When Enemies Unite

Location: Gaia HQ – War Chamber

Cyg stood over the war table, its projection filled with dozens of flickering rifts and Abyssal incursions. The map looked like it was bleeding.

Thea, Diane, and Astron joined him. Behind them, Charlotte, Eun-Ha, and Ali stood in silence.

"Three more former Integral Knight signals identified," Astron muttered, shadows shifting around his form. "They're broadcasting corrupted ether."

"It's not just about retrieval anymore," Diane said, tightening her gauntlets. "They're trying to break us. To make us doubt the very people we once protected."

Ali frowned.

"Irene. Morren. Veyl. Kaien... They were family."

"Which is why we need to stop treating this as a war against monsters," Cyg replied. "It's not the Abyss alone we're fighting—it's a mirror of our own fallen legacy."

Charlotte crossed her arms.

"Then we'll need help. And not just from within Gaia."

A silence fell.

Then Thea whispered, almost reluctantly:

"...Orion."

Location: Orion Sub-Base – Forgotten City of Arkanthus

Under a sky thick with red clouds, the crumbling ruins of Arkanthus housed something unthinkable—a secret delegation. In the shadow of a collapsed cathedral, Gaia emissaries stood face-to-face with a few select Orion defectors.

Leading the Gaia side: Eun-Ha, Lucas, Mia, and Shin.Leading the Orion delegation: Seluna Thanek (Null Vesper) and Kaien Rhyst (Judicant Breaker)—the only Chaos General known to have once hesitated before killing civilians.

Shin grinned.

"Feels like we're negotiating with ghosts."

Seluna didn't smile. Her eyes gleamed silver through her visor.

"We are. And if you're here hoping for trust, you're already dead."

Kaien stepped forward, removing his helmet.

"We've seen what Erebus is awakening. You're not the only ones who lost comrades to that thing."

Lucas narrowed his eyes.

"So you're proposing what? A temporary ceasefire?"

"No," Kaien replied. "A hunt. Together. For the Throne of Echoes."

Location: Gaia HQ – Upper Garden Courtyard

Harriet paced the tiles restlessly, fire trailing behind her boots. Hikari sat quietly nearby, reading notes from Cyg.

"I don't like this," Harriet said. "Working with Orion?"

"Neither do I," Hikari replied, not looking up. "But if we don't, more Knights will fall."

Harriet stopped.

"How can you be so calm?"

Hikari finally raised her head. Her eyes, normally soft, glinted with quiet steel.

"Because if I don't control the fire inside me... it'll burn through everything I love."

Harriet blinked, taken aback.

Then, softly:

"...Guess we're both learning how not to burn."

They shared a rare smile.

Location: Gaia-Orion Joint Strike Zone – Cavern of Mirrors

The first test of the alliance came fast.

A dimensional fracture had formed deep in the Alaskan wilds. Echo Jesters—Abyssal assassins made from the logic-warped minds of fallen knights—patrolled the entrance.

Leading the joint team: Sylvia, Coyote N'Kari (Orion), Raika, and Zayne.

Sylvia winced as a Mirror Blade's mimic form lunged at her—a perfect duplicate of Elaine.

"She's not real," Zayne warned. "But they know how to hurt you."

Sylvia fired a burst of harmonic force, disrupting the clone mid-scream.

"No. They remember how we hurt."

Coyote licked his fangs, amused.

"You knights sure carry a lot of guilt. Tasty stuff."

Raika growled.

"Keep talking, mutt, and I'll see if your memory's as sharp as your sarcasm."

They pushed forward—together.

Location: Throne of Echoes – Abyssal Realm Core

Nyroth sat silently upon a throne of broken voices. Irene stood below him, flanked by new corrupted Knights—each bearing a fractured Divine Artifact.

"The Accord is formed," she whispered. "They fight together now."

Nyroth's voice was colder than the void.

"Then they will fall together."

Behind him, the half-formed body of the second Abyss Emperor began to twitch within a crystalline cocoon.

Location: Gaia HQ – Night

The Octagon met again, but this time joined by unexpected guests—Kaien and Seluna.

Eun-Ha addressed them first, golden eyes steady.

"You've shed blood for Erebus. Why should we trust you now?"

Seluna stepped forward.

"Because we know him better than you ever will. Because we know the cost of faith placed in the wrong hand."

Kaien glanced at Sylvia.

"We aren't your allies. We're just survivors of the same storm."

Cyg stood last. His voice was sharp, clear.

"Then let's survive together long enough to stop him. Then we can decide if we go back to killing each other."

Final Scene: Rift Perimeter – Edge of Abyss

At the edge of the expanding rift, Thea stood with Astron, Julius, and Diane.

The rift pulsed not with madness, but memory. From within, a soft voice echoed.

"...remember me..."

Diane stepped back, eyes wide.

"That was Veyl."

Astron narrowed his eyes.

"He's calling us in."

Thea gripped Caliburnus.

"Then we answer. Together."