The city lay in a fragile silence, buildings still trembling from the convergence of multiversal currents. Kael staggered through the streets, chest heaving, mark flickering weakly. Every pulse of the Nexus now left echoes in his body—a deep ache, mental fog, and faint glimpses of fractured realities that threatened to overwhelm him.
Aria's holographic interface glimmered with warning signals. "Kael… energy readings across the nexus nodes are unstable. Even though the Null commander's attack was neutralized, residual corruption is leaking into adjacent planes. We may have bought time, but the strain on the city—and you—is enormous."
Ryken wiped sweat from his brow. "And you? You've been pushing harder than anyone I've ever seen. That last counterattack… you barely held it together."
Kael gritted his teeth, feeling the heavy pull of multiversal feedback. "I know. But we stabilized the nodes… for now. I can feel… lingering distortions. If we don't act fast, secondary effects could spiral out of control."
Veyra's shadowed form appeared beside him, silver eyes calm but serious. "The Nexus has left traces of the Null commander's corruption. It is subtle, but persistent. These are the consequences of manipulating multiple realities simultaneously. You were successful, Kael, but you have also created pressure points—fractures that may attract the Null commander's attention."
Kael nodded, gripping his chest as the mark pulsed violently. Visions flashed before his eyes—alternate versions of the city collapsing, timelines splintering, whispers of realities where the Null commander had already won. The weight of responsibility pressed down, heavier than any previous battle.
Aria tapped a series of controls. "We've isolated the most unstable nodes, but energy is still leaking across multiple realities. If we don't contain it, the next assault could be catastrophic. Kael, you'll need to lead the stabilization… again."
Kael exhaled slowly, the exhaustion weighing on him. "I'll do it. But this time, we'll need to approach it differently. Precision, not power. Flow, not force."