The ruins of Halvra burned with quiet decay
Stone cracked underfoot shattered statues watched like ghosts
Aya stood in the center blade resting at her side eyes scanning
Then came the sound
Boots not masked not subtle
Reiss never did subtle
He stepped through the ash wearing crimson tech armor pulsing with his own code signature
His squad followed strange figures part machine part summoned monsters all loyal to him alone
Aya raised her eyes
Didn't expect you to answer
Reiss smirked but his eyes were cold
Didn't answer for you
Answered because I don't like someone rewriting my world without asking
The squad formed a half circle around her
One twitched like a glitching summon the other hovered silently above ground its face covered in system tags
Aya stood still
No blade raised
Not yet
I'm going to that tower
Reiss glanced at the sky where the First Tower pulsed like a heartbeat
To shut it down
Aya nodded
Before it links
Before Zerach walks free
Reiss laughed once
You still think like a human
Aya's eyes narrowed
What did you do
He stepped closer let his squad drift back
I adapted
Used rollback code
Learned how to evolve past system limits
No more levels no more stats
Just power
Aya's grip tightened
That power corrupted half your squad
Reiss smiled
So
You want purity or victory
She didn't answer
Didn't need to
The Rewrite Edge lit up on its own reacting to Reiss's presence
He raised his hand and summoned his own weapon
A jagged hookblade made of broken permissions and stolen root access
So what now Aya
We kill each other
Or rewrite the world together
The silence between them stretched heavy thick with every memory
Every mission
Every betrayal
Then Aya lowered her blade but just slightly
We stop Zerach
After that
We'll see
Reiss nodded once eyes sharp
Then let's move
The squad shifted opened a path
And Aya walked with them
Not trusting
But ready