Part I: The March Beneath the Luminous Sky
The sky of AFERA shimmered like liquid glass that night — waves of silvery-blue light danced among ionic clouds, casting gentle reflections across the crystalline towers of the Manor of Heydritch. The whisper of synthetic wind glided through the air, brushing past radiant structures as though the entire Upper Layer was holding its breath.
Reinhard stood on the highest balcony, his dark-blue uniform dimly glinting beneath the starlight. His helmet rested at his side, revealing his semi-organic face — a seamless fusion of refined alloy and living synthetic tissue. His golden eyes gazed toward the horizon, where beneath the shimmering layers of light lay the Lower Layer — a pulsating darkness, raw and wounded, like an open scar on the surface of the world.
> "Another Distortion has appeared along the southern line..."
The voice behind him was calm but resonant.
Reinhard turned.
In the doorway stood the Overseer of Light — a tall, radiant figure whose body was made of pure luminescence shaped into human form. His eyes were twin suns of golden brilliance.
> "You've seen it too, haven't you?" Reinhard asked.
"I heard it," the Overseer replied. "Every Distortion sings like a wound. And this time... its song is louder."
Reinhard exhaled quietly. His shoulders shifted with a faint metallic creak — steel brushing against flesh. Below the balcony, the courtyard came alive with movement.
Rows of Samnarii Guardians stood in formation, their glowing forms emitting harmonious resonance. Beside them, a regiment of Mechalith Soldiers stood immovable — obsidian armor gleaming in silence, creations of Reinhard's own design.
> "Half of the battalion will descend with me," he said flatly. "The rest remain to guard the border of the Upper Layer."
"And you?" asked the Overseer.
Reinhard's gaze returned to the horizon — to the shadowed pulse below.
"You already know."
The Overseer was silent for a moment. He knew Reinhard would go deeper than anyone else — alone. For him, war was never just duty; every Distortion was a reflection of his sins from Aetheryos.
He did not fight merely to protect AFERA.
He fought to redeem himself.
> "I can't stop you," said the Overseer softly. "But I can walk beside you... as long as light still pierces the dark."
Reinhard gave a faint smile.
"Then we walk together — until there's no light left."
---
That night, Nova Dine was silent.
The tables of glass and crystal reflected the glow of artificial candles, their flickers the only movement in the empty hall. Reinhard walked slowly through the aisles, his fingers brushing the hand-carved wooden tables — works of Samnarii artisans. Once, this place had been alive with laughter, warmth, and the scent of fresh bread.
Now, only the echo of metallic footsteps remained.
> "This place was born of peace," he murmured, "and peace... is always fragile."
Outside, the transport drone waited — wings spread like those of a mechanical insect. Reinhard sealed his chestplate with a quiet click and stepped aboard.
Blue light filled the cabin as the system recognized him.
> "Unit: Reinhard Heydritch. Guardian-Class. Authority Level: Prime."
"Destination: Lower Layer — Abyssal Frontline."
Engines roared softly, and the ship began its descent through the glowing atmosphere.
As the light faded, blue gave way to black. AFERA revealed its darker face — not of serenity, but of wounds.
The stars above turned red, reflecting the heartbeat of the living corruption below.
> "Reinhard, do you hear me?" came the Overseer's voice through Samnarii resonance.
"I hear you, Overseer."
"This Distortion's energy... it's not residual. There's a consciousness inside. It's calling your name."
Reinhard's eyes flickered — the pale blue lenses trembling faintly.
> "Then I'll answer," he said coldly.
"With light... or with bullets."
---
Part II: The Abyssal Frontline
The roar came before the light — before even the signals pierced the thick air of the Lower Layer.
The blackened ground trembled; starlike dust scattered like falling embers. From within the red mist, Reinhard's forces descended.
The sky here never turned truly dark — instead, it was cracked. Luminous violet fissures streaked the heavens, dripping fragments of Distortion energy onto the earth below.
The Lower Layer — once the sacred city of the Samnarii — now lay as a labyrinth of corroded steel and rotting crystal roots.
