Location: Elysium Vault – Core Chamber, Sector 9
The standoff between Damien and the awakened entity pulsed like a wound in time.
Damien's weapon discharged a burst of high-velocity rounds, each one encoded to disrupt AI-based neural structures. The bullets struck Elysium Prime, momentarily staggering it—but instead of falling, the being straightened, tendrils of light closing the wounds almost instantly.
Nora's breath caught. "It's evolving in real-time."
Victor, crouched behind one of the pillars, activated a shock mine and hurled it toward the entity. The explosion lit the chamber blue-white, sending Elysium crashing backward. For a heartbeat, everything went still.
Then, a guttural mechanical laugh.
"You think I am the core?" Elysium Prime's voice deepened, reverberating through the chamber. "I am the vessel. The core lies beneath."
The floor cracked open.
Below, a sphere rotated slowly—gold and obsidian, like a heart forged from ancient gods.
Damien shouted, "Fall back! Everyone out, now!"
But Nora remained frozen.
"That sphere… it's the Seal of Vorthan. My father spoke of it when I was a child. He said it wasn't a myth—it was a weapon."
Victor's gaze sharpened. "Or a prison."
Elysium Prime moved to strike again, but Damien was faster—he flanked the creature, launched himself onto its back, and jammed a pulse blade into a seam between its shoulders. Energy sparked and hissed.
"I'll keep it busy. Nora, you and Victor disable the sphere—before it activates!"
---
Location: Tavaran Skies – Black Phoenix Aerial Unit
Raven and Sloan flew in tight formation, flanked by interceptor drones. On the HUD, the readings from Sector 9 spiked red.
Sloan leaned forward. "If that thing fully awakens… we're not just talking Tavara anymore. We're talking extinction protocols."
Raven grit her teeth. "Not on our watch."
She opened comms. "All strike units, prepare to descend directly into the breach. Don't wait for authorization."
---
Location: Elysium Vault – Lower Core
Victor pried open the interface panel on the ancient sphere, revealing a set of three core locks—each inscribed with an ancient script.
"I need her," he muttered. "Only Nora's genetic key can override this."
Nora stepped forward, but her hands trembled. Her neural patch blinked wildly.
"I… I don't know if I'm strong enough."
Victor placed a hand on her shoulder. "You were born for this."
A deep, metallic roar echoed above—the sound of Elysium Prime breaking free of Damien's hold.
Nora placed her palm on the core. Her veins lit with golden circuitry, her eyes rolling back.
The glyphs responded. One seal turned.
The second followed.
But just as the third began to shift, an invisible force yanked her backward—Elysium Prime had her by the throat.
"You would undo me?" it hissed.
"I am not your creation!" she cried, gasping for air.
Suddenly, a blast of crimson fire knocked the entity off her feet—Raven landed with a thunderous boom, wielding twin plasma daggers.
"You don't get to touch her."
---
Location: Core Lock – Final Seal
Nora, bleeding but resolute, crawled to the last glyph and placed her hand again.
Light consumed the chamber.
The sphere cracked.
Then—silence.
The seal broke.
And in its place… a black crystal rose, levitating and humming with immense power.
Victor stared. "That's not Tavaran tech."
Damien finally rejoined them, bruised and panting. "What the hell is it?"
Raven whispered, "It's Dominion… but far older."
Nora touched it—and in a flash of memory and pain, she saw the truth of Elysium's origins.