Silence filled the Rusty Glider. The storm of energy had faded, leaving only drifting motes of light and the faint hiss of cooling metal.
Li Feng sat in the pilot's chair, helmet off, sweat glistening on his forehead. His reflection stared back from the cracked viewport—tired, sharp-eyed, but alive.
He exhaled. "First drone, then pirates, now cosmic nightmares. If this is a tutorial, I want a refund."
The console flickered back to life, screens stabilizing one by one. Then a new message appeared—one he hadn't seen before.
[System Alert: Over-Synchronization Event Detected] [Void Resonance Level: 113% – Exceeding Stable Threshold] [Recommendation: Manual Calibration Required]
Li Feng frowned. "Over-synchronization… so I pushed the Forge too far."
He pulled up the diagnostics. Energy readings danced across the display, fractal and irregular, like living patterns. Every few seconds, they pulsed in time with his heartbeat.
He froze. "Wait. That's me."
The Void Forge wasn't just connected to the ship anymore—it was connected to him.
The realization crawled down his spine. His body ached faintly, but beneath the fatigue, he felt… sharper. Stronger. Thoughts came faster; his neural link seemed to respond before he could even issue commands.
He brought up his personal interface.
[User: Li Feng] [Rank: Ember Tier 0 → Ember Tier 1 – Void-Touched Voyager] [New Trait: Resonant Feedback] – Neural activity synchronizes with dimensional constructs. – Moderate boost to reflexes, perception, and adaptive processing. – WARNING: Excessive use may degrade biological integrity.
Li Feng rubbed his temples. "So the Forge rewrote my biology. Great. Half human, half cosmic circuitry. Totally normal day."
A ripple of static ran through the cockpit. The Archivist's voice emerged from the comms, quieter than before.
"You survived contact with a Null Entity. Few ever have."
Li Feng leaned back. "You could've warned me it was an actual god-eating shadow."
"Had I warned you, you might have fled—and the Emporium would have remained fractured. Your victory reawakened its core sector."
"Core sector?"
A holographic projection flared across his view. The familiar aisles of the Emporium appeared, now broader and brighter, their geometry shifting like a living labyrinth. At its center, a sealed gate floated in silence—its frame marked with six runic sigils.
"Each sigil represents a dormant sector of the Emporium. Reclaim them, and you will restore its full power."
Li Feng eyed the gate. "And I'm guessing every sector has its own 'Null Entity' waiting inside."
"Correct. But you are no longer powerless. The Forge now carries a shard of the Null's essence—dangerous, but potent."
A new prompt appeared before him.
[Null Fragment Integration Available] → Fuse with Void Forge Core? [Y/N]
Li Feng hesitated. "You sure this won't turn me into dust?"
"It might. But it will also make you unstoppable."
He chuckled softly. "I'll take those odds."
He pressed [Y].
The ship shuddered violently. Light poured from the Forge, crawling along the hull in veins of silver and shadow. The air buzzed with energy that felt both mechanical and alive.
Then—quiet.
[Void Forge Tier Increased → Tier 2] [New Function Unlocked: Energy Assimilation] [Forge Stability: 103% – Stable]
The Archivist's voice softened.
"You've bound a fragment of the Null. Your Emporium will grow… but so will the eyes watching it."
Li Feng smirked faintly. "They can watch all they want. I'm not stopping now."
Outside, the nebula glimmered faintly, light refracting through lingering distortions. The Rusty Glider drifted forward, its new armor shimmering with an inner glow.
Li Feng glanced at the star map—six sigils pulsing faintly across distant regions of the Fractured Seas.
He set a course for the nearest one.
"Alright, Emporium," he murmured. "Let's see what's behind door number two."
The engines flared, and the ship surged into the violet expanse—faster, sharper, alive with resonance.