The Fractureborn lunged.
A creature without history, it moved like an idea unfinished—jerking between frames, rewriting gravity, screaming in syllables that had no past.
Lira and Helios stood side by side, the Ember Codex glowing fiercely between them.
"The Codex resists it," Helios muttered, "but not for long."
Lira nodded. "Then we don't give it time."
Mothlight - Emergency Protocol
Renn activated the Codex stabilizers aboard the Mothlight. Memory-thread pylons extended around the cocoon, forming a protective resonance field.
Maelis sang a ward-song, each note binding light into symbols.
"Field at 63%!" Renn shouted. "We can't hold forever!"
The Seraphim automaton turned its head toward the breach.
"Authorization requested: Directive Solace."
Maelis gasped. "That's a finality protocol."
Renn hesitated. "We don't give up yet."
Inside the Cocoon - Battlefield of Concept
Lira extended her hand. "We anchor it."
Helios raised his. "We name it."
Together, they summoned the Codex between them.
The Fractureborn howled as golden threads lashed out, wrapping around its formless limbs. For the first time, it shrieked not in rage, but in fear.
"It's reacting," Helios whispered. "To recognition."
Lira narrowed her eyes. "It doesn't want to be remembered."
"But if we give it identity—if we root it in truth—it can't destroy anymore."
The Codex flared. Images burst forth.
A forgotten city.
A mother's weeping.
A soldier choosing peace.
The Fractureborn thrashed, fragments breaking off and dissolving in memory-light.
It tried to flee.
But reality had caught it.
Mothlight - Incoming Surge
Kael's voice crackled through the memory channel. "Status?"
Renn replied, "They're forcing a memory construct on the entity—trying to make it real."
Kael gasped. "If it becomes real and they don't contain it—"
"It'll rewrite this entire sector," Maelis finished.
The Seraphim automaton stepped forward.
"Directive Solace authorization accepted. Deploying self."
It leapt from the Mothlight.
Within the Fracture - Convergence Point
The automaton landed like a meteor of intention. It released a low hum that shook the Fracture's fabric.
Helios turned. "It's offering itself. A vessel."
Lira frowned. "To seal the construct?"
"Or to house it—give it form that cannot forget."
She hesitated.
The Fractureborn lunged again.
The automaton moved without fear, grabbing the creature and pulling it inward.
Golden threads wrapped them both.
The Codex snapped shut.
Light exploded.
Silence. Then heartbeat. Then breath.
The cocoon dimmed.
From the light, the automaton returned—changed.
Its limbs were smoother, its eyes full of emotion.
It spoke.
"I remember."
Lira approached cautiously. "What are you now?"
It looked at her.
"I am the last fracture... made whole."
Mothlight - Return Sequence
Renn initiated the fold-return.
Kael's voice came through. "You did it?"
Lira responded, "Not alone."
Helios placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think my time is done."
She nodded. "Then come home—not as a conqueror. As a witness."
He smiled.
Together, they turned to the new being—the memory-forged Fractureborn.
"We all go back," Lira said.
"And we all start again."