Cael Ardyn walked deeper into the Abyss, his chest still glowing faintly from the Echo Chamber rupture. His body burned, his mind fractured, his soul screamed. But he was alive. He was stronger. He was closer. He had survived the Chamber. He had acquired the fragment. He had stabilized the directive. But the system was not finished with him. The directive had fractured, and now it manifested.
Reboot Potential: 3.25%
Emotion Gauge: Stabilized.
Anima Core: Active.
System Note: Desire Construct Detected.
Cael frowned. Desire Construct. The drone projected an image—a massive figure, cloaked in chains, pulsing with cursed energy. The air vibrated with power, thick and suffocating. The Desire Construct. A creature born entirely from human longing, weaponized by the system. His chest tightened. If the drone was right, then the Construct held something important. Something tied to his role. Something tied to his survival.
He clenched his fists. He had no choice. He had to go.
The terrain shifted as he moved—less chaotic, more deliberate. The glitches were patterned now, forming symbols in the ground, runes in the sky. The system was no longer reacting to him randomly. It was guiding him. Or testing him. Or both.
The drone beeped.
Anomaly Detected: Desire Construct.
Distance: 4 km.
Threat Level: Catastrophic.
Cael swallowed. Catastrophic. He had faced Wraiths, Titans, Nullborn, Emotion Constructs. But this was different. This was pure. This was raw. This was dangerous. He clenched his fists. He had no choice. He had to fight.
The Desire Construct emerged from the shadows—a massive figure, cloaked in chains, pulsing with cursed energy. Its body shifted constantly, flickering between forms. One moment it was validation, glowing gold. The next it was obsession, burning red. The next it was betrayal, gray and hollow. Its eyes glowed, its mouth opened, and it screamed.
The air vibrated with energy, thick and suffocating. Cael staggered back, his chest burning. The Codex fragment pulsed, resonating with the Construct's energy.
Desire Construct Detected.
Threat Level: Catastrophic.
Survival Protocol: Adapt or Die.
Cael screamed.
Light exploded from his chest, slamming into the Construct. The creature staggered, its body flickering, but it did not fall. It roared, the sound shaking the ground, the air, the world itself. Cael collapsed, gasping. His body burned, his mind fractured, his soul screamed. He was alive, but barely.
The drone beeped frantically.
Option: Desire Integration.
Input Required: Codex Fragment + Emotion Gauge.
Risk: Unknown.
Cael hesitated. Integration. He had never tried it before. But he had no choice. He clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and screamed.
The Codex roared to life.
Light exploded outward, slamming into the Construct. The creature shrieked, distorted, and dissolved into particles. The ground stabilized, the air cleared, the canyon trembled. Silence fell.
Cael collapsed, gasping. His interface flickered.
Desire Fragment Acquired.
System Note: Directive Expansion Possible.
Reboot Potential: 3.75%.
He lay there, trembling. He had survived—but at a cost. His body burned, his mind fractured, his soul screamed. He was alive, but broken. He was stronger, but unstable. He was a survivor, but also a victim.
Fragments of memory surged.
A lab. A countdown. A voice.
"Cael, if this works… you'll be the key."
Then—another voice.
"Or the lock."
Then—a third voice.
"Or the weapon."
He opened his eyes.
The world was watching.
And the system was afraid.
The drone hovered beside him, scanning constantly. The path stretched into darkness, endless and broken. Cael staggered to his feet, his legs shaking. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
The system pulsed.
The directive expanded.
And Cael Ardyn walked into the unknown.