"If you cut off just one limb from a god, it doesn't die. But if you burn the nerve that tells it what to do, then the whole creature shakes."
—Mio Greywoods
The Mission
Zeta Beacon towered ahead, a twisted structure of metal and digital light that seemed to touch the sky. It was one of five command centers around the globe, keeping the Architect's network alive. Each beacon was like a watchtower and a source of power all in one.
Leonhart and Mio stood on a ridge, looking down at the massive facility. With them were their elite team: Aetherbreakers, Gloomcasters, and the leftover fighters from the Last Flame Order.
The sky was a messy mix of purple and cloud, and data drizzled down like rain as reality shifted near the beacon's distortion field.
Beacon Zeta is the most vulnerable spot," Leonhart said, his voice steady but tense. We need to move quickly. The longer we stay, the better the Architect gets at defending itself.
Mio placed her hand on his arm, her silver gauntlet feeling warm against his skin. Then let's hit it with the speed of lightning. Fast. Clean. Final.
Leonhart nodded, his glyphs glowing, signaling he was ready for action.
[Volatile Share Activated]
The team straightened up, feeling the surge of strength moving from him into their bodies and minds. Their eyes sharpened as they prepared their spells.
First Strike
As night fell, the attack began. Thanks to Hollowpoint agents setting up silent teleport anchors, they were able to sneak past the perimeter without a sound. To anyone looking at Zeta Beacon from the outside, it resembled a blade stuck into the earth.
But from within?
It felt like walking into a cathedral made entirely of code.
Data conduit wires hummed around glowing pillars, and shifting illusions hid traps that could spell disaster. Sentinel protocols lurked like invisible hauntings. In the middle of it all stood the Core Anchor, a floating prism that held the beacon's tie to the Architect.
Shut down the stabilizers, Leonhart said firmly.
Mio and two other mages moved to the left corridor, dodging firewalls that crackled and screamed as they passed.
Leonhart moved with a purpose, his blade not just lit, but alive with old memories. He moved with a rhythm that felt more instinctual than anything else.
In just a few minutes, they smashed through the first layer of defenses.
The Echo Guardian
As they drew closer to the core chamber, the lights began to flicker. A low, unsettling hum coursed through the walls.
Then they heard a voice:
You've traveled far, Soul-Forged. But you cannot undo what the system has made sacred.
A figure stepped forward from the light—it was the Echo Guardian, the leftover remnant of the initial Architect development protocols. It wielded two blades made of raw memories.
[Warning: System-Class Threat Detected. Absolute Divergence: Engaged.]
Leonhart took a step forward.
The battle started in an instant.
Steel clashed with code. Flames met memories.
Every time the Echo Guardian attacked, it mimicked one of Leonhart's earlier moves. But he had evolved. He wasn't a puppet to a script anymore; he was wild and unpredictable.
When he feinted left, pulled back to unleash a pulse of energy, and plunged his blade right into the Guardian's heart-code, it screamed—a thousand lost voices echoed in the air.
The Guardian shattered.
Mio rushed by his side. Are you alright?
Not really, he replied, but we can't stop now.
Collapse of Zeta
They reached the Core Anchor.
It pulsed angrily now, aware that something was wrong.
This is it, Mio whispered. She dug into her satchel and pulled out the Veilshard, an anti-code artifact from a broken world.
Leonhart pressed his hand against the Core.
[System Override Protocol: Initiated.]
[Permission Key: Volatile Share: Accepted.]
The beacon shook.
Mio threw the Veilshard into the Anchor.
A cry echoed through the air as the link to the Architect shattered like a twig.
A wave of fire burst outward.
Zeta Beacon came crashing down.
The Price
But the collapse was chaotic.
The backlash ripped through reality. System guardians across the continent kicked into action. Alarms blared in distant sky-fortresses.
Leonhart and Mio barely got out as the ground beneath them crumbled into raw code.
When they looked outside, the ridge was nothing but rubble.
But above them, the sky had changed. It was no longer broken; it was clear. Blue.
A rare view.
They regrouped. They had avoided heavy losses, but the battle had left them exhausted, changed in ways they couldn't quite explain.
A Quiet Moment
Later that night, under the stars, Mio sat beside Leonhart atop the remnants of the ridge. Her hair shimmered softly in the starlight, a striking silver.
You knew that would set off a full response, she said softly.
Yeah.
You did it anyway.
He nodded. I couldn't let it stand.
Mio took a deep breath and leaned gently against him.
He paused for a moment.
Then he let her rest her head against his shoulder.
You were like a flame before, she whispered, but now... you're a wildfire.
He didn't respond, but a smile appeared on his face.
And there they sat together, listening to the stars twinkling above them, knowing somewhere far away, a god stirred, caught in a torment of its own making.