The vault door groaned open, releasing a hiss of cold, sterile air. Inside, everything was untouched—a stark contrast to the corrupted ruins behind them. Sleek panels lined the walls, humming softly. In the center floated a containment pod, flickering with ancient energy seals.
Yuki stepped closer, his fingers brushing the activation console.
"Warning: Accessing Final Prototype. Mental instability predicted. Proceed?"
Selene tilted her head. "Final… as in the last of your kind?"
"No," Yuki muttered. "Final as in… the one they couldn't control."
He pressed his palm against the scanner.
The seals broke with a deep chime, and the pod hissed open to reveal a sleeping figure—white hair, long lashes, skin nearly translucent. A thin interface webbed across their temples.
Subject: Prototype X-00Status: Dormant. Memory core unstable.Name: KAI
Selene gasped. "He's just a kid…"
But Yuki's eyes widened—not from shock, but recognition.
"He's me."
No, not quite. A mirror. A failed copy. A discarded backup of Zeta's earliest blueprint—before the emotions, before the free will.
Suddenly, Kai's eyes snapped open—glitching between violet and red.
System Override: Sync Error Detected. Conflict Detected.
He surged out of the pod, seizing Yuki's collar with unnatural strength. "You took what was mine!"
Before Yuki could respond, Kai's body pulsed with unstable energy, warping the floor beneath them. Selene drew her weapon, hesitating.
Yuki raised a hand. "No. Let me try something."
He activated Echo Sight—not on the environment, but on Kai himself. The fragments were chaotic. Screams. Failed trials. Loneliness. But buried deep—
—a memory of watching Zeta (Yuki) live. A jealousy born not from hatred, but longing.
"You were never meant to be left behind," Yuki said softly.
Kai's shaking slowed. "Why… why do I remember pain, but not my name?"
Selene lowered her gun. "Because you weren't given one. You were a tool to them."
Kai blinked. Then whispered, "Then I'll choose one. I am Kai."
But before peace could settle, the vault pulsed red again.
ALERT: Aeon Fragment Detected in Subject X-00.[Sync Priority Detected – Commencing Override.]
Kai screamed, his body thrashing. Red tendrils of corrupted code burst from his spine, forming a jagged crown. Yuki lunged forward, grabbing his hand—
And then everything went white.
[Glitch Field – Intermind Sync Space]
Yuki floated in digital nothingness, across from Kai.
"I can't hold this long," Kai said, glitching.
"I can anchor you," Yuki replied. "But I need access to the part of you that's still you."
Kai looked down. "Then take it."
He held out a glowing core—fractured, but alive.
Yuki accepted it. The moment he did, the world snapped back in the vault, and Kai collapsed into Yuki's arms, unconscious but breathing.
Sync Success: Subject Kai stabilized. Echo Link established.
Selene walked to them. "That was insane."
Yuki nodded, still breathing hard. "But now… we have an ally. And maybe…"
He looked down at the flashing data log unlocked with Kai's revival.
PROJECT: ORIGIN LOOPCreator: Echo PrimeStatus: TerminatedFragment Holders: 2 RemainingNext Location: Sky Bastion – The Floating Graveyard
Selene read over his shoulder. "The Sky Bastion… We're not done yet."
"No," Yuki said, eyes steely. "But now, we're three."