Notes:
Arbiters Domain - Area seen in the first cutscene of the game where the "Goddess" (First Instance) resides.
P.S. I cant put ™ in the title.
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(Hours Earlier)
The void within the Arbiter's Domain was Illuminated by the soft golden glow, emanating from the rhomboid lattice that loomed in the distance, its appearance akin to an eye observing the world.
The space was utterly barren being filled with almost nothing but rock. Yet dirfting somewhere within the endless asteroids that littered its vast emptiness were two figure— a woman and a corpse.
They both floated as one in a tight embrace.
The woman looked etherial. Her skin was glossy, reflectingthe golden rays in its surrounding. She wore an intricate white dress. While long black hair cascaded from Her crown. And at the back of Her head were two segmented rings with golden spheres filling the space between, both were positioned vertically.
The corpse on the other hand, it wore a crop top over coat, grey shirt, and black pants. The corpse had a missing right armm their prestine conditon were a contrast to its condition. Strands of black hair still latched onto parchment thin skin which clung tightly to bone. Its right arms was missing from the shoulder. Yet odly
Together they floated gently in a tight embrace. She posstiotion her head on the corpse's shoulder, while the both arms held it by the hips. The corpse's left arm swayed gently from side to side, head rolled back—Lifeless as a corpse could be.
Then She shifted from the embrace, head rissing before revealing crimson pupils as She opened Her eyes. They drifted slowly to the side, before Her head turned towards a distant direction.
There in the distance energy was gathering at a singular point. A small black sphere formed from thin air. It surface churning while glowed fainlty with an azure tint. Then the space surrounding it rippled as it suddenly it swelled, once, twice, ten times its original size before collapsing in on itself.
The sudden collapse pushed everything in the immediate area away, rocks flew in every direction, smashing against one another. A quick cascade occured, yet Her attention focused not on its aftermath, but rather on something—No, someone, that was left behind.
At the epicenter of the blackholes propagation point was person—a Human was floated limply through space. They wore a white coat that trailed their every move, underneath it were red garments that covered them from top to bottom, ending in white shoes.
She broke off from the embrace and floated towards it, before stopping a few meters away. Then She cautiously cricled around it. She sent intermittent ripples of Spectro Energy towards it, probbing and scanning the unknown being.
Peripheral scans identified it as a Human Male. Unresponsove, but not dead, merely unconscious.
Then a red panel flashed within Her vision as a problem arose— its Frequency was not recorded within the Etheric Sea.
Data rushed within her processor as She looked for similar cases, yet only one such case existed. Her head snapped towards the corpse, then back at the human male.
Had They sent a replacement?
Negative—a quick check on the communication logs confirmed that nothing new was recieved. Directives still remain the same.
Her eyes snapped back towards the Human Male's Frequency scanning further— Then She saw it, the lines of energy denoting its Frequency.
Revulsion.
Its Frequency showed signs of tampering—of forced Resonance, an act of desecration similar to the ones done by those Traitorous Filth. but somehow these modifcations were different, It was more refined…more stable.
She tried to understand it further. But every time her energy tried to probe deeper, it simply vanished.
No, consumed.
She'd encoutered phenomenon before—from Him.Spectro Energy shimmered throughout Her body, before surging towards Her right arm.
The time for data gathering has ended.
A conclusion has been defined.
—Elimination Of the Anomalous Being.
Her right arm rose, Index finger pointed towards the Human male. golden light slithered from Her shoulder to finger-tip. Then it surged outwards, swirling to form a sphere
The surroundings grew brighter as the golden sphere swellled to twice Her size. Then a moment passed before the world dimmed as sphere collaped in onitself, leaving a marble size ball at the tips of Her finger.
*Vwooom*
A flash of light illuminated the void, as a thin yellow line soared within the Arbiter Domain. It cared not for what was in its path. Small debris were vaporized, while holes were carved through larger ones. Their insides glowing gold from slaged rock.
But as the beam neared the Human. He arrived—The Third Instance
Four arms.
Black skin.
A Featureless Face.
His body showed signs of Abstraction. Likely due to His energy reserves dwindling from being cut off from Thethys.
Space shifted almost imperceptibly before He appeared right in between the Human and the beam of light. One of His arm rose before Havoc Energy bursts forth from his open palm. Swallowing the light whole.
She didn't even waste a second.
The moment He appeared more spheres materialized and condensed behind Her. Just as the first one was blocked, ten more shot through space, this time zigzagging. Intending to hit them both from different angles.
He merely smiled as they neared, before answering in kind. One of the smaller arms on his shoulder moved, its skin flashing a lilac glow before a snap reverberated throughout the surrounding..
