The command node was alive.
I felt it as I approached—a pulsing, hungry intelligence that had consumed countless realities before ours. It recognized me, knew what I was, and found me... interesting.
Traveler. Its voice was a thousand voices, speaking in unison. You've come far. But you're not what you once were.
"And you're not as powerful as you pretend."
We have consumed realities older than your memories. Civilizations that spanned galaxies. Powers that dwarf your current form.
"Then you should have no problem with me."
I attacked.
The battle that followed was unlike any I'd fought. Not physical—the node existed beyond physical laws. It was a war of wills, of dimensional manipulation, of reality itself bending and breaking around us.
[COMBAT ASSESSMENT: Paradox vs. The Collective]
[Your power: Stage 4 (boosted)]
[Collective power: EXTREME]
[Predicted outcome: 20% victory chance]
[Adjusting for variables...]
[Hope's power resonance detected: +15%]
[Davina's magical support: +10%]
[Klaus's tactical coordination: +5%]
[New prediction: 50%]
Fifty percent. Even odds.
I could live with that.
We fought through the rift, through layers of reality that shouldn't exist, through darkness that tried to consume my consciousness. The Collective threw everything at me—memories of past failures, visions of futures where everyone I loved died, whispers of the power I could have if I just gave in.
I refused. All of it.
"You're nothing," I told them, even as they tore at my mind. "I've seen your like before. Consumed realities, civilizations, dreams. You're parasites. And parasites can be cut out."
I reached for the crystal shard—the remnant of Oracle's gift—and channeled everything I had.
[POWER SURGE: 200% of Stage 4 capacity]
[Duration: SECONDS]
[Risk: CRITICAL]
The node screamed as my power tore through it. Reality rippled, cracked, began to heal. The Collective's presence wavered, weakened, retreated.
[COMMAND NODE: DESTROYED]
[Collective forces: RETREATING]
[Invasion status: CONTAINED]
[Victory: ACHIEVED]
[Evolution progress: 98% toward Stage 5]
[Personal status: CRITICAL]
I collapsed.
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