They emerged inside what looked like a broken cathedral floating in zero gravity—an old interdimensional nexus known as the Citadel of Iteration.
No wind. No sound. Just flickering data patterns on the broken walls.
"This place…" Reggie whispered. "It's a convergence point. A place where abandoned timelines get swept away."
Suddenly, they weren't alone.
From behind a twisted altar rose a tall figure, cloaked in a coat stitched from glitched realities. One arm was mechanical. The other was made entirely of light and code. His eyes were like twin white suns, and his presence radiated control.
Jake tensed. "Who…?"
The figure stepped closer and spoke with a voice that sounded like a thousand echoes fused into one.
> "I am Thalor—the Lost Architect. One of the original designers of the Echo Vault."
Isabella gasped. "You're real?! I thought the Architects were a myth."
Thalor nodded slowly. "Not a myth. A mistake. One I've spent centuries trying to undo."
Reggie stepped forward. "Then maybe you can help us stop Reverance."
At the mention of the name, Thalor's entire expression changed. For the first time, he looked afraid.
> "If Reverance has manifested… then you've already passed the point of containment. It is not an Echo. It is the result of a metagene feedback cascade across timelines. A being formed from the collision of power, emotion, and identity—twisted by interdimensional entropy."
Jake frowned. "So how do we stop it?"
Thalor looked at each of them in turn.
> "You can't. Not yet. But there is one thing you must do first: travel to the Cradle of Code, deep within the Origin Spire. It is the only place left where the rules of reality can be rewritten."
"And Reverance?" Vanessa asked.
> "Will hunt you every step of the way. Because in the Cradle… you can destroy it. Or become it."
Silence fell.
Then Jake clenched his fists.
"Then we better move fast."
---
🔚 To Be Continued…