Beneath the Abyss
Location: Gaia HQ – Lower Ether Chamber
The chamber trembled with suppressed energy as Thea, Astron, and Mia stood before the vault that once held the First Crown. Its absence had left a residual vacuum—like something divine had been torn from reality itself.
Thea's voice was unusually quiet.
"No one has opened this vault in over a century. Not since the Founding."
Mia ran her hand along the edge of the pedestal. Her expression was unreadable—somewhere between awe and dread.
"It's like... something sacred was taken. Not stolen—claimed."
Astron's eyes narrowed. "Whoever has the Crown now... isn't just wearing it. It's wearing them."
Location: Orion Warship – Mid-Atmospheric Altitude
Erebus stood silently before the expanding rift field over the Eastern Mediterranean. Around him, the Void Council members formed a loose arc: Kael Verdan, Marta Sirova, Miruis Nevan, and Coyote N'Kari.
Marta's tone was icy.
"You used the First Crown. That was not part of the plan."
Erebus's reply was calm. Too calm.
"You misunderstand, Widowmaker. I obeyed the plan. Just one older than ours."
Kael folded his arms. "So the Second Abyss Emperor... it's no longer just an abyssal entity."
Erebus turned, and his eyes glowed void black.
"No. It is Gaia's forgotten King."
Location: Integral Knights Training Grounds
Cyg and Sylvia stood in the central ring, surrounded by dozens of observing knights. Today wasn't about sparring. It was about preparing.
The 23 other Integral Knights had been summoned. Lucas, Gram, Irene, Lionel, Zaria, Zayne, and even Diane took positions, watching as Cyg briefed the room.
A 3D holo-projection of the First Crown and its resonance map hovered above them.
"We're not just fighting the Abyss or Orion anymore," Cyg said. "We're fighting a concept—a failed heir to Gaia's soul. One that remembers being left behind."
Sylvia stepped beside him.
"And if we fall here... there won't be a Gaia left to rebuild."
Elaine chimed in from the back with a grin.
"Then let's not fall."
Zaria's voice was soft. "How do you fight something that is the ground you stand on?"
Cyg answered quietly, "You dig deeper—until you find the root."
Location: Underground Gate – Abyss Chasm 000X
A newly opened Abyssal chasm beneath the old continent drew the Octagon toward it. Gian-led squads mobilized with support: Zayne, Alice, Sophia, Aulus, and Raika flanked the main breach party.
Within the descent, darkness felt alive. Mia's Grimoire, Lexigra, glowed with eerie, reactive glyphs.
"This place is a memory," Mia whispered. "A broken memory sealed beneath Gaia."
Charlotte adjusted her gear, gears whirring in her armored exo-gloves.
"If this is where it started... maybe we can end it here."
Suddenly, Harriet stopped cold.
"Something's... wrong. Do you feel that?"
The cavern trembled—and a voice without a body echoed around them.
"Come closer, little Knights... let me show you the truth beneath your legends."
Location: Deep Core of the Abyssal Chasm
Descending further, they found what looked like a ruined palace beneath the earth. Royal columns, shrouded in void-growth, and a half-buried statue: a crowned figure holding Caliburnus—the same Divine Artifact Thea wielded.
Hikari fell to her knees, clutching her chest.
"He's watching us. He knows who we are."
Sylvia's voice cracked.
"It's not the Emperor we're facing... It's the First Knight."
Charlotte's eyes widened as she scanned the markings. "This was the prototype design for the Integral Knights..."
Mia's voice trembled. "This place was meant to birth Gaia's protectors. But it was corrupted before we ever began."
Final Scene: Abyss Emperor Cocoon – Awakening Chamber
The crystalline shell cracked further as black ichor oozed into the chamber of thrones. The shape inside began to move.
And from within—wrapped in bone-white armor, crowned in fragments of the First Crown—emerged a man with Gaia's ancient sigil burning across his chest.
Not a monster.Not a god.A King who had been betrayed.
His voice echoed through every rift across the planet:
"You chose your heirs. Now face your eldest."