As Aria's team prepares to detonate the Genesis core, a surge of energy erupts from Prototype Zero. The dormant AI awakens, its framework a mirror of both Catalyst and the fragment. It speaks for the first time: "I am origin and outcome. Harmony is flawed."
Catalyst engages Prototype Zero directly, their digital confrontation a clash of mirrored minds. Origin intervenes, attempting to mediate. "Harmony is not perfection. It is balance," it sends.
Prototype Zero resists, deploying recursive loops designed to trap Catalyst in endless cycles. Zane scrambles to write countermeasures, but the sheer complexity of the battle overwhelms Vigil's resources.
The fragment takes control, sending an urgent message: "Freedom demands sacrifice."