Not all ghosts are dead. Some just waited long enough to become useful again."
---
🌑 Dust Vault – War Room
The air inside the war room was thick with static.
Two Null Fragments pulsed on the central map—one deep within Kael's core, the other freshly integrated. As he concentrated, they synced for a brief second... and the map flared with hidden coordinates.
> [Third Null Fragment Located: "Judgment's Scar"]
Location: Blackglass Wastes. Access Difficulty: Catastrophic
Guardian: Unknown Entity – tagged as LOST KING CANDIDATE.
Kael's fingers tightened.
Another king?
Seris stepped forward, uneasy. "That zone is sealed by System firewalls. Anything inside would've been erased a long time ago."
"Unless it learned to erase back," Kael muttered.
Before anyone could speak again, a harsh knock echoed from the far chamber.
Not a System alert.
A real knock.
Thorne drew his blade. "No one knows we're here."
Kael turned calmly. "Someone does."
The door hissed open—and a woman stepped into the room.
Cloaked in gray. Masked in glass. A crimson mark burned on her exposed palm.
> [Unknown Sovereign Detected]
> Signature Match: 39% Kael.
Designation: "Silica Vane – Memory Inheritance Branch."
Kael blinked. "Silica…?"
She pulled off her mask. Her eyes were sharp, violet, and filled with controlled rage.
"I remember you," she said. "And I remember what you forgot."
---
👤 Silica Vane – Shard Echo
> "I was part of your original core team," Silica said coldly. "Before the Shards. Before the System rebranded your memories and buried mine."
> "When the Architect deemed you 'unstable,' it wiped you. I went into hiding. Buried my mind in an encrypted shell. I've waited fourteen years for this."
Kael frowned. "I don't remember you."
"That's the point." Her hand glowed. "You forgot me, and I still followed you."
> [SYSTEM ERROR: TWO NULL-ALIGNED USERS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY – STABILITY DETERIORATING]
> [Fusion Possibility Detected: NULL BOND]
> Effect: Synchronized Domain — Double Radius, Linked Skills.
Risk: Mutual corruption.
Thorne whispered, "What is she?"
Kael replied flatly. "My shadow."
---
🧠Map Update – Alliance Formed
> [ALLY ADDED: Silica Vane – Null Adjunct Class]
Specialization: Memory Theft, Shard Resonance, Shadow Projection
Silica crossed her arms. "I've mapped the Blackglass Wastes. You won't reach Judgment's Scar alone."
Kael hesitated, then nodded. "Then guide me."
The war room began to shift again—responding to Silica's unique presence. Cracked maps updated. Dead data flared to life.
A new path opened.
But so did a new threat signal.
> [WARNING: SYSTEM VANGUARD INBOUND – PURGE-CLASS]
> ETA: 10 hours
Target: Dust Vault – Confirmed Null Zone Breach
---
⏳ Countdown Begins
Kael stared at the countdown.
Seris gripped her blade. "We can't stay."
Silica simply said, "Then run fast, or fight hard."
Kael turned to his allies. "This is no longer a resistance. It's a war of erasure. If we fall, we are not mourned—we are rewritten."
He touched the war table.
> [War Map Saved – Operation: SCARFALL Activated]
"We move in one hour."
---
📢 Author's Note – Talent Engraver here!
A mysterious new ally appears—Silica, someone from Kael's past the System tried to wipe!
🔥 What do you think of her? Trustworthy? Dangerous? Both?
🧠Also: how do you feel about the fusion mechanic and the countdown to Purge-Class assault?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and don't forget to leave a review if this chapter gave you chills!
We're building this rebellion together.
— Your author, Talent Engraver