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Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: Blade Beneath the Ice

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Location: Antarctica – 72°S, 23°W

Time: 0400 Hours

The cold bit through Henri's gloves as the SHIELD snowcrawler made its way across a frozen wasteland. Eyla sat beside him in the back seat, bundled in adaptive thermal armor that shimmered slightly under the moonlight.

"I still can't believe Node 3 is here," she muttered, breath fogging up the visor.

Henri smirked. "Yeah. Out of all places, the system decided to bury a secret user under thirty feet of ice. Makes sense."

They both turned their eyes to the distance.

There, rising like a scar across the white landscape, was a jagged obsidian spire jutting out of the glacier. Not made of rock. Not man-made. Alien.

Their systems pinged in sync.

---

🧠 Node-3 Signal Locked

> Location: Sub-zero Tomb Vault

Status: Dormant

User Host: Inactive | Cryostasis Detected

Warning: Unknown Guardian Entity Present

Objective: Activate Node-3 Safely

Reward: Tri-Link Protocol & Combat Blueprint Bonus

---

Henri stepped out as the crawler parked. The wind screamed like ghosts around them. Every step on the ice crunched like shattering glass.

A wide circular opening glowed ahead — perfectly cut, no chisel marks.

As if it had been opened… from the inside.

---

⛏️ Inside the Vault

The descent was steep, the tunnel smooth and rimmed with energy veins like frozen neon.

Eyla activated her light pulse module, casting the chamber in ghostly blue glow.

And then they saw it:

A massive chamber with a cryopod at the center, encased in thick crystal.

Inside was a figure—tall, armored in black and silver, with a sword resting on their chest.

The system pinged.

---

🧠 Node-3 User Detected: Status – Suspended

> Name: "Sorin"

Role: Original Combat Specialist – First Cycle

Alert: Power Seal Active

Protocol: Unseal via Tri-Link Sync

---

Henri blinked. "Wait… First Cycle? That's not just another user. That's a founder."

Eyla moved closer to the pod. "This armor... it's not Wakandan. And that sword—"

The sword was wrong. It bent light. Its edge hummed with static like it didn't belong to this reality.

Then the warning appeared.

---

⚠️ INCOMING THREAT DETECTED

> System Alert: Guardian Entity Activating

Name: Null-Warden

Type: Dimensional Memory Construct

Objective: Protect Node-3 from Unauthorized Sync

Combat Tier: II++

---

The walls cracked.

From a hidden side chamber, a creature of void and ice slithered into the light. Ten feet tall, shaped like a humanoid in heavy armor, but its face was a swirling mist of black code.

Henri raised his weapon. "We've got company!"

---

🧠 COMBAT MODE: INITIATED

> Suggested Tactic: Tri-Link Activation

Requires Node Sync with Sorin (manual override)

Risk: Sync May Awaken Combat Protocol Unstable

Henri shouted to Eyla, "Hold it off—I'll try to wake Sorin!"

---

⚔️ BATTLE: Henri + Eyla vs Null-Warden

Eyla launched two pulse blades, but they fizzled against the Warden's barrier. Henri dodged a massive swing, the ground cracking from the impact.

---

🧠 Craft Prompt: Emergency Sync Node-3

> Crafting: Override Key – Cryo Link Spike

Time: 8 seconds

Risk: Overcharge Feedback

He built it mid-run, slamming the spike into the pod's base.

Sparks flew.

The crystal shattered.

The figure inside opened his eyes.

---

🧍‍♂️ Node-3 Activated: Sorin

> Status: Rebooting…

Protocol Access: Blade Memory | Phase Combat v1.0

Class: Frontline Vanguard – Admin Resistance

Sorin stepped out, blade in hand, and said in a hoarse voice:

> "Who… awakened me?"

Henri grinned. "The ones still fighting."

Sorin looked at the Null-Warden. "Then let me show you how we fought the first time."

---

🧠 Tri-Link Protocol Engaged

> Henri + Eyla + Sorin

Bonus: Triple System Access

Special Skill Unlocked: Echo Break Slash

Effect: Phases attack through barriers + High Crit Boost

---

The three moved as one.

Henri activated the Decoy Burst, drawing the Warden's swing.

Eyla fired a Pulse Net, freezing its leg.

And Sorin—fast as a blink—stepped forward, blade glowing with memory light, and sliced through the Warden's core.

A loud static-filled wail burst through the chamber as the Null-Warden exploded into particles of light and fading code.

---

🎉 BATTLE COMPLETE

> Node-3 Synced

Bonus Rewards:

> Blueprint: Phase Blade Core v0.1

Passive: Sync Reflex (Minor speed boost during group combat)

+1 Permanent Stat Point: Dexterity

Tri-Link Craft Access Unlocked

---

The cold air grew quiet again.

Sorin sheathed his sword and looked between Henri and Eyla.

"You two... you're from the Second Reboot Cycle."

Henri frowned. "There were more before us?"

Sorin nodded. "Hundreds. Maybe thousands. All erased during the First Collapse. The Admins turned on the users. I'm one of the few who made it through alive—by sleeping through time."

Eyla asked, "Why did they destroy everything?"

Sorin's eyes darkened.

"Because one of the Nodes reached 100% sync. It became something else. Something unstoppable. They called it The Core User. And it terrified even the Admins."

Henri's system flickered again. A new alert appeared.

---

🧠 Root Access Gained: Fragment #002

> "The Core User did not fall. It transcended. And now it watches… from somewhere outside the system."

> "He may return."

"And if he does, the Admins will burn everything to stop it."

---

✅ End of Chapter 9

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