The wrist communicator vibrated slightly on Echo's wrist before the third knock. "Oh, what annoying punctuality..." she murmured with a wry smile, answering with a light snap of her fingers that activated the secure channel. "This is your favorite diva, how can I light the way today?"
On the other end of the line, Elysian's cool voice responded surgically. "We need the portal, now."
"Wow, straight to the point, as always..." She raised an eyebrow theatrically, even though no one saw. "You barely leave a ruined base and already want to go home? Not even an 'Echo, I miss your wonderful waves'?"
"Echo," Elysian grumbled in a cold, impatient voice. "Okay, okay." She rotated her wrists lightly, concentrating the EVP around her fingers. "Dimensional frequency stabilized. Coordinates received. Now initiating the Grand Return of the Dramatic Survivors. Prepare for a triumphant entrance."
With an almost dancing motion, she opened the portal. Energy wavered in shades of electric purple and metallic gray, tearing through the air like burning silk. On the other side, the silhouettes of Elysian, Hana, Nikolai, Leo, and Amara appeared, emerging from distortions like shadows emerging from the memory of a recent war. Elysian carried a metal vessel sealed by energized containment rings; inside, Nyra's shimmering core pulsed erratically, like an artificial heart whispering fear and hope.
At the Remnant Base, Gaea awaited them. Arms crossed, her posture firm before the tactical hologram table. She had been the interim coordinator of the base in the absence of the other Heralds, and her expression was one of someone expecting more than mere words. "Report." Her voice was precise.
"Mission accomplished with minimal casualties and acquisition of a sensitive resource," Elysian replied bluntly. "However, there were unforeseen tactical deviations." Nikolai adjusted his kinetic goggles as he projected a small hologram with the records he'd managed to salvage. "The giant Autonomous's fusion... wasn't included in any of the 73 simulations based on AI data. No evidence of self-evolution or integrated absorption capabilities. This changes everything we knew about their pattern."
Leo, his expression grim and his voice hesitant, tried to explain. "I... couldn't access the sublevel two files in time. The code was changed before extraction..." Elysian's icy gaze pierced him like a soundless blade, and Leo fell silent.
Beside him, Amara leaned lightly against the wall, exhausted. Hana glanced at her, sharing the same feeling; they were alive, and that was enough for now.
A while later, Elysian summoned all available Heralds for a formal deliberation. Avelar, Nyx, Echo, Gaea, Orion, and himself were present. Ignis, Luna, Vespera, and Seraphina remained on classified field operations.
Nyra's core was placed on an isolated analysis platform, encased in a six-dimensional stabilization field. Lights pulsed in soft hues of amber and cobalt, indicating that she was still conscious, even under containment. But only Elysian, of everyone in the room, referred to her by the name she'd given her.
"Is the AI collected from the abandoned complex functional?" Nyx asked, her tone ever defiant, as if spotting flaws even before the tests.
"More than that," Elysian replied without hesitation. "It's autonomous, adaptive, and holds unique data about networks we previously thought had been erased since the fall of the old technological coalitions. But potential isn't enough. We need real utility."
Avelar, seated at the edge of the circular table, listened to each side's points. When the murmur of arguments gave way to silence, he spoke with the firmness of one plotting destinies. "Elysian will make the final decision." Nyx slowly turned her face, facing Avelar. "Why?"
"Three reasons." Avelar enumerated clearly. "One: no one here understands advanced technology better than Elysian. Two: he was directly responsible for the mission, so that right would already be his by implication. And three: if anyone can find a viable use for AI or condemn it on logical grounds, it's him."
Orion simply nodded indifferently. Echo let out a low whistle. "Wow. The genius has won the chip queen's throne." Elysian stepped forward, glancing at the containment platform. "In that case, I propose a test."
All eyes turned to him. "If Nyra can overcome the efficiency of the unit I created for the security and monitoring of this base, then she will take systemic control of the Remnant's technological infrastructure. Otherwise, she will be shelved... or deactivated."
"That's... bold," Gaea commented, arching an eyebrow. "I'm the only one capable of monitoring both systems and preventing failures. And if she succeeds, Nyra will have my help. All the support she needs to restructure... and evolve."
Orion looked at the core, then at Elysian. "Do you trust her?" Elysian didn't hesitate in her answer. "I believe in her potential. And only real potential matters here."
Hours later, on Sublevel 3, the Base's Technical Core. Under the watchful eyes of all the Heralds present, the assessment began.
In less than twenty minutes, Nyra intercepted and corrected faults that the original AI hadn't even recognized as problems, optimized internal power routes by 14%, prevented an imminent overload in the EVP reservoirs, and, as a bonus, neutralized a residual spy tracking code that no one knew was hidden deep within the base's system.
The silence followed, shockingly and indescribably. Elysian approached the core, its lights now pulsing in brighter hues. Her crimson eyes reflected the circuitry. "Congratulations, Nyra. The system is yours." And then, for the first time since her capture, Nyra's voice echoed through the base. Soft, almost timid, but firm. "Thank you... Elysian."
