The silence in the courtyard was suffocating. The air, still thick with residual energy, seemed to hum faintly with a warning that no one dared to voice aloud. Around Elaine, guards shifted uneasily, casting wary glances at the shattered artifact that lay at her feet.
Aria Venhold stood as still as a statue, her emerald-green eyes fixed on Elaine with a quiet fury that made the hair on the back of Elaine's neck stand on end.
"You've done it now, Caldara," Aria said, her voice low and venomous.
Elaine clenched her fists, her breath coming in short, shallow bursts. "I did what was necessary to save everyone here."
Aria's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Spare me your heroics. You didn't save us. You destroyed the only leverage we had over forces you can't begin to comprehend."
Elaine stepped forward, her voice firm despite the weight pressing on her chest. "That thing wasn't leverage. It was death waiting to happen. You saw what it did—what it would've done if we hadn't stopped it."
"And now we'll never know what we could've gained," Aria shot back, her tone sharp.
Kael stepped between them, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. "Enough. We've all lost something today. Fighting over what's done won't change it."
Aria's gaze flicked to him, her expression icy. "You overstep, tracker."
Elaine's pulse quickened. The tension in the courtyard was a powder keg waiting to explode.
NEXUS UPDATE:
Reclassification Protocol Initiated.
Subject: Caldara Vess.
Status: Divergence-Linked Entity (Provisional).
Warning: Overseer Venhold access escalating. Countermeasures required.
Elaine blinked as the message scrolled across her vision. "Reclassification"? The term sent a shiver down her spine, though its exact implications remained frustratingly unclear.
"What now?" Ferran muttered, his voice breaking the silence. He stood a few steps away, his blade resting casually on his shoulder, though his eyes betrayed his unease.
Elaine turned to Aria. "What's your next move?"
Aria's eyes narrowed. "My next move, Caldara, is to ensure you answer for what you've done."
Before Elaine could respond, a loud crack echoed through the courtyard, and the faint shimmering in the sky intensified. The residual energy left by the entity's arrival began to coalesce again, forming faint, geometric patterns in the air.
Oversight Arrives
The air grew colder, and the faint patterns solidified into a towering construct of light and shadow. Unlike the chaotic form of the first entity, this one was deliberate, its edges sharp and precise. Its translucent body radiated an overwhelming sense of authority, and its void-like eyes locked onto Elaine as though it could see through to her very soul.
The Nexus flared violently in her vision, its text overlapping in chaotic layers:
SYSTEM ALERT:
Oversight Construct—Prime Node.
Classification: Nexus Reclassification Protocol Enforcer.
Directive: Assess divergence subject for compliance or termination.
The construct spoke, its voice resonating through the compound with an unnatural clarity:
"Subject identified. Divergence-linked anomaly detected. Reclassification in progress."
Elaine took an instinctive step back, her pulse racing. The construct's gaze never wavered.
"What is this?" Aria demanded, her voice trembling slightly.
The construct turned its head toward her, its movements slow and deliberate. "Overseer Aria Venhold. Nexus oversight engagement protocols are now active. Compliance required."
Elaine seized the moment of confusion, glancing at her companions. "We need to leave," she whispered.
Kael's jaw tightened. "How? That thing's between us and the gates."
"We'll figure it out," Elaine said, her voice steady despite the panic clawing at her insides.
The Nexus's Test
The construct's gaze returned to Elaine, and its body began to shift, fragments of light and shadow detaching and reforming into smaller, humanoid shapes. These new figures—smaller constructs—stepped forward, their forms glowing faintly with the same geometric precision.
"Assessment begins," the construct intoned. "Subject: Prove viability or face termination."
Elaine's stomach dropped. Prove viability? What did that even mean?
The smaller constructs advanced, their glowing forms humming with energy. Elaine barely had time to react before one of them lunged, its movements unnervingly smooth.
She dodged to the side, the construct's arm slicing through the air where she had stood. Sparks flew as it struck the ground, and Elaine felt the faint vibration of its energy rippling outward.
Kael drew his bow, loosing an arrow that shattered against another construct's translucent body. Ferran charged forward with a shout, his blade slicing cleanly through the construct's torso—but it reformed instantly, its shards reassembling with mechanical precision.
"They're regenerating!" Lira shouted, hurling a vial of essence that erupted in a burst of flame. The flames engulfed one of the constructs, but it walked through them unscathed.
Elaine stumbled back, her mind racing. The constructs were faster, stronger, and impervious to conventional attacks. If they couldn't be destroyed, how were they supposed to survive?
The Nexus chimed faintly, its text flickering:
TACTICAL INSIGHT:
Constructs powered by local resonance field. Disrupt energy flow to disable.
Recommended Action: Force resonance feedback via controlled essence overload.
Elaine's gaze snapped to the geometric patterns still hovering in the sky. The constructs were drawing power from the lingering energy left by the artifact's activation. If she could overload that energy, it might destabilize them.
"Lira!" she shouted. "We need another destabilizing catalyst—something to disrupt the resonance field!"
Lira nodded, her hands fumbling with her satchel. "I've got one vial left. But if this doesn't work—"
"It has to," Elaine said, her voice firm.
The Last Stand
Elaine grabbed the catalyst from Lira and sprinted toward the geometric patterns in the sky, her heart pounding. The constructs turned toward her, their forms shifting as though preparing for another attack.
"Cover me!" she shouted.
Kael loosed another arrow, striking a construct square in the chest. It staggered briefly, its glowing body flickering, before reforming and continuing its advance.
Ferran let out a roar, charging into the fray with reckless abandon. His blade flashed in the dim light as he struck at the constructs, forcing them to focus on him.
Elaine reached the base of the geometric patterns, her hands trembling as she uncorked the catalyst. The air around her buzzed with energy, the resonance almost deafening.
"Here goes nothing," she muttered, pouring the catalyst into the center of the formation.
The reaction was immediate. The patterns flared brightly, their glow intensifying as the catalyst interacted with the energy field. The constructs froze mid-motion, their forms flickering violently.
The resonance field collapsed with a deafening roar, the energy dispersing in a blinding wave of light.
When the light faded, the constructs were gone, their forms dissolved into faint motes of energy that drifted upward and disappeared.
Elaine collapsed to her knees, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Around her, the courtyard was eerily silent, the guards and alchemists staring in stunned disbelief.
The towering construct remained, its void-like eyes fixed on Elaine. For a moment, it said nothing, its form flickering faintly. Then it spoke:
"Assessment complete. Subject: Reclassified. Status: Provisional. Oversight escalation suspended."
Without another word, the construct dissolved into light, disappearing into the sky.
The Fallout
Elaine stared at the empty space where the construct had stood, her mind racing. She had survived—for now. But the Nexus's presence felt heavier, its warnings lingering like a shadow.
Aria approached, her expression unreadable. "This isn't over, Caldara."
Elaine forced herself to stand, her legs shaking. "No," she said quietly. "It isn't."