The collapsed sun in her palm pulsed once. Then it unfolded—not in fire, but in silent radiance, like the moment before a universe is born.
The remaining Harbingers hesitated. That was a mistake.
> [Solar Construct Detected: Class – Omega Flare]
[Effect: Spatial Collapse / Atomic Rewrite / Protocol Purge]
Kael barely had time to step back before the entire battlefield was consumed in white light.
When it faded, the four Harbingers were simply… gone. Not destroyed—unwritten.
Dust fell like snowflakes of light.
---
The woman lowered her hand. Her armor shifted subtly, humming like a song half-remembered.
She turned to Kael.
> "You're hurt," she said, scanning him with glowing irises.
"But you held your own. Impressive for an unrefined Ascendant."
Kael steadied his breath. "Thanks for the save. I owe you one."
> "You owe me nothing… yet."
He narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
The woman looked up at the sky as if reading invisible constellations. Then finally, she answered:
> "Solaris Kaethera. Fifth Flame of the Starborn Order."
"Heir of the Original Protocol."
---
Kael's mind blanked for a moment.
He'd heard of the Starborn—a myth. Ancient beings who first interfaced with the Cosmic Protocol. Said to wield god-tier code, able to rewrite reality, lead galaxies, destroy black holes with a whisper.
And one was standing in front of him.
Alive. Watching him like he was an anomaly.
> "Wait—are you saying I'm... one of you?" Kael asked.
Solaris shook her head gently.
> "No. You're something else. Something that shouldn't exist."
"Your ascension isn't natural. It's... reactive."
Kael frowned. "Reactive to what?"
---
She stared into him, like peeling back layers of time.
> "To something waking up."
She walked past him, brushing her fingers across the runes embedded in the ruins. The glyphs pulsed under her touch.
> "You opened this archive with nothing but instinct. That shouldn't be possible."
"Tell me, Kael Veyar… have you ever heard voices in the code?"
Kael hesitated.
> "Sometimes. In dreams. In combat. Like… something's whispering strategies, data, even emotions."
> "Then it's worse than I thought."
---
She turned to face him fully, no more mystery in her gaze.
> "You are tethered to the Core Root. The original Protocol that existed before the Ascendant Wars."
"The same Protocol that was sealed before time had a name."
Kael's heart thudded.
> "Why me?"
> "I don't know. But if it's chosen you… everything is about to change."
---
[System Notification]
> [Protocol Merge: Partial Sync with Solaris Kaethera Initiated]
[Skill Acquired: Nova Pulse Lv.1]
[Quest Line Activated: Fractured Starsong]
[Objective: Reach the Lost Vault of Zenthara within 12 Galactic Cycles]
[Warning: Multiple Executors now tracking your energy signature]
---
Solaris turned away.
> "I'll train you. If you survive, you'll earn answers."
"If you fail… the galaxy burns."
She opened a dimensional tear with a flick of her fingers—stable, shimmering.
> "Welcome to the Ascendant War, Kael Veyar."
He stepped through.
---
Elsewhere — Executor Core HQ
Inside a station the size of a moon, twelve Executors stood in silence, gathered around a singular screen.
Kael's battle footage played on loop—his Phase Cut, the Chaos Mode, the Archive Unlock.
And finally… Solaris Kaethera.
> "Protocol Anomaly confirmed," Executor 01 said.
"The Root has reawakened."
Executor 09—faceless, shrouded in ancient circuitry—spoke next:
> "Initiate the Orion Hunt."
"He must not reach Zenthara."