The chamber pulsed with a steady hum as Elias stood beneath the activated AI core, his mind still reeling from the revelation. The weight of Aetheris's words pressed against him like an unseen force.
The war that was coming.
An enemy that never truly left.
And now, Project Genesis was in his hands.
His gauntlet hummed, vibrating as his systems registered the direct connection to the Vault. His HUD flickered, data streams rushing across his vision. The sheer amount of knowledge flooding his interface was overwhelming—Vanguard schematics, combat protocols, war strategies from an era long gone. He felt like he was standing at the edge of a cliff, staring down into an abyss of information that he wasn't ready to process.
Lira crossed her arms, watching him carefully. "Alright, you look like you're about to pass out. What's happening?"
Marco was already scanning the AI's output. "It's downloading everything into his systems. He's getting direct access to the Vault's archives."
Cecilia whistled. "That sounds… like a lot."
Elias took a shaky breath, forcing himself to focus. "Yeah. It's a lot."
Aetheris's voice, now softer but still carrying weight, echoed through the chamber. "Your mind will adjust in time. You must not let the past consume you."
Elias clenched his fists. "You said the war never ended. That the enemy we're facing isn't new. Who are they?"
The AI core fluctuated, as if considering the question. The chamber dimmed, and suddenly, the holographic map of the galaxy reappeared, displaying sectors of known space—only now, red zones expanded across the edges, devouring stars.
Aetheris spoke again. "They were known by many names. The Forgotten. The Devourers. The End."
Varian studied the projection, his expression unreadable. "The Vanguard fought them before?"
Aetheris nodded. "We delayed them. We did not defeat them. And the Academy… they sought to erase our failure. But the war we fought was not just for our survival—it was for existence itself."
Ivy's voice was quiet. "And now they're returning."
Aetheris turned his gaze to Elias. "That is why you were chosen. The knowledge of our past is now yours. The armor you build, the weapons you create—they are the only chance humanity has."
Reinhardt smirked, crossing his arms. "So no pressure, huh?"
Marco was still scrolling through the AI's data feeds. "Wait, hold on—Project Genesis isn't just a war program. It's a blueprint."
Lira frowned. "For what?"
Marco's voice dropped. "For an entire fleet."
Elias's eyes widened as his HUD adjusted, showing him something new—schematics upon schematics of Vanguard technology. Warships, exosuits, siege constructs, orbital weapons. Some of them were unfinished prototypes, others functional designs waiting to be built.
Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "So what, the Vanguard left behind an entire arsenal for Elias to just pick up?"
The AI core pulsed. "The weapons of the past are incomplete. The war was lost before they could be fully realized. That is why the Vault remains dormant."
Lira tilted her head. "So we just finish what they started?"
Aetheris studied Elias again. "No. You will do more. You will evolve beyond them."
Elias exhaled, the realization settling in. He wasn't just inheriting old weapons. He was inheriting the responsibility to improve them.
His war armor… his Technomancer exosuit…
It wasn't finished. It never was.
The Vanguard saw technology as a means to an end, but Elias had something they didn't—an understanding of modern engineering, of adaptability, of combining magic and science in ways they never could.
He wasn't just their successor.
He was going to surpass them.
He turned back to Aetheris. "What happens now?"
The AI core pulsed again. "That is up to you."
The chamber shuddered, and suddenly, a new door began to open. Unlike the others, this one wasn't a passage deeper into the Vault. It led upward—to the surface.
"The Vault is yours now," Aetheris said. "But the war will not wait. The Academy will come for you. And beyond them… the Forgotten stir once more."
Ivy nocked an arrow, glancing toward the exit. "So we fight on two fronts."
Varian nodded. "One enemy seeks to control us. The other seeks to destroy us."
Lira sighed. "Great. Love those odds."
Elias stepped toward the exit, his war armor humming softly as he moved. He knew what had to be done.
The first war was over. The next one was about to begin.
And he would be ready.
Project Genesis had awakened.
Now, it was time to build the future.