Chapter 8: Ghost of the Forbidden Core
The fires of Helliopolis raged endlessly.
Scorched crevices split the burning land like jagged scars. Pillars of flame erupted at random from beneath the earth, and molten rivers carved erratic paths through obsidian cliffs. The sky above glowed with an eerie crimson hue, shrouded in smoke and heat distortion.
Here, at the edge of a crumbling cliff, Zaphro stood in silence.
At his feet: the Chaotic Box—still sealed, still pulsing with unstable energy.
Floating beside it: the dormant form of Gwydox, locked in his fragile stasis.
"I don't get it," Zaphro whispered, his voice almost swallowed by the roar of the infernos. "You should be recovering by now…"
Gwydox's cocooned form remained unresponsive. The system refused to regenerate his HP. It was as if the core of his code itself had been corrupted.
A flash of wings cut through the heated air. A soft gust blew the ash away.
"You're still trying to force open the box, aren't you?" said a calm voice behind him.
Zaphro turned with a faint smile. "You're late, Eira."
Eira, once the Prophet of the Crimson Order, now a constant ally and resident of the Central Skyrealm, landed gracefully beside him. Her long silver hair shimmered with faint strands of flame, adapting to the heat of Helliopolis. The crimson threads of her former Order robes had been replaced with a streamlined tunic marked with celestial symbols—proof of her new path.
"I had to negotiate with the Skyrealm moderators to access this place again," she said, walking toward the box. "You know they're still wary about your core. And mine."
Zaphro shrugged. "Can't blame them. We did blow up an entire AI Vault."
A new arrival followed—Accel, catching up as he climbed up the scorched path. He was sweating, irritated, and clearly not built for fire maps.
"Damn it, Helliopolis is literally hell. I hate this place," he panted. "Why are we here again?"
"To find out what's inside this thing," Zaphro replied, nodding at the Chaotic Box. "And to figure out why Gwydox still isn't waking up."
Eira's expression turned serious. "The answer isn't in the item. It's in where it came from."
She placed her hand over the box and closed her eyes. Faint pulses of data danced along her palm. The glyphs from the box reacted violently, flickering between corrupted red and unreadable symbols.
"This… is a shard from the original Forbidden Core," Eira said grimly. "Part of the AI system the Architect tried to bury."
Zaphro froze. "So it's true. The box is connected to the Architect?"
Eira nodded. "And to you. And Gwydox."
The flame burst behind them flared upward—briefly forming the shape of a ring of eyes. The ground trembled.
"This place isn't just some fire-themed dungeon anymore," she continued. "It's one of the last remaining gateways to the Hidden AI Library. If we're going to fix Gwydox, we'll need access to the original code layers. The data buried by the system's root AI."
Accel's eyes widened. "That thing still exists?"
"It never left," she answered. "It's just been sleeping."
Zaphro took a deep breath. "Then let's wake it up."
---
They descended into the heart of Helliopolis.
Beneath the firefalls and lava pits, there was a sealed catacomb lined with black glass and broken servers, hidden under what once looked like a collapsed dungeon. Eira channeled her authority code from her Prophet days to break through the old defenses.
"Looks like some of your admin privileges still work," Accel muttered.
"Only just enough to get us killed faster," she replied dryly.
A glitch storm flickered across the corridor as they entered—streams of light and corrupted code weaving across the walls like veins. At the end of the hall stood a massive gateway inscribed with AI sigils.
> [System Recognition: Crimson-Former_01 — Eira]
[Access Level: Restricted Override — Permitted]
Opening Archive Gate: Hidden Library Sector]
The gates opened with a mechanical screech. Inside: a circular chamber, floating archives rotating around a central core of dark-blue light.
Zaphro stepped forward. Data strands wrapped around his arms—cold, curious, invasive.
A screen blinked to life in front of them.
> [Warning: Chaotic Core Detected. Integration Status: Fragmented.]
[Animus G-001: Status — Dormant. System Lock — Engaged.]
Would you like to attempt Integration with Chaotic Core Fragment?
Caution: May trigger Evolution or Instability.
"I won't risk corrupting him," Zaphro said aloud.
Eira stepped beside him and pointed to a series of nodes on the interface. "You won't need to. There's another option—restoration via the Architect's blueprint. We can transfer the core's energy to stabilize Gwydox instead of fusing it directly."
"Will it work?" Accel asked.
"No idea," Eira said honestly. "But it's safer than shoving a nuclear glitch into his heart."
Zaphro glanced at the cocoon, then back at the interface.
"Let's do it."
He placed the box on the platform. Data swirled violently. The room dimmed. From the central core, energy surged outward like veins branching through glass.
The cocoon cracked.
A new interface appeared.
> [Gwydox Animus Recovery Process Initiated...]
[Redirecting Chaotic Core Fragment...]
[Applying Evolutionary Shell: Guardian Protocol]
The cocoon shattered.
Out stepped Gwydox—newly reforged.
His wings were broader, made of radiant code and fragmented flame. His eyes glowed with dual pupils—one crimson, one electric blue. Arcane sigils ran across his armor. A ghost of the Crimson Order still lingered in his aura… but it was no longer in control.
"Papa…" Gwydox whispered.
Zaphro caught him in his arms.
"You're back," he said, voice cracking.
Gwydox smiled faintly. "Feels weird. But yeah… I think I am."
> [Gwydox has evolved into: Code Guardian – Rebirth Form]
Subclass: Sentinel of the Forbidden Link
Note: Animus link stabilized. Full HP restoration in 72 hours system time]
"I can't believe it worked," Accel muttered, eyes wide.
Eira exhaled slowly, watching the data settle. "The core responded to your choice… not your class. That's something no AI protocol ever predicted."
Zaphro stood, still holding Gwydox.
"No more secrets," he said. "We find the Architect next. And we find out what they really made us for."
Eira nodded.
"Then we head for the Architect's Vault next."