— When reality fractures, does 'choice' even belong to you?
In the boundless void, time seemed stretched into an endless line — twisted, elongated, stripped of any sense of direction.
Shawn stood within the silent expanse, surrounded by an abyss that devoured everything. It had no end, no boundary.
Faint glimmers began to flicker through the murk, like mirages surfacing beneath still water. Vague forms emerged from the void—phantoms of illusion, or perhaps the deepest fears from his memory, given shape.
They whispered, murmured, and chuckled—voices without a source, yet echoing simultaneously within his mind—
"You are a fake..."
"You were never meant to exist..."
"All of this... is merely imitation."
Shawn's body began to tremble, his consciousness teetering on the edge of collapse. The shadows surged forward like a tide, drowning him. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, nearly losing the will to resist.
"Who am I... What do I have left?" he murmured, his voice faint but painfully heavy in the stillness.
At that moment, a searing white light pierced through the darkness like a blade.
"BOOM—!"
With a thunderous explosion, a figure emerged from the light
, unleashing a violent energy storm that forced back the shadows.
It was Lucy—the Rift Guardian. Clad in battered armor, her body covered in wounds, she still stood tall like a war goddess walking out of the light.
"You're not a fake," she said, stepping forward and raising a shimmering protective shield, pushing the shadowy figures back.
Shawn looked up. In his eyes, her silhouette emerged from the radiance. His gaze, first glassy with void-shock, then sharpening into recognition, finally dissolved into something like relief—the look of a man who had swallowed his own scream.
"I thought... no one would come for me," he whispered.
"I almost thought... I'd never find you again," Lucy knelt before him, extending her hand. "But here I am. We meet again, don't we?"
Shawn nodded, trembling, and took her hand.
The moment their hands touched, the shadows around them screamed in anguish, as if burned by holy fire. The Rift shook violently, and a surge of black mist came crashing down.
"We have to go—now!" Lucy pulled him up and sprinted toward the edge of the Rift.
As the light faded, Shawn suddenly opened his eyes—his feet now stood firmly on solid ground.
They were in the plaza of the ancient imperial palace in the capital, shrouded in mist. A low engine hum echoed in the air.
In the distance stood a figure—both familiar and unfamiliar—bathed in a glowing haze: Chairman Da. Beside him were Gary and Quinn. Behind them stood a newly assembled but well-equipped force, bearing the clear insignia of the CP-HUB Cognitive Legion.
Shawn froze. Not long ago, they were tearing each other apart for profit and pride. Now, they stood together—as allies?
A flicker of disbelief passed through Quinn's eyes. He murmured, "You... actually made it back."
Shawn furrowed his brows, unable to hide the shock in his eyes. "What are you doing here... You sided with—" he glanced at Da.
Quinn's expression shifted. After a moment's silence, he met Shawn's eyes and said, "I haven't sided with anyone."
Shawn scoffed. "Then which side are you on now? Who are you backing? What did you give up?"
Quinn replied firmly, "What I gave up... is a future you could never control."
He raised his head, speaking clearly and deliberately:
"This isn't betrayal. It's momentum, Shawn. Do you know what that means? The world has changed. The Rift's rules have collapsed. The boundary between reality and the Source Realm is dissolving. And CP-HUB—was simply the first to grasp this change."
Gary scoffed coldly, "Those who live by old rules... will be the first to be cleansed."
Da slowly stepped forward, a faint smile on his lips, as if appreciating Quinn's words. He raised his hand and held high a radiant crystal—the Octacore, forged from the fusion of eight core shards. Within it, twisted streams of energy danced and pulsed, echoing his words.
"Through Quinn's actions, you've indirectly surrendered the Octacore to me," Da said softly, each word laced with subtle sharpness. "To honor our agreement—and to ascend to a greater stage. I haven't forgotten our deal."
He gently spread his hands, his voice steady and calm:
"Now that we've both fulfilled our promises... it's time to join forces and take control of the Source Realm."
The Octacore rotated slowly in his palm, casting faint pulses of light, resonating with the unseen rhythm between reality and the Source Realm.
Shawn remained silent, brow furrowed, eyes swirling with unease.
He knew the agreement Da referred to: he had used the Central Core to assemble and merge the eight cores, while Da had delayed—or suspended—the start of the Loop Cycle. On the surface, both sides had held up their ends.
But Shawn's instincts screamed that it wasn't that simple. Da was too calm, too flawless. And the pulsing within the Octacore... concealed something deeper.
Then, Lucy's cold voice broke the silence:
"You wish."
Her eyes gleamed.
"The Source Realm is not something you can control through so-called cooperation—nor is it prey for greedy politicians and data-driven gods."
Quinn frowned. "What exactly do you want?"
Lucy glanced at Shawn and said gently, "You've seen the truth of the Source Realm. You know... what choice you must make."
As her words fell, an blinding brilliance surged around her—the sign of a Rift Guardian awakening their full source energy.
"You cannot enter the Source Realm—not because you're unqualified, but because you were never meant to."
Her gaze swept over the three of them, finally resting on the Octacore:
"Having the key... doesn't mean you own the door."
In the next moment, she transformed into a streak of light and vanished, leaving only a whisper lingering in the air:
"I'll be waiting—on the other side of the door."
The plaza swallowed their voices again, heavy with the weight of Lucy's departure. Yet the Rift's energy still lingered in the air, hinting at a greater storm to come.
Shawn stood there, unmoving.Around him, the mist coiled like living tendrils,
His choice, his stance, his destiny from here on out...
There would be no turning back.