Chapter 17: Echoes of the Forgotten

The silence after the battle was haunting. No dripping water, no shifting metal, not even the low thrum of magic from the Nexus Reactor—just silence. It clung to the trio like a shroud as they made their way deeper into the labyrinth, each step echoing too loudly against the stone corridor.

Aiden led the group, his sword still drawn.

Though the threat was gone, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. The aftermath of the twisted creature's assault lingered in his thoughts. Not just the creature's resilience, but what Kaela had said.

A construct of dark magic… cursed, and intelligent enough to target her.

The corridor narrowed, funneling them into a tight passage barely wide enough for one person. The walls here were lined with strange etchings—unfamiliar symbols that shimmered faintly as they passed. Aiden reached out to one, his hand hovering just inches from the glowing rune.

"Don't touch that," Kaela warned sharply.

"It's a ward. Not active, but old. Probably pre-System era."

Aiden dropped his hand. "Pre-System? So before all of this tech-magic integration?"

She nodded, brushing her fingers along a different part of the wall. "These were made with raw mana and intent. No skill slots. No interfaces. Just knowledge and sacrifice."

Brant grunted. "That sounds like trouble."

"Or history," Kaela said softly. "Maybe both."

They emerged from the passage into a massive chamber, circular and filled with tiered platforms spiraling downward toward a massive hole at the center. A chasm. Pale blue light pulsed from below, rhythmic and deep—like a heartbeat trapped under miles of stone.

Aiden's system pinged.

[System Alert: Nexus Core Detected]

Warning: Incomplete Activation Sequence – Access Restricted

"The Core's below," Aiden said. "I can feel it. But it's locked."

Kaela was already pulling a mana scanner from her satchel. She tapped it against the nearest platform, watching the lines light up in response. "The entire structure is a seal. That's what this is. A magical lock… and a very old one."

As if to answer, the ground shook.

"Don't tell me that's another monster," Brant muttered, fists raised instinctively.

But it wasn't. From the edge of the platform across the chamber, a figure emerged.

Human-shaped, but wreathed in shadow. A cloak of tattered fragments hung from its shoulders, and a mask of silver obscured its face. It moved like smoke, silent and elegant, each step leaving traces of black residue in the air.

Kaela gasped. "That's… impossible."

"You recognize it?" Aiden asked, stepping between her and the figure.

"It's a Warden," she whispered. "A real one."

Brant blinked. "I thought the Wardens were just myths. Guardians left behind by the Architects."

The figure raised its hand, and the system pulsed again.

[Nexus System Interface Detected: Architect-Key Signature Recognized]

Initiating Challenge Protocol: Trial of Access – Warden Protocol Engaged

Aiden's sword gleamed. "A trial? Figures."

The Warden spoke, its voice like layered echoes from a cave. "You have entered sacred ground. To proceed, you must prove your purpose. Three trials: Mind. Body. Will."

"Of course it's three trials," Brant muttered under his breath.

The Warden raised its hand—and the chamber shifted.

Suddenly, they weren't in the Nexus anymore.

Aiden blinked. He stood alone in a vast field of stars, floating on nothing. In front of him: a memory. His memory. A moment from his youth—his mother, dying in a hospital bed, reaching for him. Her eyes pleading.

Aiden couldn't move.

"You seek power," the Warden's voice echoed from nowhere. "But power without understanding is ruin. Face your guilt. Accept your weakness. Only then may your will be forged."

"I don't want to see this," Aiden growled. "This doesn't help me fight—"

But the memory replayed again. And again.

Every time, he hesitated. Every time, he failed to say goodbye.

The system pulsed:

[Willpower Resistance: 84%... 89%... 93%...]

"I wasn't strong enough," Aiden whispered. "But I will be. I won't run from what I lost anymore."

He stepped forward, right into the memory.

The vision shattered like glass.

And Aiden was back in the chamber.

Kaela and Brant appeared beside him, both looking dazed. Kaela was visibly shaken, tears in her eyes. Brant's fists were trembling.

"You two okay?" Aiden asked.

Kaela wiped her face quickly. "Yeah. Just… the mind trial hit hard."

Brant nodded. "I saw my brother. Haven't thought about him in years."

The Warden didn't speak. Instead, it raised its hand again—and the second trial began.

The floor beneath them split open, and platforms rose from the chasm. Pillars of rock hovered in midair, rotating slowly. On each: ancient guardians made of crystal and metal, already in motion.

Aiden sighed. "Guess this is the trial of the body."

Brant cracked his knuckles. "Good. I need something to hit."

Kaela tightened her grip on her staff. "Stay close. These constructs predate the System. They won't fight fair."

As the first guardian leapt toward them, Aiden's blade gleamed with Nexus energy.

"Let's show them we're more than just System users."

They charged together, leaping from platform to platform, into a dance of deadly combat.