Echo studied the Soul-Shard in the privacy of his quarters, his Error-Sight dissecting its structure. It was a memory-crystal from a Tier 7 Corrupted Commander, killed during the battle of the Silent Starfall.
The shard didn't just contain data—it contained emotion. Resentment, yes, but also something else: a deep, ingrained pattern. A flaw in the Corrupted consciousness.
Higher intelligence, but built on a foundation of hatred. They cannot innovate beyond destruction. They can only corrupt, consume, and repeat.
That was their weakness. They were prisoners of their own origin.
A knock at his door. He hid the shard just as Kaelen entered without waiting.
"Black-Ops mission briefing. Now."