Cael Ardyn walked deeper into the Abyss, his chest still glowing faintly from the Desire Construct rupture. His body burned, his mind fractured, his soul screamed. But he was alive. He was stronger. He was closer. He had survived the Construct. He had acquired the fragment. He had expanded the directive. But the system was not finished with him. The directive had fractured, expanded, and now it declared war.
Reboot Potential: 3.75%
Emotion Gauge: Stabilized.
Anima Core: Active.
System Note: Nullborn War Detected.
Cael frowned. Nullborn War. The drone projected an image—a battlefield, pulsing with cursed energy, surrounded by runes that crawled across the ground. Figures moved across the terrain, cloaked in static, their bodies flickering between frames. Nullborn. Survivors who had willingly fused with the system's curse. Players who had given up their humanity to serve Eidolon. They weren't monsters by accident—they were monsters by choice. And now they were organized. Directed. Mobilized. Against him.
He clenched his fists. He had no choice. He had to fight.
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: Nullborn Army.
Distance: 5 km.
Threat Level: Catastrophic.
Cael swallowed. Army. He had faced Wraiths, Titans, Echo Alchemists, Emotion Constructs, Desire Constructs. But this was different. This was organized. This was deliberate. This was dangerous. He clenched his fists. He had no choice. He had to fight.
The Nullborn Army loomed ahead—a massive force, cloaked in static, pulsing with cursed energy. Their bodies flickered constantly, shifting between forms. Some were rage, red and burning. Some were despair, gray and hollow. Some were hope, gold and radiant. Some were desire, cloaked in chains. Their eyes glowed, their mouths opened, and they screamed.
The air vibrated with energy, thick and suffocating. Cael staggered back, his chest burning. The Codex fragment pulsed, resonating with the Army's energy.
Nullborn Army Detected.
Threat Level: Catastrophic.
Survival Protocol: Adapt or Die.
Cael screamed.
Light exploded from his chest, slamming into the Army. The creatures staggered, their bodies flickering, but they did not fall. They 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: War 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 Army. The creatures shrieked, distorted, and dissolved into particles. The ground stabilized, the air cleared, the battlefield trembled. Silence fell.
Cael collapsed, gasping. His interface flickered.
Nullborn War Fragment Acquired.
System Note: Directive Consolidation Possible.
Reboot Potential: 4.25%.
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."
Then—a fourth voice.
"Or the war."
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 consolidated.
And Cael Ardyn walked into the unknown.