Chapter 126 - A Question Older Than Time
"...Why?"
The single word echoed through the battlefield.
It was not spoken with malice.
Nor with curiosity.
It was spoken like the first sound ever uttered by a newborn.
The faceless Echo stood motionless before Kai.
Around it, reality continued to dissolve—but more slowly than before.
---
The Codex of the Beast Sovereign opened.
Anomaly Detected
Echo of the Nameless Horror
Behaviour:
Unexpected
Hostility:
Temporarily Suspended
Recommendation:
Communicate
---
Kai lowered his spear.
Behind him, Lucien shouted,
"Kai, don't!"
"It could be a trap!"
Noctis raised a hand, stopping the Wardens from attacking.
"Wait."
"The Echo is changing."
---
The Origin King watched silently.
For the first time in twelve thousand years...
Hope appeared in his eyes.
---
Kai took one careful step forward.
"You asked why."
The Echo nodded.
Its blank face reflected no emotion.
Kai placed a hand over his heart.
"Because we're alive."
The Echo remained silent.
Kai continued.
"When you're alive..."
"You laugh."
"You cry."
"You make mistakes."
"You lose people."
"But you also meet people worth protecting."
---
The Echo looked at the Seven Guardians.
"What..."
"...is protecting?"
Pyron stepped forward.
"It is standing between danger and someone who cannot stand alone."
Fenris added,
"It is choosing another's life over your own."
Nereus smiled gently.
"It is love without asking for anything in return."
---
The void surrounding the Echo trembled.
Tiny fragments of darkness drifted away from its body.
The Gate of Origins stopped shaking.
---
Suddenly—
A deafening scream erupted from beyond the Gate.
The Nameless Horror itself had reacted.
Not in anger.
In pain.
The Echo clutched its head.
Countless whispers burst from its body.
"Return..."
"Forget..."
"Erase..."
The small figure fell to its knees.
---
The Codex flashed urgently.
Warning
The Echo is resisting the Prime Consciousness.
Estimated Time Before Reassimilation:
Five Minutes
---
The Origin King understood immediately.
"It has become an individual."
"The Song awakened its sense of self."
Noctis stared in disbelief.
"Then..."
"It can choose."
---
The Echo struggled to stand.
It looked at Kai once more.
"I..."
"...don't..."
"...want..."
The words came slowly, painfully.
Kai knelt before it.
"You don't have to become what you were."
The Echo raised its trembling hand.
"Can..."
"...I..."
"...exist?"
Silence filled the stars.
Kai smiled.
"Yes."
---
At that moment...
The wooden whistle glowed brighter than ever before.
The melody of the First Beast Sovereign spread across the battlefield.
The Echo's body slowly transformed.
The endless darkness surrounding it condensed into a tiny silver flame.
The faceless figure gained gentle blue eyes.
Then a smile.
For the first time...
A fragment of the Nameless Horror had become a living soul.
---
The Codex announced:
New Entity Registered
Name: Lux
Classification:
Echo of Hope
Status:
Independent
Alignment:
Ally
---
Before anyone could react—
The Gate exploded.
A colossal hand of absolute darkness burst through the shattered seal.
It was thousands of times larger than the tiny Echo.
The true Nameless Horror had realized what had happened.
It had lost a piece of itself.
And now...
It wanted it back.
The Origin King raised every remaining ounce of his power.
Noctis summoned the last of the Eternal Chains.
Kai stepped forward, placing himself between Lux and the impossible darkness.
The final battle had entered its decisive stage.