[COLD OPEN — THE CRYSTAL TOMB]
We follow Niko as he walks alone. The walls around him shimmer — not stone, but memories. Entire moments from SkyVault's past are frozen inside glowing crystal: birthdays, farewells, crimes, laughter.
Niko breathes heavily. He's deep beneath the Gemspire, inside what Shard calls the Hall of Memory.
Niko (V.O.): Mira… I heard you. I'm coming.
He presses his hand against a wall. It glows, sucking him into a swirl of memory.
[FLASHBACK: THE BIRTH OF SHARD]
A young man — Ilios — walks the streets of SkyVault. A scientist, gentle. He studies energy, time, and emotion crystals. One day, a bombing hits the science district. His family is wiped away. SkyVault's council denies his pleas for support. He disappears.
Years later, he returns — changed. Ilios is now Shard, baptized in sorrow and gemlight.
Shard (in memory): If they won't remember us... I will make them permanent.
[BACK TO NIKO – INSIDE THE CORE]
Niko bursts out of the memory. He's crying. Furious.
Niko: You murdered them because they forgot you?!
He steps into a massive throne chamber beneath the Gemspire, where Shard, Dreiva, Prismmaw, and Lux Vein await.
Shard: Welcome, phase-walker. You found the beginning.
Niko: Then I'll make sure this is your end.
He explodes with power — phasing in all directions, creating ghost images of himself, teleporting mid-strike. The throne room shakes.
He rushes Shard. Dreiva blocks him, casting memory ribbons that distort time.
Dreiva: All paths fold into mourning.
Niko: Not today!
He snaps her ribbons and tackles Shard. A full-on brawl begins.
[ABOVE — FULL-SCALE BATTLE OUTSIDE THE GEMSPIRE]
The Vanguard charges with the SkyVault resistance army. The city is half-crystal now. The Gemspire looms above like a god's crown.
BATTLE STARTS:
Kael leads the vanguard: "We strike hard. Strike now. No second chances!"
Yuna raises massive root shields to protect civilians.
Echo-7 hacks and reprograms drones to counter Shard's proxies.
HUNDREDS OF CRYSTALLIZED PEOPLE FIGHT:
Children. Elders. Teachers. Doctors — all glowing, silent, obedient.
They attack in perfect synchrony, blade-hands shimmering.
Tari snipes from above, but even her precision is overwhelmed.
Tari: They're not enemies… they're victims!
Jax: We can't afford sympathy!
Kael: Then we fight with mercy — and end this now!
The Vanguard dive into the chaos. Combat is brutal, relentless.
[LUX VEIN VS. TARI]
Tari lines up on the cathedral roof. Lux appears from shadow.
Lux: Still hiding behind scopes?
Tari: And you still behind ghosts.
Lux fires — a split-second shot. It rips through Tari's chest. Blood sprays. She collapses.
Lux: Goodbye, sharpshooter.
Kael sees her fall. Screams.
Kael: TARI!
[INSIDE THE GEMSPIRE – NIKO'S FINAL STAND]
Dreiva is down. Niko bleeds from every inch but keeps fighting. Shard is damaged — cracks appearing across his chest.
Shard: You can't kill memory.
Niko: But I can remind you of pain.
He pulls all his energy into a final overload. A blinding burst of phase-energy. His body begins to disintegrate.
Echoes of Mira's voice: "Niko… you matter."
Niko smiles. Phases through Shard's chest.
A massive blast rips through the throne room.
Shard screams — partially shattered. Dreiva shields him with her final thread.
Niko (weak): Tell them… I tried.
He collapses. Dust.
[OUTSIDE — BATTLE CONTINUES]
Yuna screams in fury, unleashing a floral eruption.
Kael fights like a man possessed.
Echo-7 reaches Tari's side, stabilizing her. She's alive — barely.
Echo-7: You don't get to die. Not today.
[ENDING SCENE — THE AFTERMATH]
The battlefield is smoldering. Crystal corpses everywhere. The Gemspire cracks at the top. Shard retreats with Dreiva. Prismmaw limps behind.
Yuna (crying): He's gone. Niko's gone.
Kael: (clutching Niko's phase-band) He saved us. Saved the whole city.
Aurix: He died like a Vanguard.
Kael: No. He died like a friend.