The Spiral Hall of the Council of Realms hadn't convened in decades—not since the Rift Wars. Now it stood reactivated, floating above the Primal Lattice like a crystalline turbine. Delegates from every major timeline began arriving through stabilized portals, each looking more concerned than the last.
Reed Richards of Omega-8—merged with a symbiote and wrapped in nanoweave robes—spoke first.
"Kael's echoes are contaminating our temporal fields," he said. "Three of my alternate selves have been overwritten."
A sentient AI projection shaped like a floating crystalline orb hovered nearby. "We detected hostile code inside a pocket time-loop. It was Kael… but twisted. Repeating the phrase: 'Rebirth through ruin.'"
Lira stepped forward, eyes glowing violet.
"The code you're seeing isn't Kael's. It's the Architect's—hijacking Kael's fragments to rebuild himself. We have to purify the echoes."
Many scoffed.
"Purify? You mean delete."
"No," Elara corrected. "We've found a way to isolate the Kael consciousness from the seed code. But we need cooperation. And fast."
A debate erupted, voices overlapping.
"Containment won't hold."
"This is madness!"
"We should destroy all remaining fragments!"
But one voice cut through the noise. From the far end, an ancient being known as the Chrono-Sage—a humanoid built from layered time—rose.
"Kael was our salvation," the Sage said. "If there is even a chance he survives within these echoes, we owe it to him to fight."
Reluctantly, the council passed the Drift Accord: a declaration that the echoes would be hunted, not to destroy, but to save. Each realm would contribute agents, soldiers, and data to intercept, defend, and purify the corrupted fragments.
As the hall dimmed and portals reopened, Lira placed her hand on Elara's shoulder.
"We'll need more than soldiers," she said. "We'll need Kael's memories."
"Then we better find the next echo fast," Elara replied.
Because time was running out.