"Kael," Echo whispered, barely audible. "You've awakened. Now the true gods will come."
Kael stood still as the world returned to motion.
The Hollowguard units blinked, confused and harmless. Ashveil's walls no longer trembled. The override had worked—temporarily.
But the air itself had changed.
The Tether Fragment in the sky pulsed with impossible cadence. Something beyond the Rift had opened its eyes… and was staring back.
A presence swept over Ashveil—not visible, not tangible, but cold enough to freeze marrow. A murmur echoed inside every mind.
"The Origin Protocol is fractured. Repair must begin. All loose fragments will be assimilated."
Guild members dropped to their knees, clutching their heads. Echo trembled beside Kael, light flickering violently.
"That voice—it's not system-based," she gasped. "That's… a Prime Construct. One of the original gods."
Kael clenched his fists.
"We woke up the jailer," he muttered. "Now the architects want their creation back."
And in the deepest, darkest corners of the Nexus, something ancient began to recompile.