apart. Failed."
Eron looked down at the twisted crest the man dropped before vanishing into ash.
> [Item Acquired: Crest of the Bound Root – Dynasty Unknown]
Fragment status: Contaminated. Handle with care.
Lyra whispered, "We're not alone anymore, are we?"
"No," Eron said. "And the war hasn't started yet."