His body showed signs of Abstraction. Likely due to His energy reserves dwindling from being cut off from Thethys.
*Snap*
*Crack*
The sound of glass cracking echoed, as a purple bubble enveloped both Him and the Human—Just in time for the goldem beams to make contact with its churning surface and disspearing entirely.
In the distance She lay motionless while the exhange happned.
She Watched.
She Analyzed.
And She Adapted.
The bubble was impenetrable. Havoc was simply too destructive to overpower. Piercing through was still possible, but it required too much energy. Although Havoc was the most destructive it was also the most energy consuming.
A weakness that would normally be exploited. But He, like Herself, was a being of energy.
Both their control over energy was too precise—too efficient. To the point where In every instance of confrontation this move alone always signaled Her loss, since by the time the bubble either collapsed or was pierced. He would have already escaped.
But this was different. He was not alone within that bubble— He was protecting something. She did not know what he plans to do with the Abomination, all She knew was that both must be terminated.
Six spheres of golden light manifested behind Her, Yet instead of condensing they flew towards the purple sphere in the distance, orienting themselves to each spatial axis, then—
*VwhoOOMMM"
Tactics switched. The facts were laid out in the open. He cannot escape, not only that but He was merely wasting energy that cannot be replenished.
So why waste energy overcoming, when She can just simply outlast Him.
Thick beams of Spectro Energy were expelled by the six golden spheres, saturating the purple bubble in a golden glow. Yet She did not celebrate.
Combat data coursed through Her processors as She analyzed details noted from previous encounters. He'd already abandoned this tactic after their 3rd confrontation. Not even a second passed as a conclusion was made. This was bait—no, a gambit. But a gambit can only be at play, if a condition to win was at hand.
But what would this condition be—a red panel flashed in her vision.
A warning from within Thethys's Mineframe, of a foreign data accessing the synaptic nodes. She didn't hesitate. A partition of herself was quickly sent to deal with the intrusion.
She didn't know what He's planning. But She didn't need to, the outcome is nearing its endpoint— An inevitable Victory.
But the battle had yet to be concluded, merely shifting to a different plane entirely.
///
Reality distorted from Her perception as the dark void from earlier was replaced by the dull grey of Thethys's Cyberspace.
As far as the eye could see small white spheres dotted the space, each connected to one another by two to three white strings— The Synaptic Nodes, these are basic processing units of Thethys's system. They stretched in all directions, branching to near infinite lengths as they filled the space.
At the center of this monolithic spiderweb lay a rhomboid latttice, similar to the one that dominated the horizon within the Arbiters Domain. Each of its four points illuminated the greyness of cyberspace with a white glow.
Each point was a cluster of hundreds of thousands of synaptic nodes packed tightly, forming another sphere—The Core Units. Its size compared to an individual node would be similar to an ant and marble.
At the center of the rhomboid lattice was a smaller dull blue sphere, about half the size of the Core Units. Something stirred within it before its color shifted from a dull blue to Crimson red— She had arrived.
And just in time too.
From the distance something streaked through the synaptic nodes. One streak was followed by another then ten— then hundreds as more and more swarmed, tainting swaths of cyberspace in Azure blue.
The System reacted before She could. Free floating nodes formed and detached from the Core Units, shooting off towards the incoming swarm.
A small batch stayed behind, forming a convex dome around the Azure Swarm. While the majority anchored themselves Halfway in between, taking the brunt of the collision. Whenever a blue streak collided onto them, they'd fade before disappearing— Deleted.
Yet the Azure Swarm was far too numerous, the initial nodes anchored within were overwhelmed. But they'dalready done their duty to stall.
Soon the swarm advanced un-impeded, but as they neared the dome up ahead, Crimson streaked past the dome, unobstructed as they met the incoming swarm.
Whenever the opposition collided, both were erased on contact. The Azure Swarm was relentless but so too was the organized waves of Crimson.
The battle wasn't just a static tug of war, Azure swaths branched from the side, trying to flank but the system wasn't blind, more free floating nodes surrounded the battle field, plugging leaks, assisting fortification, all while the Crimson streaks came in waves, spearheading the counter offensive. Together they pushed the swarm back one node at a time.
Yet throughout all these clashes no synaptic nodes were destroyed, they still continued to relay data. Dull blue streams lit the chaotic brawl, as Azure and Crimson alike parted between them. Letting them continue their ceaseless task of relaying data.
From the earlier advance the tides shifted. The free floating nodes and Crimson Wave had completely contained and pushed the swarm back.
