The Threadcore pulsed like a second heart.
Aiden stood before it, hand outstretched. The battle was over, but something deeper was just beginning—a resonance between him and the thing Vel'Serin had hidden for centuries.
Torran leaned against a fractured pillar behind him, silent, bruised, and watching.
The Threadcore flickered.
Then flared.
---
> [Sync Threshold Reached – 25%]
Class Revelation Sequence Initiated
Analyzing Echo Paths...
Chronoshard Interface Tier: II
Legacy Trait Detected: Temporal Resistance
Alternate Self Imprint: 0295-C (Suppressed Influence)
System Query: Lock-in Class Now?
Aiden didn't hesitate.
> Yes.
---
The world tilted.
Glass rose around him in a circle—translucent panes suspended in air, each etched with a different version of himself.
In one, he was armored in gold, eyes dead behind a crown.
In another, he wore a cloak of smoke, blades trailing time-wounds in the air.
In a third, he stood alone on a scorched earth, surrounded by ash.
Then came the mirror directly ahead.
His.
Not yet written.
---
> [Unique Class Unlocked]
Class: Shardbinder
Tier: Legendary | Echobound Path
Core Description:
You bind fractured selves, dead timelines, and memory shards into evolving weapons and skills.
You do not walk one path—you carry the ruins of many.
Bonuses Gained:
– Skill: Echoforge (T2)
– Passive: Fracture Memory
– Trait: Timeline Drift Immunity I
---
> [Skill Acquired: Echoforge]
Effect: Convert stored timeline echoes into temporary weapons or artifacts.
Duration: 30s – 3min (scales with Sync)
Cooldown: 90s
[Passive Gained: Fracture Memory]
Effect: Once per day, recall a lost timeline choice.
Unlocks Echo Dialogue Options.
---
Aiden's eyes opened slowly.
The Threadcore dimmed, spent. The mirrors were gone.
But his mind was sharp. Clear.
The class didn't make him stronger.
It made him wider. Deeper. More dangerous.
Because now?
He could remember the paths not taken.
And weaponize them.
---
Outside Vel'Serin – Hours Later
Torran walked beside him in silence as they left the ruins behind.
Eventually, he spoke.
"What did you see in there?"
Aiden looked ahead, toward the winding cliffs and the endless sea.
"Versions of me I might become," he said. "And one I just chose not to."
---
Back in the capital, a thousand miles away, a mirror spiderwebbed in the Empress's chamber.
The crack cut straight through her reflection.