> Location: Deep Orbit, Sector E5 – Moon Lys'Tera
Status: Abandoned / Vault-Class / Hazard Level: Crimson
---
Lys'Tera was dead.
From orbit, the moon looked like a cracked skull—massive craters splitting its surface, glowing veins of forgotten tech flickering like the dying neurons of a broken god.
Kael stood aboard Solaris's vessel, the Seraph Exile, watching through the transparent starshield.
> "What happened here?" he asked.
Solaris didn't answer immediately. Her golden eyes narrowed as she input coordinates into the console.
> "Lys'Tera was once a Starborn vault," she said at last.
"They stored forbidden constructs here. Protocol weapons even they feared."
> "And we're going there… why?"
"To recover a piece of the old Star code," she replied. "One that can unlock your next layer."
Kael didn't argue.
Not anymore.
---
[Descent Sequence Initiated – Lys'Tera Docking Ring]
> Warning: Environmental stability compromised. Unknown signals detected.
---
The ship pierced the moon's surface layer and descended into a rusted hangar bay. The air shimmered with static. A low hum vibrated through the walls, like something was still breathing in the metal.
Kael stepped out first.
Immediately, his Protocol core pulsed. Something ancient was here. Watching him.
Solaris activated a shield drone and motioned him forward.
> "Stay close. If you stray off the path, this place will eat your mind."
---
Vault Interior – Sublevel 03
They passed broken mechs, rusted relics, and shattered tanks filled with frozen stardust. Engraved on the walls were symbols Kael couldn't decipher, but they burned into his vision—like warnings meant for gods, not men.
Suddenly, a flicker.
Kael paused.
> "Did you see that—?"
Too late.
The lights shut off.
---
[ALERT: Presence Detected – Echo Remnant Detected]
> Designation: VAULT-WARDEN // Exo-Phantom Level 7
Status: Corrupted AI | Hostile
---
It emerged from the darkness—humanoid in shape but hollow inside, its face a swirl of static. With every step, it glitched reality around it.
> "Run or fight?" Kael asked.
> "You tell me," Solaris smirked.
Kael activated Edge of Reflection—the Warden struck, and Kael mirrored it, sending the blast back tenfold. But the Warden simply regenerated.
> "It feeds on failed code," Solaris muttered. "You'll have to rewrite it."
Kael understood. He closed his eyes—focused—and summoned his new skill:
---
[New Skill Unlocked: Soul Cipher Hack]
> Allows temporary overwrite of hostile constructs within range using emotional resonance.
Current capacity: 1 Use – Cooldown: 6 hours
---
Kael opened his eyes—flaring blue.
He lunged, placing his palm on the Warden's chest—and whispered:
> "You were made to protect. Not to destroy."
Code burst outward—lines of memory, sorrow, and forgotten orders surged through the chamber.
The Warden screamed…
Then knelt.
And vanished.
---
> "Nicely done," Solaris said. "You rewrote a relic with will alone."
"You're more than Starborn, Kael. You're becoming... Protocol Prime."
Kael caught his breath, feeling the moon's systems unlock one by one.
In the next room, a massive console emerged from the floor. At its center floated a glowing cube—pulsing like a heart.
> "This," Solaris whispered, "is a Starcode Fragment."
"One of seven that rewrite the cosmic laws."
> "And now it's yours."
Kael reached out—
---
[Starcode Fragment Absorbed: "CINDER ONE"]
> New Protocol Branch Accessed: Flamecore Recursion
Skill Tree Unlocked: Thermal Time Shift / Burn Chains / Phoenix Loop (locked)
---
The moon trembled.
Outside, a long-dead satellite flickered to life. A signal was sent.
And far across the void…
Executor 01 received it.
> "So… the boy unlocked Cinder One."
"Prepare the Obsidian Choir. It's time to initiate the Extinction Protocol."