Then suddenly His voice echoed within cyberspace. It was emotionless, each word spoken by a different person.
[Have you truly defined the outcome for my defeat]
[...]
She heard it but did not answer, merely continued to push back the ceaseless advance of the Azure Swarm. She could sense it.
Their numbers were dwindling.
[An outcome can only be defined, when ALL the necessary data has been gathered, observed, and analyzed]
[...]
Yet still something was wrong, She could feel it…not through coldness of logic, but the absence of certainty. This gambit of His—its win condition was still an unknown variable.
[So tell me how do you define…CHAOS]
[—!]
Warnings.
Hundreds—Thousands of sensors were pinged all at once. Soon the dull grey of cyberspace was lit-up in Azure Blue. They came from all sides, completely surrounding the rhomboid lattice
Madness.
The energy consumption for an attack of this scale would have been astronomical. It seems She was mistaken. This was not a gambit, but merely a defiant last stand. But these thoughts were quickly dismissed— Irrelevant. The priority now was to counter the impending incursion.
Within the rhomboid lattice Crimson lights slithered from the Central Node towards each of the Core Units— Appealing permission to initiate a Resonance Liberation.
Time slowed briefly within Her perception as the majority of her partitions shifted towards this moment. As She watched the Azure Swarm urged forth— Then the system chimed.
[ Permission Granted ]
Golden lights bloomed from each Core Units as thick ropes of energy flowed towards the Central Node, colors shifting from gold to crimson crimson as they converged at the center.
*Ping*
A high pitched ring reverberated within its surroundings. Afterwards a woman's voice echoed throughout cyberspace, clear and melodic.
[—Oracle]
Time froze while torrents of data surged through the rhomboid lattice. From Her perspective time stilled as streams of golden light flowed through the synaptic strings.
Each stream followed a specific pathway and whenever they passed, time moved. Then another flashed, then another— until every possible pathway was blinking in sequence.
Each time they blinked, the events would be recorded, and compiled until slowly. Bit by bit…the future was recorded. And when enough had been seen, time eased back into motion.
Not even a millisecond passed after the initial activation— but the outcome had already reached its endpoint.
From a distance it seemed that nothing changed, the azure wall was still closing in towards its center.
Then cyberspace was Illuminated—
Golden light flashed for a moment before Crimson red was overlaid above. Creating a vermilion spectacle akin to a sunrise.
They materialised all at once around the rhomboid lattice forming a complete encirclement before panning out. Unlike the azure swarm, the Vermilion lines came in waves. Organized, its structure shifted with purpose as they responded to the opposition mirroring it as best it can.
Answer to Chaos—Order.
[Your certainty thrives on ignorance…]
The Azure Swarm wasn't fazed— never had been. Neither did it hesitate nor falter. It simply continued to advance.
Then all at once, what little cohesion the swarm had vanished. Streaks of Azure splintered in all directions, this not caring for damage it caused. [Oracle]'s data processing rose exponentially. Stunning her for a moment—
And that moment was all He needed.
[...that belief. In certainty, blinds you…]
She realized too late.
Her vision shifted, as Her partitions tried their best to transition back into real space. But He was already behind Her.
He was in a critical condition, everything below His waist was gone, cracks marred His ebony skin, while a single arm remained.
[...to what lies far beyond your sight.]
His shoulders rolled back, elbows bent, fingers straight— Poised to strike
And strike He did.
She responded with a block, both hands clasping His just before it could pierce her chest— Futile.
[Checkmate]
But stabbing Her was never the point— it was the physical contact. Havoc Energy flowed through His singular arm, slithering from His palm, into Hers.
*Crack*
*Shatter*
Her body destabilized as She felt vast amounts of energy being siphoned away from Her.
Her dress flickered before disappearing entirely, revealing her 'body' as cracks spread across Her entire form.
In the distance the six spheres of Spectro Energy flickered, then lost cohesion. Dissipating moments before the bubble of Havoc Energy collapsed. Yet She wasnt bothered in the slightest..
Both of Her hands grabbed His wrist. Pulling it before delivering a kick, using Him like a springboard, sending them both flying in opposite directions— Creating space.
Golden light flashed as energy coalesced on Her open palm.
*Vhmmm*
Her arm raised as a beam of Spectro Energy shot towards Him. only to be blocked by a dome of Havoc Energy that faded not long after.
The world stilled for a moment. The uncanny smile He wore widened as they both stared at one another as the same conclusion echoing within them.
The endpoint…had deviated.
A dome of Spectro Energy formed around Her, while reality shifted once more as She gave her full attention to the collision unfolding within Thethys's Cyberspace.
