Chapter 6: Genesis Rising
The night after their escape was a quiet one, but the silence didn't bring peace. It was the kind that lingered before a storm.
Kazuki sat by the fire, his thoughts tangled in the memories the Core had unlocked. The power inside him no longer felt foreign—it felt like destiny. But destiny came with a price.
Renji approached with a steaming mug of synth-coffee and handed it to him. "You didn't sleep."
Kazuki shook his head. "The visions haven't stopped."
"You see more of who you were?"
"Yes. And more of what's coming. Aegis is closer than we thought. They're building something bigger than Subject Zero. A whole army."
Renji's jaw tightened. "Then we need to dismantle them before they unleash it."
From behind, Aria joined them, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "We're going to need help. More Ascended."
Kazuki looked into the fire. "Then it's time to find them."
---
Two Days Later – The Ruins of Haven District
They followed Mio's data trail to a forgotten district buried under decades of city growth. Haven District had once been a safe zone for displaced Ascended, until Aegis wiped it out in a cleansing operation.
Only the most desperate or dangerous lived there now.
As they crossed rusted bridges and shattered glass buildings, voices echoed from above.
"Who walks the bones of the fallen?"
A figure leapt from a ruined wall—sleek, tall, and masked. She landed without a sound, twin daggers glinting.
Renji drew his blades. "Friend or foe?"
"Depends who you are."
Kazuki stepped forward. "We're not Aegis. We're looking for others like us."
She studied him. Then removed her mask.
A young woman, eyes glowing lavender. Scar over one brow. Her energy radiated calm power.
"Name's Rael. I lead the remnants here. You're the one they call the Corebearer."
Aria glanced at Kazuki. "Word spreads fast."
Rael smirked. "Faster when you've got someone feeding you visions."
From behind her, a boy no older than fourteen emerged. His eyes glowed green. He moved without touching the ground.
"This is Kaito," Rael said. "He sees things before they happen. He told us you'd come."
Kazuki knelt to the boy's level. "What else do you see?"
Kaito placed a hand on Kazuki's chest. His voice became distant, deeper.
"A broken sky. A city devoured by light. A choice that splits the world. And a name... Altair."
Kazuki's heart skipped. The name resonated. Familiar.
Renji stepped closer. "Altair? That's the codename Aegis used in their earliest Ascended files. It was redacted. Buried."
Rael's eyes narrowed. "We've been hunting whispers of Altair for years. A prototype Ascended—before even Project Genesis."
"Then we find Altair," Kazuki said. "Before Aegis does."
---
Aegis Command – Citadel Spire
Deep within the fortress, High Director Voss watched the surveillance feeds. His synthetic eye zoomed in on Kazuki's team.
"They've made contact with the Haven Remnants."
"And Rael has joined them," said his second-in-command, a woman with metallic skin and circuitry instead of veins.
"Excellent," Voss said. "Let the pieces come together. The Corebearer is walking the path. Soon, he'll bring us to Altair."
The woman raised an eyebrow. "You want them to find him?"
"Altair was the first. But his power was incomplete. Kazuki is the key to activating the rest. We follow... and when the door opens, we strike."
---
The Underground Temple – Site Zero
With Rael's help, they traced the location of Altair's stasis pod to Site Zero, a massive underground vault beneath an abandoned hydroelectric plant.
Mio hacked the facility's old systems, giving them an entry window of three hours.
Inside, corridors were covered in ancient wiring and arcane symbols. The air smelled like ozone and old power.
They descended a spiral chamber and found it: a sarcophagus-like pod suspended by gravity fields.
Inside floated a man—older, regal, body marked with golden runes. His eyes flickered open before they even touched the controls.
"I've been waiting," he said.
The pod lowered. Altair stepped out, barefoot, calm. His voice carried wisdom.
"Kazuki. My successor."
"You know me?"
"I knew your past self. You were the brightest of us. The one who dared to defy the Silence."
"The Silence?"
Altair placed a hand on Kazuki's shoulder. "A cosmic order that believes power must be silenced to preserve balance. They destroyed our home. Scattered our remnants across galaxies. And now... they've found Earth."
Aria gasped. "You mean Aegis is working with them?"
"No," Altair said. "They're being used by the Silence. Pawns to contain the awakening. But the true threat lies beyond."
Rael crossed her arms. "Why hide all this? Why wait until now?"
Altair's gaze turned heavy. "Because the Core needed time to find a host strong enough to resist its influence. You, Kazuki, were reborn for this."
Kazuki paced, overwhelmed. "And what am I supposed to do? Lead an army? Fight the Silence?"
Altair smiled faintly. "You must unite the Ascended. Awaken their true memories. And when the Silence comes—you will choose if this world fights... or ascends."
The chamber trembled. Outside, explosions echoed.
Mio's voice crackled in over comms. "They found you! Aegis breached the perimeter. You need to move now!"
Altair's hands glowed. "Let me buy you time. Go. There's a sanctuary beyond these tunnels. You'll find more remnants there."
Kazuki hesitated. "Come with us."
Altair looked skyward. "I'm already dying. My power has passed to you. But I can still slow them. Now go."
They fled through escape corridors as the vault collapsed behind them.
Altair turned to face the incoming soldiers.
"Come, agents of silence. Let me show you the fury of the first light."
---
One Day Later – Sanctuary Threshold
The sanctuary lay hidden beneath a mountain range, veiled by natural defenses and Ascended sigils.
It was a city within a cavern—homes carved from stone, rivers of light, and towers that pulsed with energy. Dozens of Ascended greeted them, many unaware of their full potential.
Kazuki stepped onto a platform, looking over the city.
"We need to train. We need to unite."
Rael addressed the gathering. "You've all felt it. The change. The awakening. Kazuki carries the Core. But he doesn't seek to rule. He seeks to protect."
One by one, hands were raised. Eyes glowed. Powers flickered to life.
Kazuki looked at them. And smiled.
Then a voice rang out.
"He's not the only one."
A woman stepped forward—tall, dark-skinned, with wings of pure light and a blade of flame.
Rael stepped back, shocked. "Selene... I thought you were dead."
"They tried," Selene said. "But the Core healed me. It showed me the truth. That this world's not broken. It's just... asleep."
She turned to Kazuki.
"You're not just the bearer. You're the Beacon. And we are the Dawn."
Before anyone could react further, the air split with a sound like reality tearing. A figure appeared in midair, cloaked in void—face obscured by a mask of stars. Time seemed to freeze around them.
Everyone dropped to their knees in pain—except Kazuki.
The figure spoke, voice layered and inhuman.
"Kazuki. The Silence has watched your rise. You interfere with the balance. Withdraw... or be undone."
Kazuki stood firm. "I won't back down. Not again."
The figure lifted a hand—and Kazuki screamed as his chest glowed with chaotic light.
A second Core symbol—red and broken—began forming beneath the original.
Selene reached for him. "Kazuki, no! That mark—it's the Mark of Division!"
The light exploded—blinding everyone.
And when it cleared—Kazuki was gone.
(To be continued in Chapter 7: The Core Divided)