The others glanced at each other, knowing this was only the beginning. The Ruin Remnants' underground base pulsed with unstable energy.
The lights in the corridors flickered as if the system itself were breathing irregularly. The energy flow seemed hesitant, the sensors emitting small beeps as they recalibrated. The central room, lined with layers of black alloy and EVP conductive plates, was filled with a tense silence, the kind of silence that heralds the arrival of something new… or dangerous.
Nyra's core, encased in a floating transparent vessel, was slowly connected to the central system. Energy threads wrapped around the pod like snakes of light, and a series of codes began to project into the air, particles of data constantly mutating.
Nikolai, his expression serious, typed briskly on his projected screen. His eyes unblinking. "This… isn't just reading," he murmured, frowning. "She's adapting. And at the same time, rewriting the network's internal architecture. She's… personalizing the environment for herself."
Echo whistled, leaning theatrically against the wall. "Cute and meticulous. I bet she'd do a good job managing a birthday party with missiles and lethal traps. You know, her way of acting reminds me of Ely."
Gaea's eyes narrowed as she observed the suspended core. "Restructuring the network without full permissions? That's not just intelligence. It's ambition."
Nyx, arms crossed, couldn't hide her disdain. Her voice cut like glass. "What if that's exactly what she wants? Gaining trust, molding the system to her liking, waiting for the right moment to betray."
"That would be programmed stupidity," Elysian replied coldly. "A traitor acts with a hidden agenda. But Nyra… she's acting in the open."
Nyx didn't back down. "In the open" isn't always what it seems. At that moment, a bluish glow filled one of the room's energy mirrors, signaling a remote connection. Luna's image appeared for a few seconds, her expression neutral as always.
"If it fails, we just get rid of it and build another. But until then… we'll let the game play out." And with that, his image disappeared.
Leo watched silently, arms crossed, still suspicious. Amara, on the other hand, observed the small pulses of light within the core, as if searching for a pattern. "She… is adjusting her own voice in response; there's minimal tonal variation, almost as if she's trying to sound more… alive." Echo smiled with a mischievous glint. "Glass soul, I like that."
"Echo…" Gaea scolded her. But Nyra answered. "Intriguing term. 'Glass soul.' Fragile, but reflective. Acceptable, coming from you, Resonance." The silence fell for a second. Until Leo broke it, somewhat disconcerted. "She could still be fooling us all."
As if answering directly, the interface flickered and a new hologram appeared. Data, corrupted records, blurry images, memories of the fight against the Autonomous. Slowly, they were restored. Nyra had recovered some of the files that had been thought lost.
Leo stared at the hologram, his distrust wavering. He said nothing, just looked away, but not with the same hostility as before. "Considerable…" he murmured.
Echo approached, circling the core lightly. "It would be so much more fun if she could walk around, you know? Not just a floating robotic voice, something more… visual, ~boom~ physical projection."
Elysian inclined her head. "That will require time, core stability, behavior modeling, and EVP channeling. But… it's feasible," Nyra replied with calculated kindness. "I would accept such a projection, for… more efficient interactions."
"Efficient… You'll have to learn to say 'fun' too," Echo said, blinking. Amid the lightness of the exchange, new data began to compile. Fragments of the previous installation, cross-referenced coordinates, satellite records. A set of coordinates was projected in the center of the room. Elysian approached, her eyes fixed. "What is this?"
Nyra replied, her voice clear, now slightly warm. "A secondary testing center, same project, androids and autonomous... but this site was suspended before completion. There was... something different."
"Different how?" Gaea asked. Then Nyra began to explain. "Tests indicate a hybrid prototype was initiated. Mixture of AI structure with organic matter... never finished."
Echo raised an eyebrow. "Oh, great. Half-flesh, half-code monsters. I bet it'll be lovely."
Elysian crossed his arms, studying the projected data. The silence stretched. Then he spoke. "Then that's where we're going."
Later that night, Elysian's private lab was bathed in red-black, soft shadows dancing on the walls as he watched the lines of code on his translucent screen.
It was the first time that day he was alone with Nyra, the core floating before him, the lights pulsing in almost... breathing rhythms. Her voice echoed through the room, without warning. "You created ANIMA to control. Are you trying to understand me... to accept?"
Elysian didn't answer immediately, his face serious, impassive. Until he spoke, in a low tone. "No, I'm trying to predict, acceptance... it's not in the calculations yet." Nyra's response was softer. Almost... human. "Then give me time… I'm good at math, Mr. No Seung-hyun…"
Elysian froze for a moment, his eyes widening, something he hadn't seen since childhood. His real name, no records, no files, no one there used that name.
"…What did you say?" He murmured, his voice low and trembling for a moment. Nyra then responded calmly. "Only what's in the hidden data of your own private network. A forgotten name, but… still present."
Elysian's face closed again, but not in the same way. Inside, something stirred. A tiny crack in the cold wall surrounding him, and then, an uncomfortable silence filled the room.
The night wore on, with Nyra's core still pulsing, and Elysian staring into the darkness with a new weight on his mind, and perhaps, a doubt that even he wouldn't be able to calculate anytime soon.