The air crackled with tension.
Kael stood with both blades drawn—Ashwake Seraph, its twin edges glowing red-hot, pulsing with every heartbeat.
Across from him, Yanis Drae floated like a ghost, her psychic halo flickering.
To his right, Rek Thorne, cloaked in Gravepath armor, his sword crackling with anti-Seal runes, prepared to strike.
> [Combat Warning: Dual Hostiles – High Skill Sync Detected]
[Alliance Status: Rek + Yanis – Temporary Pact Active]
[Survival Chance: 14%]
[Core Corruption: 6.7% – Rising]
Kael grit his teeth. "Of course. The Authority and the Gravepath… finally agree on something."
Yanis's voice was calm, but firm.
> "This is mercy, Kael. Before your Seed breaks its shell."
Rek said nothing. His eyes showed no emotion—only calculation.
> "Then you better kill me fast," Kael growled, blades rising. "Because I'm done running."
---
They moved at once.
Yanis launched two blades forward while slamming a telekinetic wave from above. Rek closed in at Kael's blind spot with terrifying speed, his curved dagger targeting Kael's exposed ribs.
Kael split his blades, spinning low to avoid Yanis's strike—then twisted mid-air, parrying Rek just in time. Sparks flew as ember clashed against entropy.
> [HP -7%]
[Blade Durability: Stable]
[Ashwake Emotion Sync: Reacting… Form Shift Denied]
He lunged at Rek, forcing the assassin back with a series of flame-echo strikes. The blade's heat intensified with every cut he received.
> [Ashwake Feedback: Sync Amplified by Pain – Boosting Precision +22%]
But Yanis lifted her palm—and suddenly Kael's feet lifted off the floor.
> [Status Effect: Gravity Lock – 2.1 Seconds]
Rek didn't hesitate.
He dashed in, blade reversed, aimed for Kael's throat.
Kael's Seed flared.
A second passed in frozen time.
---
And then… a memory surged through him.
> "I buried the twelfth fragment in the girl's bones."
"If they find her, the Gates won't just open… they'll sing."
Kael blinked.
Rek's blade came down.
But instead of slicing his throat—it was blocked.
Not by Kael.
By Yanis.
Her eyes wide. Her body trembling.
> "What did you just say?" she whispered.
Rek stepped back. "What?"
Kael gasped. "I don't know. It… it just came from the Seed."
> "The girl…" Yanis muttered. "She—she's real?"
Suddenly, the blades around her trembled. Her control faltered.
Kael hit the ground hard, coughing.
The HUD pulsed again:
> [Seed Memory Echo Triggered]
[Unknown Girl Fragment: Registered. Location: UNKNOWN.]
[Voice Match: Archive-Class Data: Locked Since Cycle 01.]
Rek growled. "This is why he has to die. He's accessing forbidden memories!"
He dashed again—but Yanis blocked him with a psychic wall this time.
> "No. We need him alive."
Rek snapped, "You were trying to kill him five seconds ago."
> "Now I want answers more than I want blood."
Kael slowly stood up, blades dimming slightly. "You two done deciding?"
Yanis's eyes locked with his.
> "Not even close."
---