The sun had barely risen over Aetherhold, but Raon was already awake, his eyes fixed on the data streams Yuna had decrypted overnight. The crystal core retrieved from the Executioner—the one who called himself "the Beta of the System"—was unlike anything they'd ever seen.
Lines of archaic code shimmered within, spliced between system protocols and something older. Something alive.
"It's not just Council tech," Yuna muttered, cross-referencing old blueprints. "There are neural pathways here. Bio-digital fusion. Synthetic evolution."
Raon ran his fingers across the core. It pulsed faintly, almost as if aware of his touch. "You think this is what Kael'Rax is doing to them?"
"I think this is what he's turning them into."
They weren't just fighting corrupted Awakened anymore. They were facing hybrids—humans merged with draconic systems, designed to surpass natural evolution.
"Whatever he's planning," Raon said, "he's no longer just testing. He's deploying."
Yuna glanced up. "Then we strike first."
---
That afternoon, Kira returned from reconnaissance, dragging behind her a half-destroyed drone.
"Western ridge. Found this scoping the area. Council tag, but coded differently. It wasn't here to observe Aetherhold—it was tracking a signal underground."
Raon's eyes narrowed. "Underground?"
Kira nodded. "Southwest tunnels. Old freight lines buried under the mountain. We scanned a pulse. Power signature—dragon-type."
Raon didn't hesitate. "Gear up. We're going in."
---
The freight tunnels were dead silent, save for the occasional drip of water echoing through rusted steel. The deeper they descended, the more unnatural the air became—thick with heat and tension, like something breathing beneath the surface.
They found the first sign of trouble an hour in: scorched metal walls, claw marks melted into stone, and a decapitated automaton still sparking at the neck.
"Something big tore through here," Han Ji-Woo muttered. "Recently."
Raon's HUD blinked.
> [Unstable Signature Detected: 78 meters south]
[Category: Unknown Prototype Class]
[Warning: Evolution Energy Interference]
They advanced slowly—Raon leading with Azure Wings partially unfurled. The corridor ended in a massive chamber, collapsed on one side, cables hanging like vines.
And in the center: a capsule, half-cracked.
Inside, something stirred.
It looked humanoid—barely. Its body was wrapped in synthetic sinew, its skin a gradient between flesh and scale, and its eyes… were blue, like Raon's.
But it wasn't him.
The figure rose shakily, as if waking from a long dream.
"...Inheritor…" it rasped.
Raon raised his hand, ready to summon fire, but the figure stumbled forward—not hostile. Not yet.
"I was... Version Zero. The first trial. They left me here… when I failed."
Raon and Yuna exchanged a glance.
"You're another prototype?" Yuna asked.
The figure nodded. "They were trying to create a being who could absorb evolution without limit. I was too unstable. But you… you're stable. You're their success."
Raon stepped forward. "Who's 'they'?"
The figure looked up—eyes glowing faintly.
"The Observers."
Silence fell.
"They are beyond the System. Not its creators—its jailers. Kael'Rax serves them now. But once, we were meant to break free together."
It coughed, dark ichor spilling from its mouth.
"Kill me... or I'll lose control again."
Before Raon could respond, a pulse burst from the capsule behind them. The walls lit up with glyphs.
And then it screamed.
The Prototype's body convulsed, scales erupting as it transformed violently—no longer just a failed creation, but a weapon. A failsafe.
> [Hostile Detected – Mutation Complete]
[Level: 32]
[Directive: Assimilation]
"Everyone back!" Raon shouted.
The battle exploded.
The creature struck with razor speed, its limbs stretching with every blow. Yuna fired EMP bursts to disrupt its system link, while Kira rolled under a strike to drive twin blades into its knee joints.
But it kept adapting—regenerating faster than they could wound it.
Raon had seen enough.
He flew upward and unleashed Azure Pulse, sending a wave of searing light that pierced through the beast's core.
> [Critical Hit – Core Fragmentation: 68%]
[Warning: Enemy Entering Berserk Phase]
It screamed again—this time not in pain, but release.
It charged straight at Raon.
At the last second, he triggered a new command within his system—one he had never used before.
> [Skill Unlocked: Azure Bind]
[Effect: Lock Evolution Path for Hostile Entity – Duration: 7 seconds]
Chains of light burst from his palms, wrapping around the Prototype. It froze, convulsing, screaming as its body destabilized.
Raon flew in and delivered the final blow—Nova Fist, empowered by full EP reserve.
The Prototype shattered into energy and dust.
> [Battle Complete]
[EP Gained: +2,400]
[Level Up: 16 → 17]
Raon stood over the remains, breathing hard.
But his system wasn't done.
> [Warning: External Surveillance Detected]
[Entity: ??? - "Observer"]
[Would you like to conceal further evolution data?]
[Y/N]
Raon stared.
Someone—or something—was watching him.
He chose Yes.
The system responded instantly.
> [Evolution Signature Masked – Observer Trace Severed]
Yuna walked over, her expression unreadable.
"They're real, Raon. The Observers. They've been watching you."
Raon looked up at the ceiling, then beyond it—beyond this world.
"Then let them watch," he said coldly. "Because I'm not stopping."