The lower docks smelled like salt, rust, and spent Aether cartridges. Massive cargo cranes loomed overhead—half of them frozen mid-swing since the last orbital drop twenty years ago. Black Circuit runners had claimed the area years back, turning abandoned shipping bays into a maze of neon-lit stalls, chop shops, and backroom deal tables. Red emergency lights pulsed every few seconds, making shadows jump.
Kai and Renn moved along the edge of the main bay, staying behind stacks of corroded containers. Alarms from the upper levels still wailed faintly—distant, angry hornets. Iron Veil was hunting. Black Circuit would be hunting too, once their survivor reported back with the dud shard
Kai stopped behind a rusted forklift. Echo-7 stayed in his hand, barrel low but ready
"Stay close," he told Renn. "Don't touch anything. Don't talk unless I say.
Renn nodded. His hands still shook a little from the fight. "Who are we meeting?
"Old contact. Name's Mara. Runs a chop shop in Bay 17. She owes me from last year—when I pulled her out of a Void rift that opened in her back room.
Renn blinked. "You fought a rift?
"Fought what came out of it. Not the same thing.
They slipped past a group of runners haggling over a crate of plasma coils. One glanced their way—saw Kai's white hair, golden eyes—then looked away fast. Word traveled quick down here
Bay 17 was at the far end. Door half-open, blue welding sparks flashing inside. Kai pushed it wider with his boot
Inside: tools everywhere. Workbenches covered in disassembled Aether casters, rune-blades, cyber-limbs. A woman in her thirties stood at the center bench—short black hair streaked with grease, one eye replaced by a glowing red optic. Mara
She looked up. Didn't flinch
"Ghost-hair," she said. "Thought you were dead.
"Rumors," Kai said. He stepped inside. Renn stayed behind him
Mara wiped her hands on a rag. "Iron Veil's screaming your name up top. Four bodies. Clean work. You finally learn to shoot straight?
"Practice," Kai said
Her red optic flicked to Echo-7. "That's new. Looks like it likes you.
"It does.
Mara leaned against the bench. Arms crossed. "What do you want, Kai? Sanctuary? Credits? A new face?
Kai pulled the real Node shard from his pocket. Held it up. Foil peeled back just enough to show the faint violet glow inside the black crystal
Mara's optic zoomed in. "That's the one everyone's chasing. Pre-Cataclysm keyed fragment. Algorithm inside can force a Resonance Cascade. Instant jump. No ritual. No sacrifice.
Kai nodded once. "I know.
"You're holding a city-killer. Hand it over, I can fence it clean. Orbital syndicates will pay enough to buy half the docks.
"I'm not selling," Kai said
Mara raised an eyebrow. "Then why show it to me?
"I need information. And a safe place to sync with it.
Mara laughed—short, sharp. "Sync? You? Low-affinity scavenger kid? That thing will rip your core apart. You'll end up Void-touched, crawling walls, eating your own shadow.
Kai's golden eyes didn't waver. "I'm not low-affinity anymore. The gun proved it.
Mara looked at Echo-7 again. Then back at Kai
"You bonded it. Without ritual. Without catalyst.
"It bonded itself.
Mara whistled low. "Fractured Sync. Rare. Dangerous. Explains the glitches I've heard about you.
Kai didn't confirm or deny
Mara pushed off the bench. Walked to a heavy safe in the corner. Punched a code. Door hissed open. Inside: a small Aether isolation chamber—transparent walls, rune-etched floor, dampening field humming
"Use this," she said. "It'll contain the backlash if it goes wrong. But if you fry yourself, I'm not dragging your corpse out.
Kai stepped toward the chamber. Stopped. Looked back
"What's the price?
Mara smiled thin. "You tell me what happens when you sync. Every detail. If it works, I want first look at the new techniques. If it doesn't… well, I'll sell the body parts.
"Deal.
Renn stepped forward. "Kai—this is crazy. You don't know what that thing will do.
Kai glanced at him. "Stay outside. If it goes bad, run.
Renn opened his mouth. Closed it. Nodded
Kai entered the chamber. Door sealed behind him with a hiss
He sat cross-legged on the rune floor. Shard in one hand. Echo-7 in the other
He peeled the foil completely. The fragment pulsed—violet light washing over his face, making his white hair glow
He pressed the shard to his chest—right over the old Node wound scar
Closed his eyes
Breathed in
His core answered immediately
Pulse
Sharp
Hot
The shard's energy flooded in—raw, unfiltered Aether. Circuits in his chest lit up like shorted wiring. Pain spiked through ribs. He gritted teeth
Fractured Sync kicked in
Patterns flashed behind his eyelids: the shard's algorithm unfolding like code. Resonance Cascade blueprint. No sacrifice needed. Just intent. Just will
But the core fought back. Old fractures widened. Energy leaked—violet sparks dancing across his skin
Mara watched through the glass. "He's overloading.
Renn pressed hands to the wall. "Kai!
Inside, Kai's eyes snapped open. Golden irises burned bright—blue flecks igniting like sparks
He forced the sync
The shard cracked—hairline fracture running through it
Aether surged
His body lifted half a meter off the floor. Hair whipped upward. Violet light poured from his chest wound
Echo-7 vibrated in his hand—barrel glowing in sync
Then
Snap
The algorithm locked
Core stabilized
The shard crumbled to black dust
Kai dropped back to the floor. Breathing hard. Sweat on his face
He opened his eyes
Golden irises had faint violet rings now—permanent
He stood
Mara opened the door
"You're still breathing," she said. "Impressive.
Kai flexed his right hand. Echo-7 felt… different. Lighter. Barrel had new etchings—violet lines that weren't there before
He aimed at the wall
Fired
Standard plasma bolt
But it curved mid-air—homed on a tool rack across the room. Hit dead-center. Rack exploded
Mara whistled. "Homing round. Without ammo swap.
Kai lowered the gun. "The algorithm's in me now. Not the shard.
Renn rushed in. "You okay?
Kai nodded. "Better than okay.
He looked at Mara. "Information first. Who's buying these keyed fragments? Who's behind the syndicate push?
Mara leaned in. Voice low
"Word is—someone in the upper spires. Calls himself the Veil Architect. Old Cataclysm survivor. Wants to rebuild the original merge. Make Aether infinite. Controlled. By him.
Kai's core pulsed again—almost eager
"Architect," he repeated
Mara nodded. "He's the one who put the bounty on that shard. And now he'll know it's gone. He'll know someone synced it.
Kai holstered Echo-7
"Good.
He turned to Renn
"We're not running anymore.
Renn swallowed. "What are we doing?
Kai walked toward the door
"Going up.
Outside, alarms grew louder. Footsteps echoed—multiple squads moving in
Iron Veil. Black Circuit. Maybe syndicate hunters
Didn't matter
Kai stepped into the dock light—white hair glowing, golden-violet eyes sharp
Echo-7 hummed in his grip
The lower docks had just become a battlefield
And Kairos Voss had just taken his first real step toward the spires.