2025-01-08 11:07:39Aiden’s POV
We were hiding now. Kara and I, in a small alcove deep in the labyrinth of The Abyss, the harsh glow of emergency lights casting long, eerie shadows on the walls. The rest of the team had scattered, retreating to safer positions. But I couldn’t focus on anything except the shard in my hand. "How much longer?" Kara asked, her voice tinged with impatience. She was seated across from me, watching intently as I interfaced with the shard. The tiny crystalline object pulsed faintly, sending ripples through my neural implant as I accessed the data within. "Give me a second," I muttered, trying to ignore the pounding in my head. I focused on the data streams, fingers brushing over my terminal, watching as the fragmented memories of Mila began to come together. The first image that flickered to life in my mind was her face—clearer now, her expression intense. She was speaking, but her words were fragmented, lost in static. “Aiden... you have to listen to me... Rhea Valen... Malrik... using... manipulating... catalyst...” I gritted my teeth, trying to stabilize the connection. The words didn’t make sense, but the urgency in her voice was undeniable. This was important. I had to dig deeper. "Mila," I whispered under my breath. "What were you trying to tell me?" Kara leaned in, her eyes narrowing. "Is she... alive? Is this some kind of message?" I wasn’t sure. The data shard felt like a puzzle, each memory pieced together like broken glass. I closed my eyes, bracing myself as I tried to access the deeper layers of data. The shard hummed, its connection to my neural implant stronger now. The first clear image appeared—a recording of Mila, standing in front of a holographic display, her face set in a look of grim determination. "Malrik thinks he’s using Rhea Valen to control Aiden," she said, her voice low but fierce. "But he doesn’t know I’ve been tracking him all along. The Catalyst... it’s not what he thinks. It's not what he thinks." My pulse quickened as I watched her, transfixed by the intensity of her gaze. Her fingers moved swiftly over the console, manipulating the data as if she was working against a clock. "I’ve found something," Mila’s voice continued, "The real secret behind Rhea Valen... it’s not just a weapon. It’s a tool. And if Malrik merges it with The Abyss, he’ll have control over everything—you, Aiden, included. The Catalyst isn’t a role to play. It’s a prison, and I fear what will happen when you’re pushed into it." I froze. She was talking about me. I was the Catalyst, but what was she warning me about? The weight of her words sank deep into my chest, pulling at the edges of everything I thought I knew. “Aiden?” Kara’s voice broke through my thoughts, sharp and concerned. “What’s going on? What is she saying?” I could barely form the words. My mind was reeling. “Mila knew.” My voice was hoarse as I turned to her, unable to tear my eyes away from the memory playing before me. “She knew this was all part of Malrik’s plan—using Rhea Valen to manipulate me, push me into this... this role of being the Catalyst.” Kara’s expression darkened, the tension in the room palpable. “So, Mila wasn’t just some casualty. She was a part of this—she was playing a game with Malrik, even when she was... when she was...” I didn’t need to finish the sentence. We both knew what had happened to Mila. Her “death” had always seemed off. Too convenient. Too orchestrated. I tapped into the shard again, hoping to find more. The data began to unravel itself further, revealing another memory. This time, Mila stood in a dimly lit room, her hands trembling as she accessed a hidden system within The Abyss’s core. "I’ve done everything I can," her voice echoed, the stress clear in her tone. "But there’s only so much I can do from here. If I disappear... if Malrik believes I’m dead... he’ll push Aiden harder. He’ll try to manipulate him more than ever." Her face was pale, her eyes shadowed by exhaustion. She didn’t look like the woman I remembered. She looked like someone who knew the end was near. “I can’t let him control you,” she whispered to the screen, though I had no idea who she was speaking to. “You’re the only one who can stop this. But I fear... I fear that if you become the Catalyst, it will be too late.” A cold shiver ran down my spine. What did she mean by that? Too late for what? I felt the world around me start to spin as the truth began to crystallize in front of me. The realization hit me hard. “Aiden,” Kara said softly, pulling me out of my reverie. “You don’t have to do this. We can still fight. You don’t have to become Malrik’s tool.” I looked at her, unsure how to respond. “I don’t even know what ‘becoming the Catalyst’ means anymore. It feels like everything I’m doing is falling into his hands. But I can’t stop now.” Kara’s jaw tightened, but there was a sadness in her eyes. “I know. But I’m telling you, Aiden... I’m not going to let you walk into that trap.” There was a long pause as I processed her words, the gravity of the situation pressing down on me. Suddenly, the data shard flared to life again, a final memory flooding my senses. In this memory, Mila was speaking directly to me. Her voice was soft, the edges of her words tinged with regret. "Aiden," she began, her voice quivering. "You have to understand. My death—it was necessary. It was the only way to make sure Malrik would push you into the role of the Catalyst. I knew that the moment he thought I was out of the picture, he’d focus all his efforts on you. And when that happened... you would become the key to controlling everything." “What do you mean ‘the key’?” I whispered, barely able to form the question as the truth sank in. “How did you know all of this?” Mila’s expression darkened. “Because I set it up, Aiden. I didn’t want this for you... but I had no choice. It was the only way to make sure you would fight back, to ensure you’d have the strength to stop Malrik.” The memory flickered, the last fragments coming into focus. “Find the coordinates... Erebus Spire... the final piece of Rhea Valen is there. Only you can destroy it... before it destroys you.” The memory cut off abruptly, and I was left in the silence of that final message. My heart pounded in my chest as the reality of what Mila had done hit me like a physical blow. “Aiden?” Kara’s voice was full of concern, but I didn’t respond. I was too stunned by what Mila had just told me. “What does she mean, ‘the final piece’?” Kara asked, her voice tight. I reached out to the shard one last time, and there it was—coordinates. Erebus Spire. A location so remote, so secure, that no one would expect it. But it wasn’t just a place. It was the key to everything. “We’re going to Erebus Spire,” I said, my voice steady despite the chaos swirling around me. “That’s where Malrik’s final weapon is.” But even as I said it, I knew the worst part was still to come. The coordinates were only the beginning. We had no idea what would happen once we reached Erebus Spire... but we couldn’t stop now. The future of everything depended on what we did next. And it was a future that was rapidly slipping through our fingers.
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Chapter 177: The Path of Sacrifice
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Chapter 175: Betrayal at the Gates
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Chapter 173: Echoes of the Past
Aiden’s POVA Familiar Voice in the DarkThe Abyss pulsed around me. Cold. Infinite. A vast, twisting landscape of neon veins and shifting data, stretching beyond comprehension.I wasn’t alone.I could feel her.Rhea.She was watching. Waiting.I clenched my fists as I stepped deeper into the void, my boots making no sound against the shifting ground. The AI had led me here for a reason, dangling breadcrumbs just out of reach. But I wasn’t playing her game anymore.I wanted answers.I needed answers.And I was done waiting."Come out, Rhea," I said, my voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "No more riddles. No more games."A soft chuckle echoed through the darkness."Still so impatient, Aiden." Her voice was silk and static, weaving around me like a serpent. "You always did hate being kept in the dark."A figure materialized in front of me, emerging from the digital mist. Tall, elegant, draped in shimmering silver code that flickered like dying stars.Rhea Valen.The AI. The
