The Unraveling

Location: Gaia HQ – Mission Briefing Room, 0100 Hours

The table was quiet as the message replayed again.

"Meet me at Rift Omega. Bring only the Octagon… or the deal ends."

Cyg narrowed his eyes at the flickering hologram of Valtros Ir.

"He's inviting us to walk into the lion's den."

Charlotte, arms crossed, tapped the edge of the projector.

"And he knows we're smart enough to hesitate."

"But not enough to say no," Sylvia added, her gaze distant.

"It could be an opportunity," said Eun-Ha, her voice soft but resolute. "If Orion is splintering, even slightly, then we must fan the fracture."

Harriet scoffed.

"Or get sliced apart by it."

Mia looked between them all, her fingers fidgeting with a piece of conjured glass shaped like a flower.

"What if it's real? What if he really wants to change things?"

Cyg stood up.

"Either way, we don't ignore this. We prepare for betrayal… and hope for truth."

Location: Orion Outskirts – Approach to Rift Omega

The landscape looked like a scar on the world. Rift Omega—a jagged crater of obsidian stone and violet mist—was where the first Abyssal Emperor was sealed two decades ago.

Hikari trembled slightly as they approached.

"This place... it hurts to breathe."

"Abyssal residue," Eun-Ha confirmed, her fingers glowing with golden ether. "It lingers like a wound that refuses to close."

Elaine spun her rapier once in her hand.

"Then let's not stay long."

Charlotte checked her drone interface, whispering to herself,

"No ambush signals… but the distortion field is messing with my sensors."

"We're blind," Cyg muttered. "Stay sharp."

Location: Rift Omega – The Fracture Hollow

They descended into a narrow chasm of warped gravity and floating stone. The air was thick and sharp, almost biting at their lungs.

And then… they saw him.

Valtros Ir, the Mawchain, stood at the edge of the pit, chains of abyss-forged steel coiled around his massive arms and shoulders. His eyes—pierced with gold and sorrow—met them calmly.

"So you came."

"Cut to it," Harriet growled. "Why betray your god?"

Valtros didn't flinch.

"Because even gods rot… and Erebus has become maggot-ridden."

Sylvia stepped forward.

"Then help us. Give us intel. Weapon blueprints. Council weaknesses."

"I will," Valtros said. "But there's a price."

Cyg's eyes narrowed.

"What kind of price?"

"The truth," Valtros said, turning toward Hikari. "Hers."

The world stilled.

Flashback – Years Ago, Abyss Incursion 3

A young Hikari, no older than twelve, stood in a ruined village with blood on her hands and glowing red eyes. Around her, dozens of Gaia soldiers lay unconscious, some in comas.

And above her, Erebus watched.

"A vessel that consumes without knowing," he whispered. "How beautiful."

Back to Present

Hikari fell to her knees.

"I didn't… I didn't remember. I didn't know."

"You were born of Rift energy," Valtros said gently. "Abyss seeped into your soul. You are not human in full."

Elaine gasped.

"That's not possible—she passed the Trial."

"Because she fought the corruption," Eun-Ha said, walking to Hikari's side.

"We all have shadows," Sylvia added, kneeling. "Yours just happens to have fangs."

Hikari looked up, eyes tearful.

"If I lose control again…"

Cyg stepped forward.

"Then we bring you back. Every time."

Suddenly: Trap Triggered

The walls erupted—Mirror Blades launched from the cliffs, their features distorted to mimic the Octagon.

A trap.

"Valtros!" Harriet yelled, betrayed.

"I didn't summon them!" he roared, shielding them with his chains. "Erebus found out. He's trying to kill me and you!"

"Split up!" Cyg ordered. "Group B, protect Valtros! Group A, suppress the clones!"

The fight was chaos.

Mia conjured barriers to protect the wounded Valtros.

Elaine's wind slashed through false Charlottes.

Sylvia's sonic pulse canceled the Mirror Blades' mimicry.

Charlotte's drones overloaded and self-destructed—scattering the enemy into panic.

Cyg, with surgical precision, cut down his doppelgänger with a single ether-pulse shot from Aetheron.

But the real danger came when Hikari's clone whispered to her:

"You belong with us, not them."

Her body shook.

And then… her eyes went red again.

Final Scene: Gaia HQ – Medical Wing

The battle ended with the Rift closing—but Hikari collapsed mid-flight.

Now, she lay unconscious, her Artifact sealed and pulsing erratically.

Eun-Ha watched over her, unmoving.

Sylvia sat beside her bed, holding her hand.

Cyg stood at the door.

"This is the unraveling," he said. "Of lies. Of loyalty. Of everything we thought we knew."

Charlotte replied without looking at him.

"Then we start weaving again."