Rosa shook her head. "Not exactly, Doctor. But while reviewing remote equipment telemetry to track power fluctuations, I detected familiar energy patterns from Quadrant 4 that match Dr. Gaia's last sanctioned field mission."She hesitated to observe if the manipulation hoped for was going to hit on the head. "I...I can investigate the potential lead personally, with your permission. But that region lies several days away." Rosa lifted her chin with frail stubbornness. "I would like to require that I get a guaranteed passage to visit my family upon success before undergoing further research confinement.”Vyus regarded her silently for a long minute, leaving Rosa drowning in suspense. At last he grinned without humor. "Provide confirmed coordinates for Gaia's location and I shall permit you one day's furlough with your kin." His amusement turned vicious. "Fail me however, and pray we never reacquire you once you glimpse freedom's tease."Rosa paled but nodded jerkily. "Thank you Doctor,
The timer seemed to move slower than ever. The last time he checked it was just below 12 hours left now;7:57:157:57:147:57:138 hours left.“System Notification" a notification chimed in his head as a new screen opened automatically.“Initiating Update Second Stage”" Second Stage?” Alex was confused.Adrift in the endless void, Alex had nearly grown numb to the ceaseless influx of agonizing power and deep code overwrites. The new script seared across his vacant awareness:"Legacy Integration authenticated. Commencing download of ancestral draconic data trove..."Alex would have whimpered if he still breathed air - more unfiltered energy channeled straight into his ravaged spirit? But text elaborated further, kindling fragile curiosity through the maelstrom."You now possess the full magical genome of two ancient dragon bloodlines. Access granted to compiled repository of arcane knowledge and chronicles spanning eras before mankind's dawn."A progress bar blinked below the message:
Alex blinked slowly as awareness gradually seeped back into his consciousness. His surroundings rematerialized in familiar detail - the cozy confines of Emma's bedroom, the soft bed sheets beneath him, the faint floral scent lingering in the air. He heaved a sigh of relief, reassured by the comforting familiarity. No matter what metaphysical odyssey he had just undertaken, at least he had returned to the physical realm he knew.As his senses reacclimated, Alex reminded himself that beneath this strange new duality of experiences, he was still fundamentally Alex Jones. The merging may have reforged the boundaries of his identity, but his core self remained anchored in this reality. He was not adrift, unmoored - he was home.Just as the tumultuous sensations began to stabilize, a crisp notification from the Nexus system materialized before his eyes:"Update Summary: Due to interference from external sources, the Nexus system was forced to upgrade to the next stage ahead of schedule. You
Alex glanced at the digital clock in Emma's room only to do a double take - had it really been 24 hours since he had blacked out during the Nexus system integration? A surge of disbelief and panic gripped him as the reality set in. He had been completely unconscious, his mind adrift for an entire day while evolving into...whatever he had become.Wasting no more time, Alex leapt off Emma's bed and rushed out of her room, the door slamming open with a bang. He needed to orient himself, assess if anything had changed in the physical world during his metaphysical odyssey.Hurrying past his own living quarters, Alex did a stunned double-take. His formerly trashed and cluttered room had been completely reset - every piece of scattered furniture neatly arranged, all damage repaired as if nothing had ever happened. But he had no recollection of fixing it himself or anyone else entering.The unsettling strangeness only compounded the growing sense of alienation he felt from his corporeal surro
Alex felt a surge of exhilaration course through his new transcendent consciousness. The perfect opportunity to unveil his latest evolution had arrived. Focusing inward, he activated the Umbral Steps protocol instilled by the Umbra Dragon Legacy.In the span of a single breath, reality itself distorted around them. The shadows seemed to thicken and roil, bleeding outward like an ominous stain consuming the basement's contours. Emma's face creased in confusion as her senses were enveloped by the encroaching penumbra.Suddenly, the very air took on an eerie, almost tactile density that further disoriented her spatial awareness. Up became down, distances warped in the black miasma swirling through her field of perception. An oppressive vertigo gripped Emma as she fought to maintain her balance, struggling against her befuddled senses.In the midst of the shadowrealm churning dark entropy, Alex's form had become utterly untraceable. One moment he was standing across the room, the next he
Emma saw the contact name and she also frowned.“Aren't you going to take it" Nexus asked.“I would, but I'm not sure I'm ready" Alex replied.“Take it, even if you don't want to, you just have to. We all know what's at stake here” Nexus advised.With a deep sight Alex answers the call on speaker " Hello”." Why did you take so much to answer my calls? Where have you been the past 24 hours? I've been calling you and you were not reachable”It seemed like the update from the Nexus System created some kind of barrier around any electronic device around him, which must be the reason why Agent Three was unable to reach him." Must be a provider issues, I have nothing to do with that" Alex replied“Take this as a warning, the next time I am unable to reach you or don't take calls, I would take drastic actions. Hope we have an understanding” Agent Three barked.Alex clenched his fist tightly so hard that they became almost white.“Sure, I understand”.“Good, now let's get to business. The t
Hearing Alex's request, Nexus was the first to respond “Alex, I know you want tj find a way to cure your mum, but don't you think you are taking a risky path? If you go down this road have you ever imagined what would happen to your mum if you fail? Even if you pass and lay your hands on the Crown, how would you be able to get it to your mum? These are a few things I want you to think of before you start on this mad rush of yours” Nexus advised. Alex was mute, although he wanted to get his mum back to shape, there were still a lot of things he needed to be in place.He even thought of the possibility that Agent Three and The Seekers may backstab him when the job is done and he would have to lose everything. He would need to have a plan. Placing her hand on Alex shoulder, Emma said calmly to him “Rushing in blindly now would only cause a lot of troubles, why don't we just locate the Crown first and then make a deal with them, we can simply ask to see your mum, once you know her locati
Alex couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief before returning the mouse back into his inventory.“Now, we need a plan. How do we get Agent Three to disclose the location of my mother without him knowing he has done so?" "To succeed in that, we need to take care of three issues. First is convincing Agent Three to take the bait and lead you to your mother. The second is actually getting to the location and finally, knowing that your mother would be at the same when we attempt the rescue” Nexus proposed.“How about you call Agent Three right now and let him know that you have a request. That if you are able to get the location of the Crown within three days that you would love to see your mom, else there's no deal. That way you would hold him on his word when you succeed in getting the location” Emma suggested.After deliberating internally, Alex saw that both ideas were for the best. First he needed to convince Agent Three that he needed to see his mother after getting the location of