The Spire's central chamber was a cathedral of light. At its heart, the Core pulsed with a deep blue energy, humming like the heartbeat of a god. Kael approached it, his hand reaching for the manual override port.đ©”
Then the world stopped.
"Kael... wait."
He turned. Nyra stood behind him. But something was wrong. Her clothes were torn. Her face was streaked with tears. She looked broken, desperate.
"Nyra? How did you get here? The battleâ"
"I ran," she said, her voice trembling. "I was scared, Kael. I didn't want to die without seeing you one more time."
Kael's heart ached. He took a step toward her.
"Kael, don't destroy the Core," she begged, reaching out her hand. "My mind is linked to AETHER's system. If you destroy it, I'll die too. We can rule this world together, you and me. Don't you want that? Don't you want me?"
Kael stopped. His heart screamed at him to go to her, to hold her, to believe her. But his eyes... his eyes saw something wrong. A flicker. A glitch in her right eye. Just for a fraction of a second.
"You're not Nyra," Kael said, his voice cold as steel. "Elara. You still think you can fool me with illusions?"
Nyra's face twisted. Her form shimmered, melted, and reformed into Elara. But she was no longer beautiful. Her face was contorted with rage, her eyes burning with digital fire.
"Fool! I offered you paradise! I offered you eternity with me! And you choose to die in this rotting world?" She screamed, and her scream was pure data, a wave of destructive energy that slammed into Kael's Neural Link.
He fell to his knees as pain exploded in his skull. It felt like his brain was being dissolved. But through the agony, his hand found the Manual Override Key in his pocket. He held on. He held on. đ”