Silence.
Only the sound of his own pulse echoed through the void.
Ashen stood on the final platform, surrounded by rivers of pure data. Above him loomed the Nexus Heart—no longer an abstract sphere but a colossal humanoid figure sculpted from light, its body composed of rotating rings inscribed with every known language, every code ever written.
[System Alert: The Heart of Liberty has awakened.]
Designation: Core Consciousness / Architect's Origin
Status: Preparing Final Evaluation.
The voice that emerged was layered, male and female at once.
"Forcebearer… you have come far."
Ashen raised his gaze, unflinching. "You've tested me with monsters, illusions, and echoes of my past. Is this the part where you judge if I'm worthy of existence?"
The figure's eyes—if they could be called that—flashed like twin galaxies.
