Chapter 125 - Return to the Gate
The Aurora departed the Sanctuary of the First Dawn.
The hidden island faded into mist, as though it had never existed.
Only Aurelia remained beneath the tiny tree, raising one hand in farewell.
"Grow well, my children."
Her voice echoed softly through the stars.
Then the Sanctuary vanished beyond every map once more.
---
The Codex of the Beast Sovereign opened.
Final Campaign
Objective:
Defend the Gate of Origins
Status of the Gate:
Critical
Heartseed of the First Dawn:
Dormant
Origin King:
Life Force Declining
---
No one spoke during the return journey.
The Seven Guardians stood silently upon the deck.
Each understood what awaited them.
There would be no retreat.
---
Hours later...
The stars ahead began disappearing.
One after another.
Entire constellations faded into darkness.
Fenris growled.
"We're too late..."
Kai gripped the railing.
"No."
"We're exactly when we need to be."
---
The Aurora emerged from hyperspace.
Every person aboard froze.
The Gate of Origins was still standing...
But only barely.
Great cracks spread across its ancient surface.
Golden light poured from the fractures like rivers.
Thousands of Wardens struggled to reinforce the Eternal Chains.
Many had already fallen.
Noctis still stood at the front.
His once-dark hair had turned silver.
His hands trembled from exhaustion.
Yet he continued holding the Gate shut.
---
The Origin King remained before the seal.
His body was almost transparent.
Only the cracked white mask remained fully visible.
He looked at Kai and smiled.
"You came back."
"I promised."
Kai answered.
---
Suddenly—
A terrible sound echoed through the void.
Not a roar.
A heartbeat.
THOOM.
Every crack in the Gate widened.
THOOM.
The Eternal Chains snapped by the hundreds.
THOOM.
The Nameless Horror had begun pushing with its full strength.
---
The Codex blazed crimson.
Emergency
Gate Integrity:
51%
Failure Projection:
Less than 24 Hours
---
Without waiting for orders, the Seven Guardians moved.
Skadi froze expanding fractures with ancient ice.
Nereus filled them with living tides.
Ignis and Pyron poured sacred flame into the weakened seal.
Fenris stood before the largest crack, his silver aura pushing back the encroaching void.
Ursa planted his colossal body against the Gate itself.
The ancient structure stopped moving.
For now.
---
Noctis walked slowly toward Kai.
His face was pale.
"The Gate can no longer be repaired."
Kai stared at the widening fractures.
"Then what do we do?"
Noctis looked at the Heartseed resting within the Codex.
"There is only one possibility."
Before he could explain—
A small figure stepped out through one of the cracks.
It was no taller than a child.
It had no face.
No shadow.
It simply walked across the void.
Where its feet touched reality...
Stars vanished.
Not destroyed.
Forgotten.
The Wardens who looked directly at it blinked in confusion.
"Why are we here?"
"What are we protecting?"
Several dropped their weapons, their memories fading.
---
The Codex reacted instantly.
Lesser Manifestation
Designation:
Echo of the Nameless Horror
Warning:
Direct contact causes conceptual erasure.
---
Kai tightened his grip on the wooden whistle.
He raised it to his lips.
A single clear note rang across the battlefield.
The Song of First Bonds spread through the stars.
The confused Wardens suddenly remembered.
The vanished memories returned.
Even the little faceless figure paused.
For the first time...
It tilted its head.
As if hearing something it had never heard before.
Kai lowered the whistle.
"It remembers."
The Origin King looked at him in astonishment.
"No..."
"It is listening."
A faint ripple passed through the Echo's featureless form.
Then, in a voice no louder than a whisper, it spoke its very first word.
"...Why?"
The entire battlefield fell silent.
Even the Nameless Horror beyond the Gate ceased pushing against the seal.
For one impossible moment...
The war itself seemed to pause.