The fading light at the end of a collapsing void enveloped them for a moment, and Vex was weightless in it. It was over within a blink of the eye. They crashed against cold metallic ground, heaving for air as they tried to absorb their surroundings.
Inside a cavernous chamber, symbols glowed and faintly pulsed within the walls, like the quickened breaths through a heartbeat. Below them, the floor was flat and shiny, open-ended into infinity, such that it created an illusion of being suspended in empty space.
"Ash," said Nyx with her breath held while clenching his arm. "Are you good?"
With pale face and glassy eyes devoid of focus, he swayed on his feet, unable to stand up straight. "Nyx... I..." His voice seemed hoarse, and it cracked as though it had not been used for years.
"Don't push it," she ordered softly, then guided him to sit on the ground. "We'll figure this out. Just stay with me."
Vex strode a few feet away, sweeping over their surroundings. His HUD went into multiple-alert mode, but the messages on it were not very helpful. No quest updates, no health bar readings for Ash, nothing. It was like the system could not cope with the current non-corporate status.
"This place feels really off," Vex muttered, gripping his blade tightly.
"Move," he commanded Nyx, his voice sharp as a knife. "Whatever's controlling Echelon is not going to let us rest."
Nyx glared at him with the fiery, protective instincts bubbling up inside of her. "He just got free; he needs time."
"Time is what we don't have," was the sharp retort from Vex. "You saw how unstable that void was. Echelon is not going to stop until it breaks us. Ash is just as much a target now as we are."
As for Ash, he held his quaking arm up, his voice barely audible. "Nyx... he's right."
Both Nyx and Vex froze in place at the fact that Ash had spoken. He forced himself to get to his feet, leaning heavily against Nyx. "It's not just you they're after. I've seen it—felt it. Echelon doesn't let anyone go without a fight."
Nyx shook her head, tightening her hold on him. "Then we fight them. Together." Pain twisted Ash's face. "You don't understand," he rasped. "I wasn't just trapped in Echelon. I was... part of it. It is still inside me." The air in the room seemed to get colder. "What do you mean, 'part of it'?" Vex asked, his tone heavy with suspicion. Ash hesitated, looking from Nyx back to Vex. "Echelon takes more than just your freedom. It rewrites you, piece by piece. I fought it for as long as I could, but... I don't know if I'm still me." The words suspended in the air, like a heavy weight. Nyx's face crumpled, tears brimming but not spilling. "Don't say that," she whispered, "you're my brother. You're still you."
But Vex didn't seem to buy it. He kept his blade lowered, but ready, his eyes glued to Ash. "Is it still inside of you? What does that mean for us? For her?" Ash opened his mouth to respond, but before a reply came, a shriek rang metallic throughout the chamber, and the signs on the walls flickered into life, throwing the room harshly into red light.
Vex's HUD flashed:
Warning: Corruption Detected.
Threat Level: High.
"I guess we're about to find out," muttered Vex, assuming a defensive stance.
The ground shuddered beneath them, and from across the room, an enormous swarm began pouring in shadows. They moved as if liquid, shifting constantly from a figure that resembled a human to sharp, alien constructs.
"Nyx, get him out of here," Vex ordered. His voice was firm.
"I'm not leaving you!" she shot back, drawing her weapon.
Vex did not argue. There was no time. The swarm dropped upon them, all too quickly, those distorted limbs reaching for them with tendril-like ends. It was Vex who charged forwards, blade slashing the first wave of creatures. They all evaporated in black mist, but many more came again without stopping.
Nyx continued firing shot after shot with precision but was still never-ending with swarm. Ash stood in the middle clutching his head as if suffering in waves. The light red of the walls pulsed in rhythm with his breathing.
"Ash," voice, trembling, strained: "I can't... control it."
"What do you mean?" Panic was already creeping in her voice. Ash's body jerked violently, his eyes glowing faintly red. "It's in me," he gasped. "I'm-" He did not finish; his body convulsed. A shockwave of energy exploded outward, knocking Nyx and Vex off their feet. The swarm recoiled, but only for an instant, before rushing forward with renewed vigor. Vex looked up and saw Ash standing in the center of the chaos, his body enveloped in red energy flickering like fire. His movements were unnatural, jerky, as if he were a puppet on strings.
"Ash!" Nyx screamed, scrambling to her feet. Ash, however, didn't respond. He tilted his head skyward; the red light in his eyes blazed further. The symbols on the walls glowed in response as the swarm began to fuse, forming an enormous, grotesque mass. Vex shoved himself back up. Blade ready, and standing back. "We have to stop this, Nyx!" "No!" she yelled, tears streaming down her face. "He's still in there! We can save him!"
Vex hesitated, tightening his grip on the weapon. He would like to believe her, but this was the greatest they've come up against.
"Nyx," he told cautiously, his voice steady amidst all the noise, "if we don't stop this, none of us are coming out alive."
"But there must be another way!" Nyx shook her head, her voice breaking.
The giant beast roared, its red eyes fastening on them. It raised a massive arm to prepare to strike.
Instinct fired in Vex's mind, instinct that had him ripping Nyx out of harm's way right just as their standing grounds blew up with tumbling debris from above.
"We can't do this!" Vex yelled through the howling. "If you have a scheme, now's the time!"
Nyx stared at Ash, her mind racing. The sphere—they still had the sphere. Its light had reached him before. Maybe it could work again.
"Cover me!" she yelled, pulling the sphere from her inventory.
Vex nodded then turned to face the creature, "Just don't go dying".
Then he drove ahead, swerving the thrust of great strength and assaulting its legs to slow its dash. It roared in vain, swiping blindingly at him, but Vex managed to be one step ahead; his movements were calculated and precise.
Meanwhile, Nyx activated the sphere, the glow intensifying. She charged toward Ash, heart pounding. "Ash, listen to me!" she screamed. "I know you're still in there! Fight it!"
As she reached him, the sphere's light washed around her. Ash's body jerked as the red in his eyes flickered. "Nyx…," he whispered, anguish filling his voice. "I'm here," she said, tears flowing now down her face. "Come back to me."
The creature roared again, becoming even more erratic in movement with the stretching light of the sphere. Vex seized the opportunity, and then delivered the last blow. The creature shrieked as its body disintegrated into black vapor bits. When the light vanished, Ash fell into Nyx's waiting arms, limp but alive. Vex approached, cautious as he anticipated against any possible outcome. His sword still hung over his shoulder. At that moment, he asked, "Is it over?" Nyx looked up at him, some relief mingling with exhaustion. "For now," she replied.