The north tower was older than the academy itself. Built before the city's reconstruction, it had survived collapse, war, and every failed experiment that followed. From afar, it looked half-dead — its upper walls cracked open to the wind, its lights flickering like old memories refusing to die.
But as Kael and his group approached, it wasn't silence that greeted them. It was music — faint, distorted, and mechanical. A soft tune played from somewhere high above, looping endlessly.
Ryn muttered, "That's… creepy."
Lira adjusted her weapon. "That's a broadcast. Old archives used to send signals through melody frequencies. It means something's still running in there."
Kael didn't respond. He could already feel it — the pulse of mana, the thrum that matched the rhythm of his Crest. The Order Node inside was alive.
---
They reached the tower's base by midday. The gate was twisted open, black scorch marks covering the walls. Taro brushed his fingers over the surface. "Someone already fought here."
Ryn nodded. "Or tried to shut it down and failed."
Kael stepped over debris, scanning the entrance hall. Old banners bearing the academy's crest hung torn and faded. A row of inert golems lined the walls, their eyes dark — except for one.
Its chest core flickered faintly.
Lira caught it first. "Kael."
"I see it."
The golem's head turned slowly, gears grinding with effort. Its voice was broken, layered with static. "Identification… adaptive pattern detected… restoring access…"
Kael's Crest pulsed once. The golem froze mid-motion, then kneeled.
Ryn whispered, "Okay, that's not terrifying at all."
Kael frowned. "It's linked. The node's already inside the tower systems."
He moved forward cautiously, placing a hand on the golem's arm. "Access path?"
> "North wing… memory archive… under lock Theta."
"Figures," Kael muttered. "The old research sector."
Lira gave him a sharp look. "You knew about it?"
"Only what I was allowed to read. The Rewrite started there — all early tests on resonance transfer and identity stability."
Taro frowned. "You're saying this tower is where it began?"
Kael didn't answer. He didn't need to. The unease in his eyes said enough.
---
The climb through the tower was slow. Every few floors, automated defenses flickered to life — drones made of ancient alloy and half-dead circuits. Lira led the way, cutting through them with efficient precision, while Ryn handled the locks and Taro covered the rear.
At one point, Kael paused before a sealed chamber door. Dust covered the plaque beside it, but when he wiped it away, the letters underneath made him stop cold.
"PROJECT: MIRROR HOST — ADAPTIVE PROTOTYPE 01"
Lira caught the look on his face. "Kael?"
He stared at the plaque for a long moment. "This is my name. The project's name was mine."
Ryn frowned. "Wait, what do you mean your name? Like coincidence?"
"No," Kael said quietly. "I was made here."
The silence that followed hit harder than any fight. Even Lira didn't speak right away.
Kael finally turned the handle. The door hissed open. Inside, dozens of glass pods stood in rows, filled with pale blue liquid. Most were cracked. Inside a few, faint silhouettes floated — or what was left of them.
Ryn stepped back instantly. "Nope. Nope. Not doing this horror movie."
Kael moved closer to one of the intact pods. His reflection looked back — except it wasn't exactly him. The face inside was almost identical, only younger, its eyes still closed.
Taro muttered, "You're telling me there are clones of you?"
Kael's voice came out thin. "Test subjects. Adaptive hosts. Versions that failed before me."
Lira's expression hardened. "They used you."
"Maybe still are."
Before anyone could reply, the air in the room shifted. The hum returned — stronger now, resonating from beneath the floor.
> SYSTEM REACTIVATION — ORDER NODE 02 ONLINE.
ACCESSING ARCHIVE MEMORY.
The pods began to glow. Liquid drained. The figures inside started twitching.
Ryn yelled, "They're waking up!"
Kael backed away fast. "No — they're not alive. They're data vessels. The node's reanimating them to stabilize itself."
Silver light surged upward from the floor, forming threads that wove through the pods like veins. The faces inside turned blank — eyes glowing pale white.
Lira shouted, "Orders?"
Kael grit his teeth. "We destroy the link — the node core. It's in the upper lab."
They ran.
---
By the time they reached the lab, the entire tower was shaking. The node was no longer hiding; it hovered in the center of the room — a massive crystal sphere surrounded by suspended screens displaying fragments of data and images.
And standing before it was someone Kael hadn't seen since the mock exam.
Lucen Valeor.
He turned as they entered, golden aura flaring bright. His crest looked different — sharper, refined, burning like sunlight compressed into human form.
"Kael Draven," Lucen said calmly. "Didn't expect to meet again here."
Kael kept his guard up. "You picked a bad place for nostalgia."
Lucen's expression didn't change. "I'm not here for you. I'm here to destroy that." He nodded toward the node. "It's linked to noble archives. If it spreads, my entire house falls with it."
Ryn whispered, "Well, that's new. The prince of pride wants teamwork?"
Lucen ignored her. "Move aside, Draven."
Kael stepped forward. "You destroy that core, and half the mana grid collapses. You'll kill everyone in the lower rings."
Lucen's jaw tightened. "Then better they die than serve this machine."
Lira raised her weapon. "You're not thinking straight."
Lucen's eyes flared. "No. I'm thinking like someone who's seen what this thing did to his family's crest lines." He pointed toward the core. "That's not salvation. It's infection."
Kael's pulse quickened. "You think I don't know that? But if we destroy it without isolating the signal—"
Lucen cut him off. "Then I'll destroy you with it."
And then the air exploded.
---
Lucen moved first, golden energy twisting into blades of light. Kael barely had time to counter, his silver aura flaring as the two forces collided. The room trembled under the clash, glass shattering, mana circuits sparking like lightning.
"Still copying me?" Lucen shouted over the roar.
Kael gritted his teeth. "Only the useful parts."
Their strikes met again — gold versus silver, light versus echo. Each clash sent waves through the lab, forcing the others to take cover.
But as the fight went on, Kael noticed something wrong — Lucen wasn't just stronger. His crest was resonating with the node itself.
> Order integration detected. Host synchronization: 27%.
Kael's heart sank. "You linked with it."
Lucen smirked. "The nobles built this world. If anyone should control it, it's us."
The silver glow around Kael flared violently. "Then you've already lost."
Their energy met in one last blinding surge — a storm of light swallowing the lab.
---
When the smoke cleared, the node still pulsed, but its rhythm had changed. The golden threads feeding it from Lucen's crest began to fade.
Lucen staggered, coughing, his aura flickering. Kael stood opposite him, exhausted but upright.
Lira moved in fast, dragging Kael back before the core could reactivate. "We need to go!"
Kael looked at the core one last time. "It's half-awake. If we leave it now, it'll rebuild."
Ryn shouted from the door, "Then we better be ready next time."
As they fled the tower, Kael glanced back
at the flickering light still burning at the center. He could hear it — a faint, almost human whisper.
> "Order… incomplete… restore…"
He closed his eyes briefly. "Not yet."