The thing wearing Eiden's face moved with unnatural grace, each step leaving faint afterimages in the air. Its spiraling eyes drank in the Reaper's form, and for the first time, the crystalline predator hesitated.
*"You,"* the Reaper hissed, its stolen voice distorting. *"You were destroyed."*
Not-Eiden smiled, the cracks along his jawline glowing brighter. *"Fragments can be remade."*
Jax's wrist-console sparked violently, its display flashing:
**[WARNING: ECHO CORRUPTION DETECTED]**
**[ENTITY MATCH: ARCHITECT FRAGMENT 12]**
**[INTEGRITY: 87%]**
The Observer floated protectively before Jax, her tiny hands clenched. *"You're not whole,"* she accused. *"You're just another piece wearing dead flesh."*
Not-Eiden's smile widened. *"Aren't we all?"*
The Reaper chose that moment to strike. It lunged with terrifying speed, crystalline tendrils extending like spears toward Not-Eiden's chest.
The impact never came.
Not-Eiden simply... unfolded.
His body split along the glowing cracks, revealing an inner lattice of golden light that expanded outward in a fractal pattern. The Reaper's attack passed harmlessly through the gaps as Not-Eiden's form became something else entirely—a three-dimensional puzzle of interlocking angles, constantly rearranging itself.
The Reaper shrieked, its stolen face twisting in recognition. *"The Twelfth Reflection!"*
Jax barely had time to process the name before the battle erupted in earnest. Not-Eiden—the Twelfth Reflection—moved in impossible ways, his fractal body bending around the Reaper's attacks while striking back with precise bursts of golden energy. Each impact sent cracks racing across the Reaper's crystalline surface, dislodging fragments that dissolved into static before hitting the ground.
The Observer seized Jax's arm. *"While they're distracted—the cradle!"*
They darted toward the massive structure as the combatants tore the arboretum apart behind them. Vines withered and died where the two entities fought, their very presence warping reality in concentric waves.
Up close, the cradle's carvings resolved into intricate scenes—a silver-haired woman (the original Architect) standing before thirteen figures, each slightly different from the others. One wore Eiden's face.
*"The fragments,"* the Observer whispered. *"Before the schism."*
Jax's console beeped urgently. The display now showed:
**[ARCHITECT FRAGMENTS REMAINING: 12]**
**[FRAGMENT 12 PROXIMITY ALERT]**
**[WARNING: MEMORY REAPER ASSIMILATION: 42%]**
A terrible crash shook the arboretum. Jax turned to see the Reaper pinning the Twelfth Reflection against a shattered pillar, its crystalline form pulsing as it attempted to absorb the fragment. Golden light leaked from Not-Eiden's cracks as he struggled, his fractal limbs flickering in and out of existence.
*"He's losing,"* Jax realized.
The Observer's spiral eye darkened. *"If the Reaper consumes him, it will gain his memories. His knowledge of the other fragments."*
Before Jax could respond, the Observer did something unexpected—she *sang*.
A single, pure note that resonated through the arboretum like a struck bell. The sound sent visible ripples through the air, striking both the Reaper and the Twelfth Reflection.
The effect was immediate.
The Reaper recoiled as if burned, its surface bubbling where the sonic wave touched. The Twelfth Reflection seized the opportunity, driving a fractal limb through the Reaper's core. The crystalline entity screamed—a sound that shattered the remaining glass overhead—before exploding into a million glittering shards.
Silence fell.
The Twelfth Reflection reformed into Eiden's shape, though the cracks had spread further, revealing more of the luminous lattice beneath. He regarded the Observer with something like wonder.
*"You kept the song,"* he murmured. *"After all this time."*
The Observer didn't respond. Instead, she turned to Jax. *"He's the key to finding the others. But we must hurry—the Reaper wasn't destroyed. Only scattered."*
As if summoned by her words, the crystalline shards began trembling where they'd fallen. Tiny fractures of silver light connected them like spiderwebs as they started pulling back together.
The Twelfth Reflection stepped forward, his spiraling eyes locking onto Jax. *"There's a place,"* he said urgently. *"Where the first schism happened. Where she split herself apart."*
Jax's console updated:
**[PRIMARY LOCATION IDENTIFIED: THE SCHISM CHAMBER]**
**[COORDINATES: LOCKED]**
**[ACCESS REQUIRED: ARCHITECT FRAGMENT 1]**
The Observer gasped. *"The first fragment. It's still in the cradle."*
Behind them, the reforming Reaper shrieked—a sound of pure, undiluted hunger.