[Midnight - Palace Grounds]
The royal gardens lay still under the silvered glow of the moon.
Gentle winds brushed over the roses and ivy, whispering of an ancient secret stirring.
Queen Althea slept fitfully in her chamber, hands protectively over her womb — while her husband Darius paced the corridors, unease prickling his skin.
Somewhere in the deep night…
Something cracked.
---
[Inside Phantom Nexus]
Arden sat atop the Wisp Garden's tallest crystal, small hands folded under his chin.
A trembling in the air warned him seconds before it happened.
The Rift ripped open.
Reality tore like wet silk — colors wrong, shapes shifting, sounds bleeding backward.
From within that breach, a creature oozed into existence:
A Riftborn — a creature neither alive nor dead, neither matter nor spirit.
Its form flickered constantly — at times insectoid, at times humanoid, at times a storm of blades.
> [Riftborn Detected: Level Unknown!]
Danger Level: Extreme.
Mutation: Adaptive Predation.
Arden's crimson eyes narrowed.
He immediately issued orders via Mindhub.
Nova: Deploy illusions.
Umbra: Flank left. Prepare for a shadow strike.
Arden Clone #1: Lure it deeper into the trap.
The preparations clicked into place like pieces of an ancient machine.
The royal priests staggered awake.
Seers gasped and fell to their knees.
Even deep underground, the castle itself seemed to groan — the old stones remembering wars that hadn't yet been fought.
In Queen Althea's dream, her son — the light and the darkness — stood before an endless army of Riftborn, alone and unbending.
[Phantom Nexus — First Strike]
Nova appeared first — her ethereal form weaving illusions that bent light and logic alike.
She spawned dozens of phantom clones to confuse the Riftborn.
Umbra launched from the shadows like a cannonball, jaws snapping toward the creature's flickering throat.
It shrieked — an awful, grating sound — and retaliated with a swarm of razor-sharp limbs.
The battle exploded.
[Arden's Status Update]
> [Mindhub - Stable.]
[Command Efficiency: 93%.]
[New Skill Ready: "Tactical Override" - Briefly control all connected units manually for extreme precision.]
Arden exhaled slowly, then activated it.
His mind expanded — instantly seeing through Nova's and Umbra's eyes as if they were extensions of his own body.
He dodged.
He struck.
He baited.
Every movement flowed like a symphony of violence.
---
[Family Bond — Hidden Buff Activation]
As Arden fought…
> [Queen Althea's maternal instinct flares.]
[Hidden Skill Triggered: "Mother's Blessing"]
+5% All Stats for Arden inside womb.
+15% Resistance to Corruption Effects.
Love was a weapon, too.
[The Turning Point]
Despite their best efforts, the Riftborn adapted rapidly.
It learned Nova's illusions.
It predicted Umbra's strikes.
And now, it turned its full hatred onto Arden himself.
The air around him twisted. Gravity buckled.
For the first time… true danger loomed.
Yet Arden didn't waver.
Instead, he smiled — a tiny, fierce smile that would one day make the multiverse tremble.
He activated the stolen skill he had buried deep within himself:
> [Quantum Reforge — Hidden Tier Skill Activated!]
Rewrite enemy abilities for 10 seconds.
Cooldown: 24 Hours.
[Battle Shift]
The Riftborn tried to adapt again —
Only to find its ability hijacked.
Its limbs failed.
Its flesh glitched.
Its shriek was now a scream of helplessness.
Arden moved.
He created a Quantum Blade — a sword of pure system energy.
And in a single clean strike, he severed the Riftborn's core.
It collapsed into black ash — its existence unmade by Arden's will.
[Aftermath]
> [Riftborn Annihilated!]
[Experience Points Gained: 32]
[New Item: Rift Core (Rare)]
[Level Up! Current Level: 2 -> 3]
A soft chime echoed inside the Phantom Nexus.
Arden's body absorbed the Rift Core — a swirling black gem now embedded just above his heart inside the digital plane.
He gained new passive boosts:
+10% Adaptation Resistance.
+5% Reality Manipulation.
[Meanwhile — Celestial System Observation Room]
Far beyond mortal senses, hidden inside the labyrinthine systems of fate...
An alarm triggered.
A glitch.
An unauthorized evolution.
A breach by an entity designated: [Unknown].
Celestial Administrators blinked awake.
Protocols buzzed to life.
An ancient voice whispered from the blackened edge of the multiverse:
"Find it. Before it grows."
[Back to the Palace — Sweet Family Moment]
Queen Althea awoke with a start —
But for the first time in weeks, she felt no fear.
Instead, she felt warmth.
Strength.
A tiny heartbeat pulsing fiercely within her.
She pressed both hands to her belly, tears welling up.
"You're protecting me, aren't you?"
Darius found her there, moments later.
He knelt, wrapping his arms around her.
No words were spoken.
None were needed.
Their child — their future king — was already fighting battles they couldn't even see.
And he would win them.
[ Phantom Nexus]
Arden stood alone before the Rift's remains.
The Phantom Nexus had been saved — for now.
Nova and Umbra knelt silently at his sides, awaiting orders.
Above, the Dungeon Core flickered with strange new light — its bond with Arden deepening.
And far, far away, ancient forces stirred.
Enemies would come.
Worlds would burn.
But so long as he lived…
Arden would protect.
And if necessary — he would destroy.