"Every tyrant begins as a hero with no one left to save."
– Thorne
Scene 1: The Atlas Descends
The Phantom Atlas hovered above a gray husk of a planet—Arcadia. Cipher's homeworld. Once rich with color. Now silent.
The team stood at the edge of the bridge.
"We shouldn't be here," Mira warned.
"That's why we must," Kael replied.
Thorne clenched his fists.
"We find his origin… we might find his weakness."
They landed in the capital ruins.
Statues of Cipher's old team, the Sol Vanguard, were toppled. Names scratched out.
Except one: Rayen Arcadia.
Rin touched the monument. The stone felt warm.
"He loved this place."
"Then why burn it?" Ayla asked softly.
Zara's voice cracked through the comms.
"Because love turned to grief. And grief to annihilation."
Scene 2: The Secret Vault
Deep under the old Arcadian Grid Temple, they found a sealed door.
Inscribed on it:
"Only one who has lost everything may enter."
Rin stepped forward.
The door opened.
Inside: preserved logs of the Sol Vanguard. Their last battle. The moment Cipher made the call. His agony. His guilt.
And one final message recorded by Rayen:
"I was their leader. I made the call. They died because I thought the ends justified the sacrifice. But I can still hear them scream. I was wrong."
Kael lowered his head.
"He knew he was wrong."
"So why keep going?" Ayla whispered.
"Because he thought there was no way back," Mira answered.
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