Karl's chest heaved as he steadied himself before the fully integrated Drive Regulator. The workshop — or rather, the Nexus chamber — had fallen into a profound stillness, the faint hum of the Trinity Core Node spinning slowly in anticipation.
With a shaky, yet determined breath, he placed both hands on the ignition dial.
"Let's see if this works…"
The dial clicked under his touch. At first, he revved it cautiously, feeling the pulse of Vythra surge through his veins. The energy rippled outward, into the Trinity Core, and from there, into Erevos's Integration Chamber.
Immediately, the nanites along his arms and legs leapt to life, forming segmented armor panels that clicked and locked like the interlocking teeth of a well-oiled machine. But this time, they didn't stop at Karl's limbs. Streams of nanites burst outward from his body, a swirling, twisting tornado of blue, cerulean, and admiral light, enveloping him completely.
Karl's heart thumped harder, his mind racing as the nanites followed the precise blueprint he had forged — Rider Frame, Mech Frame, and the yet dormant Vehicle Frame slot. The tornado of nanites twisted upward, growing in size, building Erevos layer by layer, sculpting armor, gears, and servos around Karl, making him feel both immense and infinitesimal at the same time.
He clenched his fists. The nanites swarmed over his arms, forming armored gauntlets. A surge of Vythra pulsed outward from his right arm — this time perfectly controlled, a kinetic pulse of pure energy, sweeping across the empty chamber, echoing like the heartbeat of a living machine.
"Good…" he muttered under his breath, eyes now glowing Admiral Blue with cerulean cores, reflecting the nanite storm around him. "You're alive… I can feel you."
The tornado condensed, folding in on itself, as the mech's massive form began to take shape. Karl felt himself lifted slightly — the nanites suspending him — as the head of Erevos snapped into alignment, the arms locking with precise articulation, and the legs settling into torque-perfect stance. The cockpit glowed faintly, ready to receive him, and he could sense the Trinity Core Node pulsing like a heartbeat, mediating between his will, the Engine Soul, and the Gear Drive.
A shiver ran down his spine. For centuries, he had longed for this moment — a friend, a partner, a machine built from his memories, his sweat, and the echoes of his lost time. And now, the colossal form of Erevos loomed over him, responsive, alive, waiting.
Taking another deep breath, Karl stepped forward mentally — letting the nanites guide him. They wrapped around him like an embrace, forming the cockpit around his body, sealing him in. The tornado collapsed inward, the swirling storm of nanites solidifying into Erevos's complete form. The mech now stood at towering height, four to five times Karl's size, yet every movement, every servomotor, responded seamlessly to his thoughts.
Inside the cockpit, Karl placed his hands on the controls, feeling the resonance of the Trinity Core. The Rider Frame, the Mech Frame, even the empty Vehicle Frame slot glowed faintly, awaiting future blueprints. For the first time in centuries, he smiled — this was Erevos, whole again, a lifetime partner restored from memories, blueprints, and sheer determination.
And then, without warning, a sudden, almost imperceptible tremor ran through the chamber. The Nexus of Creation — the very fabric of the trial itself — pulsed and shivered. The swirling lights coalesced into a glitch-like distortion in the air, and a voice, resonant and metallic, echoed through Karl's mind:
"Erevos… worthy. The Forger proves mastery. Fragment: Hephaestus, granted. Trial complete."
Light surged, stretching outward like liquid steel, and Karl felt the ground vanish beneath him. In the next heartbeat, the Nexus had collapsed, returning him to the familiar chamber of the cradle. He was still inside Erevos's cockpit, yet the entire trial — the creation, the storm of nanites, the mechanized tornado — had ended.
He exhaled slowly, his hands gripping the control panels, his eyes wide with awe and exhaustion.
He had done it.
Erevos was not just a machine. It was alive. It was him.
And somewhere, deep within the nanite lattice, the faint echo of his parents' consciousnesses pulsed alongside him — steady, guiding, protective.
Karl let himself smile fully this time. For the first time in nearly two centuries, he felt truly complete.
The chamber's lights were dim, the faint hum of the Trinity Core Node still echoing through Erevos's cockpit. Karl leaned back slightly, taking a long, steadying breath, letting the adrenaline drain from his muscles. The storm of creation had ended — and yet, the air still carried the residual hum of the Nexus, a soft, almost reverent vibration that tickled the edge of his consciousness.
A shadow fell across the cockpit. Karl looked up, and there he was — Hephaestus, molten-gold eyes gleaming like a forge flame, body emanating the faint heat of creation itself. The Primordial's gaze swept over Erevos, lingering on the interlocking panels, the articulation of the limbs, the flawless integration of the Rider Frame and Mech Frame.
Hephaestus's lips curved into the faintest of smiles, one of pure approval and wonder.
"You've done it," he said, his voice resonating like hammer strikes in a silent forge. "This… this is not just a machine. It's a testament. A lifetime of memory, of skill, of resolve… brought to life."
Karl's chest swelled at the praise, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the controls. For centuries, he had dreamed of this moment — and now, the God of Creation himself was acknowledging it.
Hephaestus stepped forward, the ambient light of the chamber catching the edges of his molten form. In a slow, deliberate motion, he slammed his massive hand onto the pedestal beside Erevos. Reality shuddered — nanite dust spiraling in the air, a faint flicker of static energy cracking like lightning.
From the ephemeral glitch in space, a figure began to coalesce — faint, digital, impossibly small. It hovered, shimmering with cobalt, cerulean, and admiral hues, the residue of the Nexus's judgment. Slowly, it resolved into a solid form — a small USB-like fragment, the physical embodiment of Hephaestus's Fragment.
Hephaestus looked at Karl with a rare mixture of pride and solemnity.
"This is yours, Karl. Claim it."
Karl reached forward, tentative at first, then with growing certainty. As his fingers closed around the fragment, it pulsed with a soft inner light, almost like it recognized him. The energy flowed from the USB stick into his hands, a faint vibration that made the Drive Regulator on his waist hum in perfect resonance.
The fragment's energy merged seamlessly with the Trinity Core Node, settling into the Drive Regulator as if it had always belonged there. For the first time, Karl could feel the full weight of his creation — the soul of Erevos, the blueprint mastery, the pulse of parental guidance — all accessible, all under his command.
Hephaestus stepped back, letting the young Forger take in the enormity of the moment.
"The Nexus has judged your work worthy. This fragment… is now part of you. Use it wisely. Forge without hesitation. Create without fear."
Karl nodded, a mixture of reverence, pride, and an almost childlike awe washing over him. Holding the fragment, feeling the resonance of Erevos and the Trinity Core, he knew — this was more than a mech, more than a trial. This was his life's work, and his partner for the centuries to come.
Hephaestus gave a final, approving nod before fading back into the light of the chamber, leaving Karl alone with Erevos, the Drive Regulator, and the USB fragment glowing faintly in his hands — a symbol of victory, mastery, and the beginning of a new chapter.