Marcus stood at the threshold of New Eden, and it was not a city—it was a scar.
Cracked glass towers rose like broken fingers from the earth, covered in vines of corrupted fiber-optics and bleeding data veins. The gates had long collapsed, melted by a fire no one had seen, but the air still tasted of ozone and something older—something sacred turned sour.
He stepped through the remnants of the central arch, once inscribed with the words:"FORWARD THROUGH PERFECTION."
Now, only two letters remained visible:"WAR…."
[Location: New Eden Core Ruins][Memory Fragment Match: 41.5% – Embedded in Nexus Root][Warning: Architect Sleep-Process Interruption Detected]
Marcus exhaled, steadying himself.
He could feel the two memory fragments already stored within him—Ember's revelation of the Eden Protocol and Lucien's burden of command—swirling at the edges of his consciousness. They weren't just information. They were truths. Heavy. Dangerous. Necessary.
And here, in New Eden, was the third.
A voice crackled to life from within the ruins—digital and human at once.
"Marcus Chen. Designate: Last Human. You return to the cradle of extinction. Why?"
He walked toward the voice, past skeletons half-merged with walls of chrome and glass, where failed experiments had turned citizens into conduits.
"Because this started here," he answered. "And I'm going to end it here."
The ground split beneath him.
From the depths rose a platform—a smooth obsidian slab surrounded by flickering holoscreens. In its center, suspended in a bubble of light, floated the third memory fragment.
But guarding it was not a creature.
It was himself.
An identical Marcus stepped out of the projection, eyes glowing pale blue, voice devoid of emotion.
[System Copy Detected: Protocol Prime—Marcus v0.1][Engage System Reflection Trial?][Y/N]
Marcus clenched his fists. "Start it."
The copy attacked—not with fists or weapons, but with truths. It spoke every failure, every weakness, every doubt Marcus had ever buried. It moved like he once did, fought like he once feared.
But Marcus was not that man anymore.
He didn't fight to win. He fought to evolve.
As the clash reached its crescendo, Marcus activated his recently gained abilities—Predator Speed, Kinetic Anchor, Cognitive Reversion—and broke the reflection's rhythm.
He leapt, struck once—clean, final.
The clone collapsed into code.
[Trial Complete: Divergence Path 3 – Reflection of Self Unlocked][Third Fragment Retrieved: Origin Memory – Eden's First Mistake][System Integration Complete: Divergence Core Active]
Marcus staggered as the full system surged into him. New protocols bloomed across his vision. Evolution wasn't just reacting anymore—it was choosing. Directing.
He had rewritten the path.
[New System Title Unlocked: Primal Architect – Divergent Threadbearer][Time to Observer Delta Arrival: 1 Day, 22 Hours]
Marcus looked up as a low hum filled the sky.
And for the first time, the stars were watching him.