Chapter 14 – The Hidden Path
Location: Outskirts of Blackwood Vale – After Fusion
For the first time, I could feel my true power awakening.
The fusion of my blood and the system was now complete. What once made me an outsider… had now become my strength. Aelina was with me, but there was a strange tension in her eyes, like she was trying to protect me from something.
System Prompt:
> [Bloodline Fusion Complete]
Unlocked Skill: "Soul Morphogenesis" – Ability to mutate partial abilities based on target analysis.
Unlocked Trait: "Adaptive Core" – Can now bypass energy-type resistance barriers.
Race Advancement: [Half-Architect | Half-Unknown]
Warning: Mental strain threshold exceeded. Meditation required.
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Aelina (concerned):
> "You weren't supposed to fuse this early… What's awakened inside you now — its hunger will be hard to control."
MC (calm but focused):
> "I'm ready. If this power is mine, then I'll learn how to use it. But I want the truth — who are you really?"
Aelina (turning away, grim):
> "I was a Tracker… someone who locates carriers of Architect Cores. But you… you're different. You don't just carry one core… there's residue energy from two entities inside you."
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Hearing that sent a chill down my spine.
I thought I was just a normal human… or at least I used to believe that.
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Flashback Insert – System Log (Hidden File Unlocked):
> "Subject Z-00 was not reborn… he was reconstructed. His soul was patchworked with ancient fragments — one from an Architect, the other… from something we dared not name."
---
I stopped moving.
I sat down next to a broken tree and closed my eyes. Meditation was necessary — otherwise, the swirling energy inside me would consume me.
> [Meditation Initiated...]
[Strain reduced. Clarity restored. New Memory Fragment Unlocked.]
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Vision Sequence – Unknown Lab, White Chamber
> "He's not stable. If you give him both cores, his identity won't hold."
> "It doesn't matter. He's our last gamble. The only hybrid to survive both Architect and Null-type infusion."
---
I opened my eyes.
Aelina was standing before me, holding a black orb — its surface looked like liquid metal.
Aelina:
> "Your test begins now. This orb is an 'Echo Gate' — a portal to a parallel realm. Inside, you'll find the one we call the First Guardian. If you survive him… you'll gain access to your system's true interface."
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MC (nodding slowly):
> "And if I don't survive?"
Aelina (coldly):
> "Then the world loses its last hybrid. And I… lose someone I was starting to trust."
---
[System Alert: Echo Gate Activated – Countdown: 30 Seconds]
Time seemed to stop.
I stood before the Gate — a swirling vortex leaking dark energy.
I stepped in… and entered a new world.
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Location Shift: Realm of Echo – Layer 1 – The Trial of Shape
This realm wasn't a physical space. Everything was distorted — space, emotions, memories, all twisted into chaos.
Before me emerged a mirror-like entity — a version of myself. But this… wasn't me.
This was my rejected self.
Entity:
> "You can never run from yourself. Power doesn't just grant survival… it demands control. Will you accept your nature?"
---
[System Update: Trial Combat Begins – Fight: Reflection Form Z-00]
The combat began.
It used the same powers as me — but every move was more brutal, more refined.
As I used Shadowmeld, he activated Bone Form and smashed me into the ground.
My Adaptive Core absorbed the damage, but the pain was very real.
MC (panting):
> "You have my moves… but not my choices."
---
I tested a new ability: Soul Morphogenesis.
I copied his defensive move and, in that moment, broke through his shield. Then I mirrored his stance and built pressure from within.
> [Reflection Form destabilized… Victory Achieved.]
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System Prompt:
> [Trial Complete]
Unlocked Core Skill: "Shifter's Will" – Gain momentary full control of fused forms for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 2 hours.
Access Unlocked: System True Interface (Tier 2: Hybrid Core Level)
---
Location Shift: Exit of Echo Realm
I returned.
Aelina was still waiting.
There was shock in her eyes — but also satisfaction.
Aelina:
> "You've done what no one else ever could. You're ready… for the next layer of the system."
MC (faint smile):
> "I don't just want to survive… I want to win. I won't be just a pawn — I want to become the architect of the board."
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Chapter Ends – "The Hybrid Awakens"