Lyssia's voice was soft, like wind brushing over circuits.
They sat by a lake of glass that reflected the twin moons of Valtoria. Around them, data-fireflies drifted lazily, illuminating the night.
Kaito tried to process everything. "You mean… you're a native of this world? Not a program?"
Lyssia dipped her hand into the glowing water. The ripples formed binary waves that shimmered like constellations. "Maybe I'm both. My mother said I was born when the first Architect uploaded his memories into the Core. Half human, half algorithm."
"Your mother?"
"She was an Architect too. She built the first sky."
Kaito looked up. The digital heavens glittered like glass beads — beautiful, artificial, eternal."Then what happened to her?"
Lyssia's smile faded. "She tried to rewrite fate. The System erased her."
For a long while, they said nothing. Only the low hum of the world filled the silence.
Then the Volourger interface flickered again.
[Warning: External Interference detected.][Origin: The Corrupted God — unit designation ZER0X.]
Kaito's blood ran cold. "What is that?"
Lyssia's eyes widened. "You shouldn't have said that name."
The lake's reflection shattered. Darkness rose from its depths — tendrils of shadow twisting into a shape both mechanical and divine. A humanoid figure of black crystal and silver wings unfolded, its voice echoing like a chorus of static.
"So… the Creator's child still lingers."
Lyssia grabbed Kaito's wrist. "Run."
But before they could move, the creature raised a hand. The entire landscape froze, time locking like ice. Only Kaito and Lyssia could still move — and even breathing felt like wading through honey.
Volourger's voice cut through the static.
[System Override Requested.][Engaging Subroutine: Guardian Protocol.]
Energy flared around Kaito's body, symbols igniting in his veins.
He gritted his teeth. "You want a god? I'll show you one."
[Skill Activated: Code Rewrite – Reality Layer Patch // Name: VOL-SMITE.]
The world inverted. Lightning coded in fractals crashed down, tearing the creature apart in a storm of pure logic. But even as it fell, it smiled — a cold, knowing smile.
"You cannot erase what you don't understand, Architect."
When the light faded, only silence remained. The lake was gone. The sky flickered.
Kaito fell to his knees, trembling. Lyssia caught him, holding him steady.Her touch was warm — far too human for this digital world.
"You fought like an Architect," she whispered, "but every rewrite takes something from you. Don't lose yourself."
He met her eyes, and for the first time, he felt something stir — something more than fear or duty.It was connection.It was real.
Above them, the system glowed faintly.
[Synchronization: 61%. Emotional Resonance Detected.][New Protocol Unlocked: HEART CODE.]
Kaito looked up at the floating letters and smiled bitterly. "A system that measures emotion. Figures."
Lyssia smiled too, but her gaze drifted to the dark horizon where the corrupted god had vanished. "He'll come back. And when he does, we'll need to be stronger."
"Then let's evolve," Kaito said, gripping the glowing gauntlet. "Together."
The stars above them shimmered, rearranging into symbols that spelled something ancient.A warning. A prophecy. A beginning.