Wind moved softly across the ruins the kind of wind that carried no air only memory Aiden stood weak but alive The sand under his boots glowed faintly with lines like circuitry stretching to the horizon He looked around but Kael was gone no trace no voice only the echo of laughter fading on the wind

Nara’s voice returned weaker than ever I am still here but my systems are failing Aiden smiled faintly You always say that then you find a way back She replied Not this time the network is gone you are the last signal

He walked across the desert following the glowing lines Each step triggered faint pulses of light ahead leading him toward a distant structure a single tower still standing half buried in glass He approached slowly realizing it was part of the original Erebus Gate the central spire that once housed the power core

He touched the wall feeling warmth through the metal Inside the chamber the console still worked its lights flickering weakly He said Nara can you link She whispered Minimal capacity only for communication Aiden nodded Good enough

He stared at the control panel knowing what it was asking The Gate could restart again rebuild something from the fragments but it would need a living source to stabilize the field He said So it wants a soul She said In crude terms yes

He laughed softly That’s one thing I still have He placed his hand on the panel Light surged around him wrapping his body in blue threads The system recognized him immediately Identity confirmed Aiden Cross final architect

Nara said If you do this you will cease to exist as an individual you will become part of the structure Aiden smiled Maybe that’s how we finally fix it Maybe we become what we were trying to reach

The tower shook as energy filled the air Outside the sand lifted into spirals The Gate reactivated one last time beams of light shooting into the broken sky He felt every heartbeat slow merging with the rhythm of the machine

Nara’s voice faded softer than a whisper I will remember you Aiden said You already are

The light swallowed him whole For a brief moment he saw every timeline align every version of himself every choice folding into one infinite moment Then silence

A new dawn rose over the shattered horizon The desert cooled the air cleared and where the tower once stood a single blue crystal pulsed quietly steady like a heartbeat

Far above among the drifting clouds a small ship appeared breaking through the haze Inside sat Kael eyes wide as he stared at the beacon glowing below He whispered You did it didn’t you you crazy engineer

The beacon’s pulse continued slow calm eternal

And in that light somewhere within the data that survived a voice whispered through the ether steady and human I am here