Gaia Chronicles: The Integral Saga

Location: Gaia HQ – Medical Bay, Observation Chamber

The white lights hummed softly above Hikari's unconscious form. She lay still, the shadows under her eyes deeper than usual, her skin pale as snow. Tubes of re-stabilized ether flowed into her veins, keeping her vitals from crashing.

Outside the glass pane, Cyg stood motionless, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

Elaine sat beside the window, her eyes red from crying.

"She hasn't moved in three hours."

Sylvia, leaning against the far wall, arms folded, glanced at Cyg.

"You haven't said anything since we landed. What are you thinking?"

Cyg didn't look away from Hikari.

"That wasn't just Divine Assimilation."

Sylvia's brow furrowed.

"You're saying it was something… else?"

"Something inside her woke up. And it wasn't just power."

Flashback: During the Eclipse Battle – The Moment Before Hikari Fell

As the Abyss King disintegrated, the void didn't close.

Instead, it watched back.

A thousand red irises opened within the sky itself. Something ancient peered through the veil.

And Hikari… smiled.

Sylvia had been closest to her then. She remembered the expression vividly.

A mix of freedom—And sorrow.

Not all of it Hikari's.

Location: Training Grounds – The Next Day

Cyg met with Eun-Ha under the massive crystal canopy where the Octagon usually sparred.

The sky was finally blue again, but the weight of it hadn't lifted.

Eun-Ha stood quietly, staff in hand.

"You wanted to speak."

"Not speak," Cyg said. "Train."

She blinked.

"...You're asking me to spar?"

"No one understands Divine possession like you."

Eun-Ha studied him for a long moment, then smiled faintly.

"You're scared."

Cyg didn't deny it.

"If it comes down to it… if she breaks… can I stop her?"

"You're not asking me to teach you to fight her," Eun-Ha said softly. "You're asking if it's possible to save her before that happens."

Elsewhere – Underground Jail Wing, Gaia HQ

Zaria stood across from Tryce Synthesis 16, who was reading a report on Abyssal awakening. His cold blue eyes shifted toward her as she stepped into the room.

"How's your arm?" she asked.

"Fine. The frostbite was worth it." He stood and approached the thick reinforced window, looking out into the training yard where Cyg and Eun-Ha sparred with increasing fury.

"So… Hikari unlocked her bloodline."

"It's not just bloodline," Zaria said. "It's ancestral memory. Sanguira was once bonded to an Abyssal Queen before it was purified. The Artifact remembers. Now Hikari remembers too."

Tryce raised an eyebrow.

"So she's not just awakening power… she's inheriting a curse."

Location: Gaia HQ – Rooftop Garden, Midnight

Hikari sat alone, wrapped in a blanket, staring at the stars. The skyline of Gaia shimmered below her. Despite the distance, she could still feel it. The echo in her soul.

She whispered:

"Is it still me… if something else speaks through me?"

Footsteps echoed behind her.

Cyg.

He approached slowly, sitting beside her. Neither of them spoke at first.

Eventually—

"You fought beautifully," he said.

Hikari let out a shaky laugh.

"You don't have to lie."

"I don't."

She looked at him, truly looked.

"Do you trust me?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Then—

"I trust your will. But I don't trust the Artifact."

Silence.

"Would you kill me if I lost control?" she asked.

"No," he replied flatly. "I'd find a way to pull you back."

Hikari's eyes welled with quiet tears.

"You sound so certain."

Cyg finally looked at her.

"Because I am. I don't give up on people."

She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Then don't let go. No matter what happens next."

Location: Abyssal Rift – Unseen Realm

In the darkness beyond the physical world, a chorus of voices hummed in hunger. And from the center of the void, Eiroth's song began to echo again.

But it was no longer a memory.

It was a summon.

And the Abyss… answered.