The Nexus was coming apart.
Massive platforms of stone and steel began drifting away from the Core, some spinning, some breaking into jagged fragments. Energy arcs flared from the relic's connection to the Core, lighting the entire space in flashes of blue-white and deep crimson.
Mira held the relic steady on the pedestal, gritting her teeth as the power surged through her gloves.
Mira: "It's holding… but not for long!"
Rin's Voice
Inside the Core, Rin's faint outline flickered, his voice echoing like it came from another lifetime.
Rin: "You shouldn't be here… it'll destroy you."
Kael: "We're not leaving without you."
Rin: "Kael, listen to me—if the anchor breaks before the relic stabilizes, the Grid will tear itself apart. Someone has to hold it in place…"
The implication hung heavy. Kael's glare hardened.
Kael: "We didn't come here to trade lives."
Rin: "Then you came here unprepared."
The Warden's Final Push
The Warden roared, ripping free of Kael's guard and lunging straight toward Mira. Ayla and Thorne finally arrived, weapons drawn, colliding with the Warden's armor like a hurricane from two sides. Sparks showered across the air.
Ayla: "Not touching my friends, tin can!"
Thorne: "We'll hold him—get Rin out!"
The Countdown
Mira's display on the relic blinked down: Stabilization—3%… 4%… 6%.
She looked to Kael, panic sharp in her eyes.
Mira: "It's not enough time!"
Rin's voice came again, louder, as if the Core itself was channeling him.
Rin: "There's a way. You just won't like it."
From within, he reached out, light coiling around his form. For the first time, they could see his expression clearly—calm, resigned.
Rin: "Pull me now. The relic will draw my anchor's energy into itself. But someone… has to push it into place after I'm gone."
The Split-Second Choice
Ayla's strikes slowed for half a beat as she heard those words. She glanced toward Rin's faint figure—and for the first time in this mission, the fight in her eyes flickered into fear.
Ayla: "No. You're not doing that. We'll find another way."
Rin: "There is no other way."
Kael: "Rin—"
Rin: "Kael. Trust me."
Extraction
Kael's hands trembled for just a moment before he slammed the activation key. The Core exploded in blinding light, and Rin's body was ripped from the energy field, collapsing into Kael's arms—barely conscious, but breathing.
The relic immediately sank into the pedestal's socket—but the instability surged again. Without someone to lock it, the entire platform began to fall apart.
Mira: "We need an anchor NOW!"
The Anchor
Thorne's voice cut through the chaos.
Thorne: "…Go. All of you."
Kael's head snapped toward him.
Kael: "No, don't you—"
Thorne: "You'll make this a pointless sacrifice if you argue. Go."
Before they could stop him, Thorne leapt toward the pedestal, pressing both hands against the relic. Energy shot through his armor, locking it into place as the relic fused with the Nexus Core.
The others barely made it to the escape gate before the entire chamber collapsed into nothingness behind them.
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