---
He crossed to the far side of the chamber, where shadows pooled near a spare wall and the floor was clear of any objects. He braced his stance and let his aura drop deep into the core.
Monarch Core Override.
The response came immediately.
It was not like Apex. Apex swelled him.
This split him.
For one impossible instant, it felt as if his body were becoming a room with a second doorway forced into it. A pressure built behind his sternum. It was not painful, but invasive, and then slid outward through his aura field. Gold-red lines traced themselves in the air, sketching a second skeleton, then flesh, then plate, then cloth.
Another Kai stepped out of him.
Same height. Same face. Same white silver hair. Same black armor. The same red eyes, because they were his eyes.
The clone opened and closed its right hand once.
Kai felt it.
Not saw. Felt.
