The city trembled under the residual pulse of the Null commander's assault. Kael's body still bore the strain of previous battles, his mark flickering faintly, energy coiling tightly within him. Every attempt to extend the Nexus carried echoes of multiversal instability—a subtle, terrifying whisper that reality itself was beginning to crack.
"We can't keep patching responses," Kael said, voice hoarse but determined. "The Null commander's attacks aren't just assaults—they're forcing the Nexus to react, to destabilize itself. I need to create a new flow… something that anticipates the corruption before it happens."
Aria's holographic displays lit the room, energy nodes highlighted with fluctuating intensity. "You're talking about pre-emptive strikes across multiple nexus points simultaneously. That's… borderline impossible, Kael. Even minor miscalculations could send feedback through the city—or worse."
Ryken tightened his grip on his weapon. "If anyone can pull it off, it's you. Just don't die trying."
Veyra's shadowed form coalesced beside him, silver eyes reflecting the glowing projections. "The breakthrough you seek is not just technique—it is understanding. The Nexus is alive, Kael. To control it at this level, you must merge foresight with instinct, flow with the energy rather than command it, and accept the consequences of every pulse. One misstep, and not just the city, but entire realities could fracture."
Kael inhaled deeply, feeling the surge of power within him. His mind expanded, mapping not only the current state of corruption but also predicting the Null commander's next moves. He visualized the energy currents as threads across multiple planes, connecting nodes, channels, and feedback loops.
"This is it," Kael whispered. "If I can stabilize the flow across these nodes before the Null commander strikes, I can neutralize the catalyst effect permanently… or collapse everything."
The team watched in tense silence as Kael extended the Nexus, energy rippling outward in controlled arcs. The city's ambient energy responded, bending to his control, but Kael could feel the strain intensifying—muscles tensing, heart pounding, mind stretching to encompass multiple realities at once.