Burden of the Scythe

Location: Gaia HQ – Infirmary Chamber 3

The room was silent save for the rhythmic beeping of the monitor. Soft white light bathed Hikari Synthesis 26, her small frame motionless beneath the sterilized blanket. Her hands were cold. Her scythe, Sanguira, had been sealed within six containment rings pulsing gently at the corner of the room.

Eun-Ha sat beside her bed, unmoving, reading lines of sacred scripture from a soft-bound volume in her lap—words of divinity laced with hope.

Sylvia leaned against the wall, her earring Artifact Orisha flickering faintly as if responding to Hikari's unconscious aura.

"She's… so quiet now," Sylvia whispered. "Like she's disappeared inward."

"She's not gone," Eun-Ha replied calmly. "She's wandering the edge of herself. She'll return."

Cyg entered the room, eyes tired but sharp. Behind him, Mia and Elaine followed, each carrying trays of warm food, though none of them touched it.

"Any changes?" Cyg asked quietly.

"Her vitals stabilized… but her ether signature is unreadable," Eun-Ha said. "It's as if she's rewriting her own spirit."

"Or something else is doing it for her," Mia murmured, clutching her grimoire close.

Location: Hikari's Mindscape – The Abyss Within

Black water rippled beneath her bare feet. The world was a vast mirror reflecting nothing. In the center of it all stood her Artifact—Sanguira—embedded in obsidian stone like a cursed relic.

A reflection shimmered before her.

Herself.

But not quite.

Her doppelgänger's hair was longer, eyes glowing deep crimson, and an unearthly smile curled her lips.

"I've waited, you know," the doppelgänger said, circling. "All this time. You locked me away. You feared me."

"Because you're not me," Hikari whispered.

"But I am. I'm the half that remembers the blood. The Abyss. The screams."

She reached out, pressing her fingers against Hikari's cheek.

"Erebus didn't seek to destroy you… he wanted you whole. You were supposed to be his heir."

Location: Gaia HQ – Hall of Council

The Octagon stood in silence before Thea Synthesis 0, who looked deeply concerned.

"What happened at Rift Omega confirms our fears," Thea began. "Erebus seeks more than conquest—he seeks ascendancy."

Julius Synthesis 2 clenched his fists.

"We can't keep fighting scattered like this. We need a concentrated assault on Orion."

"That would spark a full-scale war," Diane Synthesis 4 replied. "And we're not ready."

Cyg's voice broke through.

"If Hikari falls… we lose more than a soldier. We lose the balance inside our line."

Charlotte adjusted her goggles.

"And we might lose a key to understanding the Abyss."

Thea looked at them, heavy decision shadowing her regal poise.

"Then the Octagon stays grounded. Until she wakes."

Location: Mindscape – Scythe Judgment

The other Hikari laughed cruelly.

"You still don't get it, do you? The reason you feel pain. The reason you fear the night. You're made from it."

Hikari stepped closer to Sanguira, staring at the weapon in the stone.

"Then I'll carry it. Not run from it."

She reached forward.

Her hand burned.

Blood pooled from her fingertips as she gripped the hilt.

The doppelgänger snarled.

"No! That's mine! I am you!"

"Then fade into me," Hikari whispered, and pulled.

A burst of crimson light tore through the blackness.

Location: Gaia HQ – Infirmary Chamber 3

The containment rings shattered.

Sanguira floated into the air.

Everyone in the room backed away.

And then—

A gasp.

Hikari sat up, eyes glowing a soft scarlet before fading to lavender.

"She's awake!" Mia cried, tears already falling.

Sylvia rushed to her side, gripping her hand.

"You scared us."

Hikari, pale but steady, looked around.

"I saw her. The other me. And I… I took her in."

Cyg walked forward.

"Can you still fight?"

She nodded.

"Stronger than before. Not because the Abyss makes me powerful… but because you all do."

Final Scene: Orion Citadel – Deep Core

Erebus stood before a massive obsidian gate, lined with blackened runes and Abyssal scripts. Behind him, the Void Council assembled—Kael, Marta, Coyote, and Miruis.

"The Vessel has awakened," Kael said. "Fully."

"She won't come to us now," Marta murmured.

Erebus placed his hand against the gate.

"Then we bring her home… the hard way."

The gate pulsed once—and opened.