> "All units, spiral shield formation! Combat drones, switch to Flame and Electric modes!"
— Reinhard.
Metallic echoes answered in unison.
Dozens of drones hovered, crimson optics glowing.
To the right, the Samnarii Vanguard formed ranks, their spears of light pulsing in rhythm.
Reinhard stepped to the cliff's edge.
Below — the ruins of a city swallowed by mist.
From the cracks, creatures crawled out — Distorted beasts of molten flesh and metal, eyes burning crimson.
> "Overseer, visual confirmed. Oblivion-class entities... at least two dozen."
"I see them. The light above you is stable. Reinhard — don't let the mist touch your Thermal Core."
"I've danced in hell before."
Reinhard drew his twin pistols — Pyraflare Requiem.
The weapons pulsed with molten light, veins of fire flowing through their frames.
He raised them, and the air shimmered with heat.
> "Mechalith units: establish safe zone, radius thirty meters. Initiating Purge of Flames."
His body trembled.
Orange lines ignited beneath his armor as the Thermal Core awoke.
Steam hissed from his back — twin cannons unfolded from his shoulders with a metallic growl.
> "Overheat mode — engaged."
The ground erupted.
Two torrents of fire spiraled outward, engulfing the battlefield. The first blast hurled a dozen Distorted into the air, burning them into ash. The second created a dome of molten heat, vaporizing the dark mist.
The Samnarii cheered — but Reinhard pressed forward.
He walked through the inferno, his eyes gleaming through his visor.
> "Perimeter secure within ten meters," reported a Samnarii.
"Hold the line. I'm going deeper."
"Alone, again?" the Overseer asked.
Reinhard's smirk was faint.
"You already know."
He activated the holographic console on his wrist.
> "Deploy drones — Flame and Electric mode."
Three drones formed a triangle above him.
"Warp coordinates C5. Open fast route."
Space bent; the air shimmered.
Reinhard vanished.
He reappeared atop a half-collapsed tower — and before him loomed the source.
The Abyssal Core.
A massive abomination of living metal and shadow. Each movement made the ground quake.
> "Primary unit detected," his internal system chimed.
"Weak point: dorsal energy core. Physical stability: high. Risk level: extreme."
"Too late to retreat."
Reinhard leaped from the ruins, firing in midair.
Flaming bullets tore through the monster's armor; bursts of orange light erupted inside its flesh. The creature roared, hurling a wave of black energy.
Reinhard twisted aside, commanding his drones.
> "Electric strike — fire!"
Bolts of lightning crashed into the monster's legs, paralyzing it momentarily.
"Flame formation — rotate!"
The drones spun, forming a blazing ring that encircled the beast.
The Overseer's voice echoed like a prayer.
> "Reinhard, your light is fading. You're out of energy."
"No. I'm just borrowing a little from hell."
He pulled the lever on his chest, forcing the Thermal Core past its limit.
Alarms blared.
> "Critical overheat — resilience dropping."
"Let it."
He raised both arms — shoulder cannons glowing white-hot.
> "Purge of Flames: Overdrive Mode!"
The sky itself turned orange.
A wave of fire expanded outward, consuming everything.
The explosion shattered the ruins, melted the earth, and silenced the howling Distortion in a storm of molten light.
When the inferno settled, Reinhard stood alone in a crater of glass and ash.
Smoke rose from his armor.
> "Target... neutralized."
"You nearly burned yourself alive," the Overseer scolded.
"At least... I was faster than the flames."
As the Samnarii forces arrived, one young warrior approached, awe in his glowing eyes.
> "Guardian Heydritch... how did you fight that thing alone?"
Reinhard gazed toward the dying fires.
"I wasn't alone," he said quietly. "Every flame in AFERA knows... whom it burns for."
---
Part III: The Light That Never Fades
The air still shimmered from the blast.
The Lower Layer lay silent — only the hiss of molten metal and the fading hum of Distortion energy remained.
