The Ember Core's power burned in Jalen's veins, but it was more than energy now—it was memory. Visions danced in the edges of his mind—names, faces, places he never visited… or had forgotten. The Rift had scarred him more than he knew.
But there was no time for reflection.
War was coming.
And Nova wasn't ready.
---
Three days later, deep within the underground ruins of the Riftwatch Citadel, the resistance was alive again.
Flickering monitors lit up the war room. Old tech had been scavenged, upgraded. Walls were papered with maps, footage of Null's devastation, and wanted posters for the Sentinels now roaming city sectors.
Reyka was running ops, her eyes never leaving the data feeds. Ari trained non-stop, coaching new fighters—ex-military, rogue metas, and Rift survivors.
And Jalen?
He was building an army.
Not of soldiers.
Of sparks.
People touched by the Rift who hadn't yet awakened. Hidden talents. Buried powers. The Core shard allowed him to feel them, draw them out. He was creating a network of light.
But time was running short.
"Null is moving faster," Reyka said, pointing to four red zones pulsing on the map. "Every power station outside central Nova is offline. He's creating a blackout corridor, funneling people toward the Rift scar."
"He's going to rupture it," Jalen said. "And when he does…"
"Reality collapses inward," Reyka finished.
Jalen turned to Ari. "Status on our targets?"
"We got three potential allies," she said. "One's a Rift-touched healer hiding in the old Rainspire tunnels. Another's a weaponsmith who built anti-Rift tech before vanishing. And the third…"
She paused.
"…was one of the first failed Eclipse candidates. They call her Nyx now."
Jalen's brow furrowed. "I thought she didn't survive."
"She didn't. But she came back... like you."
---
Rainspire Tunnels. Nightfall.
The healer was barely a teen—quiet, scared, but her hands could reverse entropy. Jalen touched her shoulder, and she wept, not from fear—but from relief.
"You're like him," she whispered. "You burn… but you don't hurt."
They brought her in.
---
Gravemind Forge. Two days later.
The weaponsmith was paranoid, half-machine, always muttering about "fractured timelines" and "quantum echoes." But when he saw Jalen, he saluted.
"I built a cannon that can disrupt Null's field," he said. "Only problem? It'll kill anyone who fires it."
"I'll take that risk," Ari said.
"No," Jalen said. "We win this together—or not at all."
---
Sector Zero: The Nyx Encounter
A storm raged as they arrived.
Nyx stood atop the ruins of an old Rift tower, cloaked in darkness that shimmered like stars. Her voice echoed through the wind.
"Why do you come, Jalen Grey?"
"To ask for help."
She laughed. "I was born from the first Core... before it was pure. I am what happens when power forgets mercy."
"I haven't forgotten," Jalen said. "You're still human. And you know what's coming."
Nyx turned, eyes blazing purple.
"He wants to open the Rift. I want to burn it shut. Our goals align. For now."
She stepped forward.
"I'll fight with you… but if we lose, I'm taking the whole damn scar with me."
---
Back at the Citadel, the resistance buzzed with new energy.
Three allies joined.
One spark now burned across the network.
And on the horizon, the Rift pulsed, as if it knew—its children were coming home.