Karl exhaled slowly, letting his gaze linger over the newly installed cavity. The Nitro Funnel channel pulsed faintly, reflecting the restrained power of the living Drive Regulator. For a moment, the silence was absolute, broken only by the subtle hum of nanites settling into place.
He flexed his fingers. "Alright… time to wake the system up—softly."
He raised his hand above the cavity and snapped his fingers. Instantly, the surrounding nanites reactivated, coating the edges of the cavity and the Funnel channel in a thin, iridescent sheen. These were the conduits through which the patch would upload.
The holographic overlay exploded into view, projected directly above the cavity. Blueprints, schematics, and lines of code flowed like waterfalls of light, forming a three-dimensional lattice around the Nitro Slot.
Karl pinched the air, rotating one layer, isolating a segment representing the Drive Regulator's inner software protocols.
It was delicate work.
Even a misalignment of a single subroutine could fry the regulator—or worse, burn out Agnes' consciousness entirely once she powered back up.
He whispered to himself, a habit to focus his mind:
"Patch upload… overheat protection… liquid-energy integration… thruster sync… cannon-charge recalibration… everything."
The first layer of the patch focused on liquid-energy management. The holographic schematic highlighted the newly formed Nitro Funnel channel in cyan. Lines of code twisted around the edges, forming real-time energy calculations. Karl traced them with his fingers, feeling the faint tickle of subspace data streaming from the nanites into the cavity.
"Good… liquid energy conduction stable." He muttered, his tone quieter than usual. There was a hint of awe in his voice. "You're going to survive your first full push…"
Next came overheat protection. The Regulator's core wasn't just hardware—it was a living, reactive entity. Karl layered the nanite-encoded firewall onto the cavity, watching as invisible sensors and micro-pressure valves mapped themselves across every surface. They pulsed and expanded like an exoskeleton forming around fragile tissue.
Karl nodded. "So no more screaming in pain for you… no more near-death micro-overloads. You'll be safe."
He paused, letting the thought hang in the void. Agnes wasn't awake to hear it, but speaking to her absence made the act feel real.
The patch moved on to thruster recalibration. Holographic arrows traced the path from the cavity to every propulsion and kinetic amplification system in Erevos and Rider Frame. Karl adjusted the alignment, rotating microvectors in real-time, ensuring that the liquid energy flow would maximize forward thrust while minimizing strain on structural joints.
He whispered almost instinctively:
"This… this will push you beyond anything we've ever done. But I've got you."
Finally, the patch implemented cannon-charge protocols. Karl's fingers hovered over the blueprints, channeling nanite energy into the circuitry as he wrote the final code sequences. The system began to synchronize itself, the edges of the cavity glowing brighter and brighter, pulsating with potential.
A soft voice in his mind — Agnes, though offline — felt almost present. He imagined her words, teasing him: "Don't blow anything up without me."
Karl smirked faintly. "Not today, Agnes. Today, we survive."
The last command:
"Drive Regulator — Patch Upload Complete."
The holographic lattice imploded inward, merging into the cavity. The Nitro Funnel channel glowed a steady azure, vibrating subtly in anticipation. Karl's chest tightened. He had done it.
And yet… the final test remained. The cube itself.
Karl reached into the folded-space pocket on his wrist and retrieved the Nitro Cube. Its surface was admiral, dense, etched with azure circuitry that twitched like trapped lightning. Even powered down, it seemed alive, like a creature aware of its purpose and its potential.
He held it over the cavity and inhaled. This was the moment everything would come together. A single misalignment could fracture the Funnel, overload the regulators, or worst of all, damage Agnes permanently when she returned.
He whispered, almost as if to calm the machine:
"Alright… you're going home."
As Karl lowered the cube, the micro-cables inside the cavity reacted instantly. Thin metallic threads stretched outward, curling like eager fingers, attempting to sense, secure, and connect. The Nitro Cube seemed to hum in response, an electrical heartbeat synchronizing with the Regulator itself.
He aligned the cube, matching the cables to the nanite-installed anchor points. The holographic overlay shifted in real-time, projecting alignment vectors directly onto the cube's surface. He adjusted the tilt by a fraction of a degree, his hands steady despite the magnitude of the moment.
"Easy… easy… settle…" he murmured.
As the cube neared the cavity, the Nexus seemed to hold its breath. The infinite void around Karl shimmered, reality suspended like a held exhale. Time in the mortal realm remained frozen — the Requiem Ignition battle, Goliath begging for release, every scream and pulse on Earth utterly paused.
The moment came.
CHUNK—FZZZZSHHHH
Magnetic seals activated instantly. The Nitro Cube snapped into place with a satisfying lock. The cavity thrummed with power, micro-cables vibrating as they wrapped around the cube's circuits.
Blue liquid energy began circulating through the Funnel, a soft luminescent glow flowing like plasma rivers. It was mesmerizing — beautiful and terrifying all at once. The cube adjusted itself, sending data pulses back to the Regulator as if reporting to Karl: Ready… for activation…
Karl crouched slightly, his forehead close to the now-glowing panel. The absence of Agnes pressed in, the silence magnifying the responsibility on his shoulders. "You're… alive, aren't you?" he whispered to the cube, half-serious, half-prayer.
The cube responded with a pulse, faint but unmistakable. It hummed under his hands like it knew this was only the beginning. Karl allowed a small, relieved smile to form.
"Good… looks like you're thirsty," he muttered, almost laughing softly to himself. "And I'm about to give you a drink."
The holographic system above the cavity pulsed once more, confirming the connection:
NITRO SLOT — CUBE LOCKED
FUEL CONDUIT — ACTIVE
STATUS — READY FOR ENERGIZATION
Karl stood back, breathing deep, feeling the weight of the system settling. The Nitro Cube was now fully integrated. All the preparation, the carving, the braces, the patch upload, and the delicate insertion — it had all led here.
For a brief moment, he allowed himself to imagine the possibilities: Mach-speed transformations, enhanced kinetic bursts, a Rider Frame that could finally match any foe, no matter how fast, how powerful, or how legendary.
And yet… Agnes remained offline. His heart tightened.
"I'll wake you soon," he whispered again, louder this time, as if speaking could carry across the void. "I promise. You'll see this… you'll see what we built… what you helped me build."
The Nitro Cube glowed steadily in the cavity, the Funnel channel pulsing like a heartbeat. The clamps and braces hummed, the anchor plate resonating, all systems communicating as one unified, living entity.
Karl's fingers hovered over the edge of the cavity, hesitant to move, not from fear of the machine, but from the fragile absence of his partner.
"Almost… done," he murmured. "Almost time to bring you back, Agnes…"
The Nexus held its breath with him, the infinite void stretching endlessly in all directions.
And then, as if sensing his intent, the cube pulsed brighter — a warning, a promise, a heartbeat of pure potential.
Karl exhaled, letting himself smile, small and tight-lipped:
"Alright… now we wake the genius."