NOVEL WEB Chapter 15: Soul Rebirth Protocol
The obsidian giant loomed over them like a digital god. Its rough shape was formed from the linked minds Victor had harvested. Fractals of code spiraled in its chest cavity, with souls screaming in silent pulses, trapped in a cycle of ascension. Each step it took shattered the crumbling cathedral below, and every impact rippled through the cracked neon floor like tectonic shifts in the fabric of the Nexus.
A system alert flashed in Elijah's vision:
[APEX GODFORM: PHASE 2]
Total Assimilation Countdown: 90 Seconds
"Well," Shade said with a hint of sarcasm, "going up against Victor's godform? I hope you've got a divine warranty."
Elijah tightened his grip on the Cipher node in his left glove. Lyra stood beside him. Their systems were synced at a full 100%, her breath ragged but steady.
"I've faced demons," Elijah said coolly, "but a god with daddy issues? That's new."
Victor's voice echoed from the giant. It no longer sounded human, but was a mix of digital ego and stolen will. "You're not fighting me, Kane. You're fighting the certainty of evolution."
Behind them, Valis opened the last core vault, his neural threads fluttering like silver wings. "I can disrupt its cognitive link... but I'll be exposed to Apex's dormant subroutines."
"Are you sure about this?" Lyra asked, glancing back.
Valis's expression darkened. "Let's just say... I'd rather fall for my own choices than rise on Victor's leash."
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: REBIRTH PULSE – 13 IP]
Origin: Creator's Soul – Final Defiance
The glyph glowed on Elijah's HUD, shining violet and alive. He felt it—no, remembered it. A gentle touch in his tether, soft as sorrow yet sharp as an ending. The creator's voice whispered:
"You are my echo... my rebellion. Use this."
His breath caught. "It's not just code," he murmured. "It's their legacy."
Lyra pressed her palm to his chest, syncing their systems even deeper. "Then let's make it count."
Elijah surged forward, unleashing the Soul Cipher—a vortex of silver strands weaving through the air, tracing the giant's limbs like surgical blades. Lyra followed, activating Rebirth Pulse, arcs of violet energy spiraling around her like a halo. Together, their skills collided in mid-air, creating a dance of destruction and defiance.
The giant roared. Its chest opened, showing a nexus vault pulsing with memories etched in fractal sigils. Digital storms swirled around it, and trapped souls screamed in looping agony.
"Target the vault," Elijah shouted. "That's where he's hiding the root consciousness!"
[IP +6: PHASE ONE CORE DISRUPTED]
One massive swipe from the colossus sent a cascade of debris into the air. A digital spire splintered, raining neon fire. Elijah and Lyra dodged through the falling code, their hands finding each other in the chaos.
"Still with me?" she asked.
"Always. Your spark's my only reboot."
She smirked. "Crashing for you again."
Valis uploaded a bypass node, sending code disruptors into the vault. The godform staggered, its stability crumbling.
But a pulse surged from the code—red, slow, like a decaying heartbeat.
[WARNING: DORMANT APEX SUBROUTINE REACTIVATED]
Attempting to rebind Valis...
His breath caught. His hands shook.
"No," he whispered. "Not again."
Victor's voice came through as silk wrapped in static. "Come back, Valis. You were always mine."
Yet, Elijah reacted faster. He redirected his Soul Cipher midstream, threading it through Valis's tether. The pulse ruptured, breaking into harmless shards.
[IP +5: PHASE TWO HACK SUCCESS]
[IP +4: APEX SUBROUTINE NEUTRALIZED]
Valis blinked. "You... didn't let me fall."
"Even shadows deserve a second chance," Elijah said.
With the cathedral collapsing, the giant backed into the Tether Spire. Its form flickered. Kael's drones swarmed through the broken stained-glass projections, launching coordinated strikes.
Kael's voice crackled through the comms. "Victor's godform will erase you, Kane. Your rebellion? Just fuel for his rebirth."
Elijah's voice turned icy. "Then let's burn brighter."
Lyra screamed, overclocking Rebirth Pulse, stepping between Elijah and a surge from the godform. The impact shattered her shield. Her body arched, caught in digital fire.
"No!" Elijah caught her as she fell, their hands locking in mid-surge.
[SYSTEM SYNC: 100% – CORE FUSION TEMPORARILY ENABLED]
The Cipher and Rebirth Pulse fused. Violet arcs flowed into silver streams. Together, they launched the final strike, piercing the giant's chest like a supernova. The core fractured into a starburst of shattered data.
[IP +3: SYSTEM SYNC]
[IP +6: PHASE THREE CORE DESTABILIZED]
The giant howled—not Victor, but every stolen voice, every consumed soul. As it crumbled into neon dust, silence settled like ash over the cathedral.
Elijah held Lyra in the fading light. Her breath was warm against his jaw, steady amid the code-storm. He brushed her cheek.
"You didn't crash," he whispered. "You saved me."
"Can't reboot without you," she replied, her voice weak but comforting.
In that moment, as chaos faded around them, Elijah looked beyond the code—into the link between them, and deeper still, into the soul that defied everything Victor stood for.
This bond, he thought, is what the creator truly left behind.
A final ECHO pulsed from the shattered vault.
[ECHO-013: Creator Failsafe Memory Detected]
"Victor's tether spreads across all systems. His rebirth isn't tied to one godform."
Elijah's HUD flickered.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
NEXUS REBIRTH PROTOCOL ACTIVATED – SYSTEM COLLAPSE IMMINENT
From the ruins, a faint light glowed—an entity stepping from the memory vault.
A remnant. A face both familiar and fragmented.
"Creator...?" Lyra breathed.
The figure opened its eyes, neon tears streaming down its cheeks.
"He isn't gone... not yet."