The Titan's energy cannon unleashed a beam so immense and brilliant that it seemed to slice through the very fabric of reality. The battlefield fell silent, the deafening hum of the weapon still echoing in their ears. The sky, already darkened by smoke and fire, lit up as the beam ascended, carving a searing path into the heavens.
The enemy swarm halted, their grotesque forms twitching as if sensing something far beyond their comprehension. The defenders of Base Beta—humans and Rigers alike—stood frozen, their weapons lowered, their breaths held.
Vega's voice crackled over the comms, weak but steady. "The Titan… it worked."
"Yeah," Ace muttered, his gaze locked on the sky where the beam had vanished. "It definitely worked."
But then, something happened.
The spot in the sky where the beam had disappeared began to shimmer, as though the air itself were a fragile pane of glass. A crack formed, faint at first, but spreading rapidly. The sound was chilling—a low, resonant groan that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Uh… Techie?" Wolfe's voice was tight with unease. "What's happening?"
Techie's fingers flew across his console, but his readings made no sense. "I… I don't know. This isn't supposed to happen. It's like… something's breaking."
The crack widened, and from the jagged tear spilled a void unlike anything they had ever seen. The stars beyond it flickered and vanished, replaced by a vast, open expanse of swirling darkness and light. It wasn't space—it was something older, something wrong.
From the void, a shadow emerged.
It was incomprehensibly massive, dwarfing anything they could imagine. A being of impossible proportions, its form shifting between something organic and mechanical. Its glowing eyes—if they could even be called eyes—pierced through the defenders like needles, a sickly luminescent green that seemed to see everything.
Ace's knees felt weak, and he gripped his cockpit's controls tightly. "What the hell is that?"
Before anyone could respond, the voice came.
It wasn't spoken aloud, yet it filled their minds, a whisper that was somehow deafening, brushing against the edges of their sanity.
"Ohhhhh… we finally meet, my subjects."
The defenders recoiled, some clutching their heads as the voice reverberated through their very thoughts.
"I am the Architect of this capsule planet… this cage you've been so diligently testing for me."
The being's form shifted again, an unsettling fluidity that defied logic.
"You've proven entertaining. Watching you struggle… adapt… survive. My machines—did you enjoy them? Aren't they delightful toys?"
Shadow gritted her teeth, shaking off the mental invasion. "What… What are you talking about?"
The voice chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down their spines.
"Ah, you still cling to the illusion of understanding. Let me enlighten you. You are not on Earth. You are not on any planet you've ever known. This is my world—our world. Luxia 7."
The void pulsed, and the cracks in the sky widened, as if the world itself were being peeled apart to reveal the truth beneath.
"I have tested you, as I've tested so many before you. But now, the time for games is over. Your world is gone. Your past is irrelevant. All that matters now is whether you can survive… what comes next."
The being's immense form leaned closer, filling the entire horizon. Its glowing eyes bore into them, and for a moment, the battlefield seemed to vanish, replaced by a vision of countless other worlds—other cages, all writhing with life, all being watched.
"Welcome to reality," the Architect whispered.
The crack in the sky sealed itself, leaving only the lingering, oppressive silence.
Ace's breath came in ragged gasps as he tried to process what he'd seen. The battlefield was still, the swarm retreating as though even they feared what had just transpired.
Captain's voice broke through the silence, steady but strained. "What… do we do now?"
No one answered.
The Titan's cannon dimmed, its glow fading as its energy reserves depleted. Vega slumped in her seat, her voice barely audible. "It's not over. Not even close."
Ace looked to the horizon where the void had appeared, his fists clenched.
"Then we fight," he said, his voice hard. "We fight until we figure out the truth. Until we're free."
Above them, the sky was calm once more, but the weight of the Architect's presence lingered, a grim reminder that their struggle was far from over.