Part I: The Subterranean Forge
The next phase of Project Chimera required moving operations to the Academy's Restricted Engineering Labs, situated several levels below the Central Data Spire.
This sector was the physical heart of the Order of the Sundered Dawn, a vast, rumbling expanse where ancient reactor cores from the crashed Star pulsed with raw energy.
The air was heavy with ozone and the metallic tang of high-energy physics.
Lyra had secured the sensitive components needed for the High-Yield Energy Siphon—a device designed to draw a singular, massive, controlled burst of power to unlock the ancient Stasis Vault.
She was the lead designer, demanding meticulous precision.
Kael, still under the debilitating influence of the Neural Suppressor, was the chief fabrication engineer—a role that required constant, highly focused channeling.
Lyra, standing over a complex workbench cluttered with glowing alloys and crystalline components, didn't bother with pleasantries.
"The siphon requires a primary activation lens made from pure Alpha-Crystal," she stated, holding up a small, shimmering hexagon.
"Its fusion into the casing demands absolute, sustained stability.
Any fluctuation in the channeled energy field for even a microsecond, and the lens shatters.
If that happens, the energy feedback will overload the localized grid and likely collapse this entire level."
Kael knew this was another one of her tests, perhaps the most dangerous one yet.
Lyra was exploiting his rumored 'superior stability' to push him to his absolute limit, hoping to expose a flaw in his cover.
To succeed, Kael had to channel a constant, low-yield, perfectly stable energy field for thirty full minutes—a feat that strained his core far more than any violent, short-lived burst.
Kael positioned the Alpha-Crystal lens into the heavy, specialized housing unit.
He sat cross-legged, placing his bandaged hands on the alloy frame.
The Neural Suppressor—the physical symbol of his deception—felt cold and heavy against his chest.
Code: Slow, steady, perfect. Maintain the façade.
Do not allow the core to breathe.
He began the channeling.
He pushed the cyan light of his Stabilizer core out, keeping it aggressively muted, forcing the energy through the constricted pathway established by the Suppressor.
For twenty agonizing minutes, the process was stable.
Kael maintained the thin, consistent field required, smoothly fusing the Alpha-Crystal without flaw.
The low-frequency hum of the fusion process was the only sound in the vast room.
But the continuous, deep pressure on his core—the sustained output required for this precise task—was too much for the Neural Suppressor.
The device was designed to cap peak power, not to handle sustained output. It began to fail.
Kael felt a sudden, violent internal tremor. The patch on his chest began to vibrate erratically, heating up with terrifying speed.
He could feel the power—the raw, untamed Catalyst energy—surging beneath the surface, demanding release.
Lyra, who was monitoring the fusion on a console, snapped her head up.
"Kael! Your output is spiking erratically! Stop the channel immediately! You're initiating a core feedback loop!"
Kael grimaced, trying to obey, but the connection was seized.
The Suppressor wasn't allowing him to pull the energy back; it was fighting the natural flow, trying to dampen the surge, but only succeeding in creating immense, contained pressure.
The patch on his chest was now burning hot.
"I... I can't stop!" Kael grunted, sweat pouring down his face. "The Suppressor is fighting me! It's demanding input to neutralize the internal pressure!"
"That's not how stable energy works!" Lyra yelled, recognizing the signs of catastrophic failure.
"You are deliberately overloading your regulator!"
Kael felt the burning intensify—the physical device was failing to contain the immense power of his exposed core.
He knew he was facing a catastrophic choice: the device would either melt into his chest or explode, taking out the entire level.
The extreme physical stress, combined with the forced struggle against the memory-dampening device, triggered a violent, complete Echo.