The lightless dome above the Arch Vault shimmered with ancient denial. Venice, once submerged, now hung suspended in a twilight state—caught between a sealed past and an unraveling future.
Rei arrived through the Axis Gate, accompanied by Noira and Karasu. The air was dry, the canals frozen into fractal glyphs. Everything here breathed prophecy.
"They broke containment," Noira said, scanning the residual echoes. "The Seraph twins were the wardens. But now…?"
Karasu flapped once, his feathers brushing invisible threads of silence. "Now they've lit the final cadence."
---
Vault of Time's Choir
Descending into the Arch Vault felt like descending into memory's graveyard. Marble steps crumbled under their feet, each one humming with the weight of a thousand unspoken fates. At the center stood Raziel—cloaked in luminescence, eyes empty.
He did not flinch when Rei approached.
"I see eleven flames in you now," Raziel said.
"Then you know why I'm here," Rei replied.
"To claim the twelfth," the Seraph muttered. "But I am not a flame. I am judgment made form."
"Then let judgment burn beside justice."
From behind Raziel, Seriel emerged. Her form was less solid, flickering between states. "My brother still believes in the old song. I no longer do."
She turned to Rei. "Take me. And break him free."
Raziel's wings spread. "You would abandon the Choir?"
She nodded. "I would redefine it."
---
Echo Combat – Twin Hymn Disruption
They attacked in harmony. Seraphic tones bent gravity, carved symbols into the very light. Raziel's strikes were sharp—absolute—cutting not just space, but intent. Seriel countered with sorrow and silence, forming a wedge in his rhythm.
Rei's flame responded by fusing.
Helvaris's protection. Kuralis's design. Nyssara's void. Liora's promise. The child's echo.
He moved through the battlefield not as one—but as all.
Raziel faltered. "What are you?"
Rei answered, "I'm the song that never needed a throne."
> [Integration Initiation: Seriel, Choirborn Defector. Classification: Judgment Refracted.]
Seriel smiled and dove into Rei's core. Flames arced into a twelfth rotation.
Raziel dropped to his knees.
"What now?" he asked.
Rei approached. "You still have a place—but not above."
He extended a hand.
Raziel took it.
> [System Notice: Twin Accord Recognized. Slot 12 and Auxiliary Harmony Node Activated. Choir Resonance Level Achieved. System Sync: 97%.]
---
Meanwhile: Vereth's Final Thread
Within the Depths of the Loom Crypt, Vereth coughed blood—his threads now tangled beyond repair.
"They're aligning too fast. I needed time… I needed time!"
He grabbed the shard of Vildras and slammed it into the Loom's heart.
> [Override Activated. Absolute Ruin En Route. Prepare for Sovereign Collapse.]
The threads screamed.
So did the world.