The Codex Tower hummed louder now.
Its glyphs had changed since their return from the Hollow — more angular, more active. Structures shifted on their own. Pillars reinforced themselves. The forge ran hotter, even without fuel.
Kian noticed it first.
Then the others did too.
Something in Ashfall was... alive. And restless.
Morning – Codex Lab
[Codex Module: Interlink Active]
Status: Experimental Fusion Available
Combining: Beacon + Watchtower
Result: Surveillance Nexus – Autonomous perimeter detection, signal relay, fear aura projection
The moment Kian hit Confirm, the two towers shimmered.
Stone cracked and remolded.
Metal pulsed like it had breath.
In under a minute, a new structure stood: taller, humming with quiet menace. It blinked once — an eerie red shimmer that made even the Ashhounds growl.
[New Structure Online: Surveillance Nexus]
Aura Effect: Increases allied coordination by 10%. Instills fear in first-time intruders.
Kian stepped back.
"Alright," he muttered, "maybe I am starting to play god."
Kess watched in silence. "It won't be long before someone comes to break what you're building."
Meanwhile – Veyna
She stood in the bathhouse's lower chamber, staring at her palm.
The flame mark had grown. What was once a sigil now stretched up her wrist — glowing veins branching beneath the skin like living fire.
Toren's brother, the younger twin, limped into the chamber.
"Lady Veyna," he said gently, "the forge won't light unless you're near."
Veyna didn't answer.
Because the water around her was boiling.
[Codex Alert: Anomaly – Core Bleed Detected]
Subject: Veyna
Flame Saturation: 61% — Unstable
Proximity Reaction: Core Disturbance Detected
Then the ground shook.
Minutes Later – Central Bastion
Kian and the others ran outside.
People had gathered at the edge of the Bastion's central square, staring at a cracked seam in the stone.
Ash spilled from it.
But not just ash.
A low, guttural breath echoed from beneath.
Then — a limb broke through.
Not an arm. Not a claw.
A codex-wired beast, a fusion of broken machine and flesh, like a titan birthed from malfunction. Its eyes glowed with systems gone mad. Codex runes floated on its back, scrambled and flickering.
[System Error: Coreborn Detected]
Classification: Codex Beast – Class Omega
Origin: Prototype defense unit, buried for containment
Warning: Hostile. Adaptive. Flame-reactive.
It screamed — a sound made of data, metal, and agony.
And charged.
The Battle
Kian moved first.
He summoned the Iron Prowl — the construct-bound spear gifted by a hybrid design. It vibrated as the beast approached.
Kess cast a memory-lock on its joints, slowing it just enough for Veyna to leap forward.
Her flames didn't just burn.
They commanded.
The beast halted mid-lunge.
It trembled.
[Codex Subsystem Conflict – Fire Command Override Attempted]
Subject: Veyna recognized as Tier-M Core. Authority clash at 48%.
Kian's eyes widened.
"She can control it?"
"No," Kess said quickly. "She's not controlling it. She's waking it."
The beast thrashed.
Codex glyphs flared across its hide — then cracked.
Kian activated the Nexus' fear aura.
It hesitated — then lunged for Veyna.
She didn't move.
The flame around her exploded.
It didn't burn her.
It burned through the creature's Codex lines — erased its command structure.
In seconds, the beast stilled.
Then crumbled to pieces.
[Codex Beast Defeated – Auto-Reintegration Failed]
Residual System Matter Claimed
New Resource: Omega Core Fragment x1
New Codex Unlock: Adaptive Tech Tree – Begin designing "Living Systems"
Everyone was silent.
Then someone in the crowd whispered:
"She didn't just kill it. She commanded it."
That Night
Veyna sat alone in her chamber, her arm glowing brighter.
Kian entered, silent, and sat across from her.
She didn't speak.
Eventually, she whispered: "Something in that beast recognized me."
He nodded. "You've changed."
"No," she said. "I'm just remembering who I was. Or what was put inside me."
Kian leaned forward.
"We need to leave."
She looked up. "Leave Ashfall?"
"Before it's too late. Before these systems decide we're threats."
A knock interrupted them.
It was Gellon.
"There's a group outside the east trench. No armor. No weapons. Just robes."
Kian stood.
"What do they want?"
Gellon's eyes were wary.
"They say they're from the Order of the Fractured Dawn."
"They say they don't serve Codex, or Predation, or gods."
"They say they want to help you destroy all of them."
End of Chapter 14