The cavern stopped feeling like a place.
It felt like a system restarting.
Kael stood still for half a second.
That was rare.
Riven noticed immediately.
"…Okay. That pause of yours? That's the scary kind."
Kael didn't answer.
His eyes were locked on the Core.
Now fully active.
The voice returned—heavier, colder.
"Awakening Protocol initiated."
The ground beneath them split in a circular pattern.
Like a seal unlocking layer by layer.
Riven exhaled sharply.
"…Yeah. That's definitely not good."
Kael stepped forward.
Calm.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
"…Riven. Stay close."
Riven blinked.
"…You're starting to sound serious. I don't like that."
A deep mechanical hum filled the cavern.
Then—
the Eclipse units that Kael and Riven had been fighting earlier stopped moving.
They turned.
All at once.
Not toward Kael.
Not toward Riven.
But toward the Core.
Riven frowned.
"…Uh… why are they doing the robot teamwork thing now?"
Kael's voice dropped.
"…They weren't defeated."
A pause.
"…They were synced."
Riven's expression changed slightly.
"…Synced to what?"
Kael answered instantly.
"…The Core."
Silence.
Then—
the units collapsed into fragments of light.
And reassembled.
Different.
Stronger.
More refined.
Riven stepped back.
"…Okay that's cheating."
The Core spoke again.
"Correction: Combat Phase Activated."
Kael raised his sword.
Slowly.
"…So this is a controlled battlefield."
The Core responded.
"Correct."
Riven smirked slightly.
"…So basically we're inside a system that hates us. Awesome."
A shockwave hit the ground.
This time—
it wasn't random.
It was directional.
Targeted.
Kael blocked it instantly.
Steel clashing against invisible force.
Riven rushed in.
Fast.
Unpredictable.
"…Hey Kael, I'm starting to think we're the test subjects!"
Kael didn't look away from the Core.
"…We are."
Riven blinked mid-fight.
"…That's not comforting at all!"
The battlefield tightened.
Walls of energy forming around them.
Like a cage.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…Riven. Break the left field barrier."
Riven grinned.
"…Finally. Something I understand."
He moved instantly.
No hesitation.
No jokes now.
Just action.
Kael advanced toward the Core.
Step by step.
Each step heavier.
Each step resisted.
The Core observed him.
"Subject Kael approaching threshold."
Kael stopped.
Just outside the Core's radius.
"…Threshold of what?"
A pause.
"Memory Lock."
The air changed instantly.
Riven turned mid-strike.
"…Memory what?"
Kael didn't move.
For the first time—
something flickered in his expression.
Not fear.
Recognition.
The Core expanded its projection.
Suddenly—
the cavern was no longer a cavern.
It became a battlefield from the past.
Burning Eclipse symbols.
Broken alliances.
Kael standing in the center.
Holding something… or someone.
Riven froze.
"…Okay… I don't like flashback fights. Those always end badly."
Kael whispered.
"…Stop this."
The Core answered calmly.
"Restoring original deviation record."
Riven shouted.
"…Kael, snap out of it!"
Kael's grip tightened on his weapon.
But for a second—
he wasn't in control of the present.
He was back there.
The moment everything broke.
Then—
Riven appeared in front of him.
Hard impact.
Pulling him back.
"…Hey! Focus!"
Kael blinked.
Reality returned.
The Core reacted immediately.
"Interference detected."
The energy cage tightened violently.
Riven groaned.
"…Yeah okay, I officially hate ancient systems."
Kael steadied his breath.
Then—
something changed in him.
The pressure around him dropped.
Controlled.
Sharp.
Final.
"…You want the memory?" Kael said quietly.
The Core responded.
"Yes."
Kael raised his sword.
"…Then take it."
And he moved.
Not defensive.
Not cautious.
Decisive.
A single strike.
Clean.
Perfect.
The energy cage shattered instantly.
Riven's eyes widened.
"…Okay. That was actually insane."
Kael didn't stop.
He jumped toward the Core.
The Core reacted too late.
"ERROR—"
Kael's blade pierced the projection core.
Silence.
Everything froze.
Then—
the cavern lights shut off.
Complete darkness.
Riven shouted.
"…Kael?!"
A pause.
Then Kael's voice.
Calm.
Close.
"…I'm here."
A low mechanical crack echoed.
Then—
the Core spoke one final time.
"Deviation… accepted."
"Memory Lock… destabilizing."
And before silence fully returned—
a final line echoed through the cavern:
"He was never meant to remember."