Elias barely had time to process before Aetheris moved. The ancient war armor surged forward, its servos grinding against centuries of inactivity, yet it wasn't slow—far from it. The motion was smooth, calculated, like a veteran fighter stepping back into the ring after a long absence.
Elias's instincts screamed at him to move, and he fired his thrusters, dodging just as Aetheris's gauntlet came crashing down. The impact shattered the floor, sending cracks splintering outward in every direction. Dust and debris shot into the air as Elias stabilized, his HUD flashing red from the sheer force of the attack.
Lira cursed. "Okay, yeah, this guy's fast."
Reinhardt swung his hammer onto his shoulder, grinning. "I like him already."
Elias wasn't in the mood for jokes. His every move was being mirrored, countered, as if Aetheris knew what he was going to do before he did it. The worst part? It wasn't magic.
It was skill.
Aetheris closed the distance again, his armor humming with an energy field similar to Elias's own tech. The moment Elias tried to pivot, the war veteran read his motion and adapted, striking at an angle that forced Elias to parry instead of evade. Sparks flew as their gauntlets clashed, the sound of metal grinding against metal echoing through the chamber.
Varian studied the battle, eyes narrowing. "He's not just fighting. He's testing Elias."
Marco was frantically scanning the combat data, eyes darting between the battle and his screen. "You're not wrong. Aetheris isn't trying to kill him. He's measuring him."
Cecilia watched, fascinated. "It's like he's trying to see if Elias is worthy."
Elias had no time to think about that. He dodged another strike, barely managing to keep up. His mind raced. If he couldn't overpower Aetheris, then he had to outthink him.
He switched tactics. Instead of relying on power, he feinted, leading Aetheris into an anticipated counterattack—but the moment he moved, Aetheris predicted it, adjusting mid-motion.
The ancient warrior's voice, hollow yet commanding, echoed through the room.
"Your movements are familiar. Yet incomplete."
Elias gritted his teeth. "Yeah? Well, I've only had a year to figure this stuff out. You've had centuries."
Aetheris's visor pulsed. "Time is irrelevant. Adaptation is all that matters."**
Elias's gauntlet flared with a sudden burst of energy, and he swung at full power—only for Aetheris to absorb the hit.
The war armor adjusted.
Elias's eyes widened as the ancient suit redirected the force back into him, sending him skidding across the chamber floor.
Ivy's hands tightened on her bow. "He's countering everything."
Lira's grip on her daggers was white-knuckled. "Then Elias needs to stop playing by his rules."
Elias coughed, forcing himself to his feet. His HUD recalculated, processing everything that had happened in the last thirty seconds. Aetheris had matched every attack and adjusted within milliseconds.
That meant he had one weakness.
He had been programmed to adapt to a predictable opponent.
Elias wasn't going to be predictable.
He switched his gauntlet's modular function, shifting energy from offense to movement. The moment Aetheris lunged again, Elias didn't dodge the expected way. He twisted into the attack, absorbing just enough impact to allow himself to get in close.
Then he activated a disruption pulse.
Aetheris staggered, armor briefly locking. It wasn't enough to disable him, but it created an opening.
Elias drove his knee into the war armor's side, following up with a shockwave punch straight to the chestplate. The impact was enough to send Aetheris backpedaling, his systems momentarily resetting.
Marco's screen flared. "Holy crap—you threw him off!"
Reinhardt laughed. "About time!"
Elias didn't waste the moment. He pressed the attack, shifting into an erratic combat pattern, something no AI or combat training would predict—a mix of unrefined brawling, street-fighting, and calculated strikes.
Lira's eyes widened. "Oh. He's going feral."
Cecilia smirked. "Smart. The old guy can't adapt to something that doesn't follow a script."
Aetheris hesitated. Just a fraction of a second.
And that was enough.
Elias used his thrusters at max speed, flipping over Aetheris's shoulder and planting a charged EMP strike directly into the armor's core.
The chamber shook as energy crackled through Aetheris's suit. The war armor locked up, servos grinding to a halt. The humming energy around him faded, and the ancient figure staggered backward.
The light in his visor dimmed.
Then—he stopped moving.
The silence was deafening.
Elias took a shaky breath, his gauntlet sparking from overuse. He stepped forward, cautiously watching the still figure.
Then, the voice—quieter now.
"Well done."
Aetheris stood straighter, no longer in a combat stance. The AI core above them pulsed.
"You are ready."
Elias frowned. "For what?"
Aetheris's head tilted slightly. "To finish what I could not."
Lira crossed her arms. "Okay, let's get to the part where you explain what that means."
Aetheris's visor flickered, and for a brief moment, his posture seemed… less machine-like.
"Project Genesis was never a weapon. It was a contingency. A means of ensuring humanity's survival against the inevitable."
Ivy narrowed her eyes. "The inevitable what?"
Aetheris's next words made Elias's blood run cold.
"The war that is coming."
The AI core pulsed again, and suddenly, a map of the galaxy flared to life in the chamber. A star chart, showing known planets—Academy-controlled worlds, forgotten ruins, and deep-space locations.
And then—the edges of the map revealed something else.
Red zones. Expanding. Consuming.
The edges of the known universe collapsing into darkness.
Marco paled. "That's… not good."
Varian's golden eyes narrowed. "What is this?"
Aetheris's voice held no hesitation. "The remnants of an ancient war. The enemy the Vanguard once fought."
Elias clenched his fists. "And they're coming back?"
Aetheris's visor glowed faintly. "No. They never left."
The chamber's energy dimmed.
Aetheris took one final step forward, placing a hand on Elias's shoulder.
"You are the last of our kind. The last Technomancer. The one who must prepare for what is to come."
Elias swallowed. "What if I fail?"
Aetheris was silent for a moment. Then he spoke the words Elias had dreaded.
"Then humanity will burn."
The AI core's voice returned. "Project Genesis has now been transferred to your command."
A pulse of energy surged through the chamber. The Vault had awakened.
And Elias knew—his fight was only just beginning.