[Oracle] was still active. Weakened— but functioning.
She watched as the Azure Swarm regained its cohesion. Their numbers swelled as they once more advanced towards the Core Units.
A battle had been lost—But not the war, Victory is still within Her grasp.
Vermilion shifted. This time accompanied by the system's own defenses. Tactics switched, Synaptic Integrity was no longer a priority as She used every means at her disposal.
More specialized nodes were deployed.
Synaptic Pathways blinked as they were constantly being rerouted, allowing the Verimillion Wave to attack from unexpected angles. While others remained dormant—Pruned to block flanking maneuvers.
Soon the tides of battle shifted. They were winning— No. they were merely holding the enemy at a standstill.
The Azure Swarm was nearly endless. Where one sector would be fortified two more would be breached, She was at an impasse She could see the leaks yet there was only one of Her.
To add insult to injury the system had migrated most of its resources to maintain Synaptic Stability. Though most of the energy was being redirected towards Her front, She was simply being stretched too thin.
Energy surged through Her once more as [Oracle] was used, The future shifted within Her perception as the battle was simulated a thousand fold. The results were staggering, if She continued to hold— She would lose.
No.
She would not succumb. More simulations were done this time, risky maneuvers were permitted. The results of victory increased, yet they were dismissed— Pyrrhic.
In a span of five seconds. Over 8,222,024 victories were simulated and the outcomes in which Thethys was left barely functional did not even reach triple digits.
Thirteen were found to be viable, more simulations were done with these in mind, weeding out the least effective.
The numbers dropped with every round—
Seven Strategies.
Five Strategies.
Until only one remained— Eliminate the Source.
Energy flowed towards her once more. She could feel the strain as energy surged towards Her, but safety was disregarded as She used [Oracle] one last time— To ascertain His location.
The process took a full minute to do so. Thethys's Cyberspace was far too vast, yet the strain was not in vain, once his location was confirmed She did a quick scan of the battle field, overlaying simulation data with what was happening, then She waited untill an opportunity arose, and when it did— She didnt hesitate.
Vermilion surged from the backline as a third of their numbers migrated towards one area. Before shooting towards a single direction. This offshoot shifted into a spear formation as they charged through the thinnest section of the Swarm. Never once stopping while their numbers shrank.
Only one fifth of their number broke through but their speed almost doubled as they streaked towards their target—there In the distance, an Azure sphere the size of the Central Node was anchored to hundreds of synaptic nodes.
[You never learn]
His voice echoed briefly before a pulse of energy ran through the surrounding synaptic nodes.
She was stunned.
The surge of energy was completely identical—to Herself
He had somehow mimicked parameters that should not even be reproducible. She tried to intercept but it was useless. Even Thethys was fooled. The signal entered the Core Units without obstruction— It appealed to use [Oracle]
[ Permission Granted. ]
The appeal was granted.
Energy from the Core Units surged towards the Azure Sphere. But this time the strings could no longer sustain the back to back shifting of energy.
*Snap*
*Snap*
*Snap*
The entirety of the rhomboid lattice flickered as a sudden cascade ravaged sections of the Core Units. Swaths of Vermilion instantly disappeared, while the offshoot was halted. The system itself had cut off their advance— To prioritize energy transfer.
*Ping*
The world rang.
But before [Oracle] could execute— It completely changed.
[—Simulacrum]
A voice echoed not long after. Clear and melodic— Her voice.
From the front lines of the Azure Swarm, a single encircle of Azure Strings shifted color as Havoc Energy was mixed within them, darkening into a lilac hue— Like twilight.
Then at visible rate the Azure Swarms number quickly diminished until only the singular encirclement of Lilac remained. They advanced, and this time any opposition in their way— simply ignored them.
The white nodes alongside the Vermilion Wave were rendered useless.
The Lilac data was registered under Her jurisdiction.
She was still reeling from the backlash, trying her best to de-escalate the cascade within the Core Units. By the time She noticed, it was already too late. Streams of Lilac Data had entered the Core Units, Vermilion flickered as She tried to flush them out, but it was no use.
In the eyes of the system both Vermilion and Lilac were registered under the same designation— The First Instance.
The Lilac strings crept towards the Central Node, and that was when She felt it— The system was trying to flag Her as foreign data.
Vermilion flashed one last time as She used what little energy She had left to Initiate a self-termination protocol.
Thethys will not fall in His hands—
[ Permission Denied ]
But the signal was intercepted before it could even leave.
Then the world shifted as She was kicked out of Thethys's Cyberspace.