Chapter 5: Fractured System
Imperius Exile Wastelands, Uncharted System
Year 9783 C.C. – Three Days After the Trial
*****
Kael's lungs burned as he ran.
The ruins blurred around him, broken monoliths of a forgotten civilization flashing past in the dim starlight. Behind him, the wind howled through the shattered remains of the city, carrying with it the ghostly echoes of past lives long extinguished.
His ribs ached, his legs felt like lead, but he couldn't stop now.
Not after what he had just seen.
Not after what had just happened.
The Enforcer had retreated. Not because he had beaten it, but because it had already done what it came to do.
It had reported him.
Kael Veyrin was now an anomaly in the Celestial System.
And that meant The Echelon was watching.
*****
After what felt like hours, Kael finally stumbled to a stop at the edge of the ruins, gasping for breath. His body screamed in protest, every muscle on the verge of collapse.
He staggered forward, gripping onto a fallen slab of metal for support. The pain in his shoulder flared, but he ignored it. Pain meant he was still alive.
His vision wavered. The world tilted.
And then, his legs gave out beneath him.
Kael collapsed onto the cold ground, dust swirling around him as his body finally demanded rest. His mind swam in exhaustion, his breathing ragged.
'I need… time.'
But time was a luxury he didn't have.
*****
As Kael lay there, staring up at the sky, his Celestial Archive flickered into view
[Celestial Archive – System Log Update]
► Status: [Anomaly Detected]
► Core Power: [Decryption in Progress…]
► System Access: [Unstable]
► Hidden Traits: [Access Restriction Overridden]
► New Log Entry Found: [Timestamp Error]
► View? [Y/N]
Kael's breath stilled.
A new system log?
That shouldn't be possible. The Dominion controlled the Celestial Archive—every noble's system was monitored, their abilities tracked, their power carefully regulated.
System logs didn't just appear on their own.
And yet, here it was.
A flickering, corrupted entry from a timestamp that didn't exist.
He hesitated, then exhaled sharply.
"Show me."
*****
The log glitched violently, static washing over his vision before stabilizing.
Then, a voice—cold, fragmented, distorted—spoke directly into his mind.
"You were never meant to be part of the cycle."
Kael's pulse quickened.
"They tried to erase you before you could awaken."
His breath hitched.
"But the system remembers. The truth is buried within you."
The voice faded. The system log vanished, as if it had never been there.
Kael sat up, heart pounding.
'What… was that?'
Not an automated system message. Not a pre-programmed function.
This was something else.
Something that shouldn't exist.
*****
Kael's gaze dropped to his hand, where the Obsidian Shard lay cold against his palm.
It had pulsed during the fight and had reacted to the Enforcer's attacks.
And now, the system itself was reacting.
Kael gritted his teeth, gripping the shard tighter.
'The Dominion wanted me gone. But not just because of my family.'
'Because of me.'
Something about him—about his existence—was a threat to the system itself.
And now, The Echelon knew it.
He exhaled sharply, pressing his back against the ruin's cold metal. He needed answers.
But first, he needed to survive.
*****
As Kael forced himself to his feet, a distant hum vibrated through the air.
His system flickered again.
[Celestial Archive – Incoming Transmission]
► Source: [Unknown]
► Signal Origin: [Outer Reaches – Unregistered]
► Status: [Attempting Connection…]
Kael's stomach clenched.
A signal? From outside this dead world?
The Outer Reaches.
'Someone is looking for me.'
But who?
*****
Kael's fingers hovered over the interface. If he accepted the transmission, he'd be revealing his position to whoever was on the other end.
But if he ignored it—he might lose his only chance at getting off this world.
His mind raced. He had already defied death once. Already survived against the odds.
'No more hesitation.'
His jaw tightened.
Kael tapped "Accept."
And the world changed.
*****