The corridor of light ruptured like torn fabric, fragments of reality scattering as the titanic figure stepped through. Its body was a grotesque fusion of steel, sinew, and circuitry, wires twitching like living nerves.
Its voice was not sound but vibration—echoing in their skulls.
"You break what cannot be broken. You free what cannot be freed. You will return to me."
Ceyra stirred in Lyra's arms, whispering, "It's… only a fragment. Don't… let it touch me…"
Rhyss planted their feet and ignited their weapon—a polearm blazing with golden energy. "Stay behind me. Kaelen, flank right. Lyra—keep her alive."
The Battle Begins
The Architect's form lashed out with tendrils of blackened steel, slicing through the corridor. Kaelen leapt aside, severing one mid-strike, sparks spraying across the void.
"Didn't know nightmares bled," he muttered.
Rhyss didn't respond; they were a whirlwind of precision, each strike tearing through the Architect's limbs, forcing it back.
Lyra set Ceyra down gently, then summoned her own power. Blue fire erupted around her hands, and she hurled a bolt of energy that struck the creature's chest. It shrieked—not in pain, but in anger.
"You dare," it roared, voice shaking every bone in their bodies. "You dare defy infinity?"
A Desperate Gambit
The Architect's core began to glow—a swirling sphere of black light. Rhyss cursed. "It's going to collapse this space! We need to end it NOW!"
Kaelen met Lyra's eyes. "Together?"
She nodded.
They moved as one—Kaelen dashing forward, blade blazing white-hot, Lyra channeling every ounce of power she had left into him. He struck the core dead center, the impact blinding.
The explosion tore through the corridor, consuming the Architect's form in a wave of unmaking.
Aftermath
When the light faded, they were lying on solid ground—a barren plain under a violet sky. The Architect's presence was gone… for now.
Rhyss stood, breathing hard. "That was just its first body. It'll rebuild. We need to reach the Nexus before it fully awakens."
Lyra glanced at Ceyra, who now stared at the horizon with haunted eyes. "It's already awake," they whispered. "Everywhere."
Above them, stars blinked out one by one, as if devoured by an invisible force.