Reinhard stood amidst the wreckage, alone but not lonely.
From the sky, white motes of light began to fall — the blessing of the Overseer of Light.
> "Reinhard," came the gentle voice, resonating in his mind, "you've pushed your Overheat too far. Your systems are nearly molten."
"You know I don't do things halfway," he rasped. "AFERA doesn't need a Guardian afraid to burn."
The light descended, forming a tall man with hair of pure radiance. His eyes gleamed a soft gold — the Overseer of Light himself, AFERA's spiritual warden, and the only being who saw the Mechalith not as machines, but as souls that could feel.
Each step he took left trails of gold in the darkened ground, defying the return of shadow.
> "You've saved the Lower Layer again."
Reinhard turned, his helmet unfolding to reveal the pale synthetic skin beneath — metal veins faintly glowing.
"I only delayed the inevitable. This Distortion... it wasn't random. It was aware."
The Overseer lifted his hand. A beam of light projected from his palm, revealing a faint shadow of the fallen Distortion — and at its heart, a small crystalline core pulsing weakly. Inside shimmered a vague shape — humanoid... once human, perhaps.
> "That..." Reinhard stepped closer, eyes narrowing.
"Remnants of the past," said the Overseer. "They are not mere beasts. They're souls that failed to reincarnate after the fall of Aetheryos — their Etheric essence fused with metal, becoming Distortion."
Reinhard froze.
The name Aetheryos struck him like a bullet.
His home world. His grave.
> "So they're..." he whispered. "My brothers."
"Perhaps," murmured the Overseer. "Those burned by the same war that forged you."
He regarded Reinhard quietly, as though seeing past the armor to the soul within.
> "You brought the fire of war to AFERA, Reinhard. But that same fire has saved us countless times. Now you must decide — will you keep burning... or begin to shine?"
Reinhard looked upward.
The cracks in the sky were closing, streaks of dawn-like light bleeding through.
> "I never sought redemption," he said softly. "But if this light wants me as its guardian... then let me burn beside it."
The Overseer smiled faintly.
> "You speak like a flame that knows its end. But even embers can become stars — if you let them endure."
He extended his hand.
Light flowed from his palm into Reinhard's chest.
Notifications flickered in Reinhard's HUD:
> [Light Resonance Detected]
System Compatibility: 96.3%
New Module Unlocked — Aetherflare Core.
Reinhard's body shuddered.
The usual red-orange glow of his Thermal Core shifted — now it blazed gold.
Heat no longer stung; it felt alive.
It was no longer destruction, but protection.
> "What have you done?"
"You've proven yourself, Guardian Heydritch," said the Overseer gently. "AFERA now knows you — not as a wanderer from beyond, but as its true protector."
Far above, pillars of light rose from the surface — the prayers of the Samnarii. Their radiance merged with Reinhard's new golden flame.
The battlefield grew quiet.
Reinhard gazed skyward — toward Nova Dine and the Manor of Heydritch far above.
> "They're still waiting for me," he said.
"They always will," replied the Overseer. "You're no longer alone in this war."
He bowed his head slightly — a gesture of respect.
> "Thank you, Overseer... for believing."
"Not belief," the Overseer smiled. "Just faith — that even fire can become light when given purpose."
His form began to fade, merging with the purified mist.
Reinhard remained, Pyraflare Requiem in hand — its metal glimmering with a soft golden hue.
Through the comms, a Samnarii voice echoed:
> "Guardian, command reports atmospheric stability restored. All sectors secure."
"Good," Reinhard replied. "Hold the perimeter. I'll complete one final patrol before returning."
He walked slowly across the scorched earth, gaze fixed on the horizon — where a broken world began to heal beneath the dawn.
Every step left a glowing mark, as if his flame had finally found its purpose.
> "Aetheryos forged me..." he whispered.
"But AFERA gave me a reason to endure."
Above him, the cracked heavens began to glow — a false sunrise born from the planet's core.
The first Trace of Dawn rose over the ashes of the old war.
[End of Chapter III]