Aetherveil and her advisors stood within the war room on Kalvos Prime. The glow from the planet’s energy core flowed through the large reinforced windows, casting long shadows across the room.

  "We know what Datashade can do," Psionus said as he was reviewing the intelligence reports. "We have lost contact with several outposts. It's responsible."

  Aetherveil stood by the central display reading through the reports. The display flickered, replacing them with a map of the Server Void.

  "I am waiting for you."

  She turned to Lilyon.

  "What do you think?" she asked.

  "We need to face him," Lilyon said, her arms crossed. “He's on us and there's no changing that now.“

  She had been researching the patterns in Datashade's attacks.

  "Datashade is going to—"

  Aetherveil's vision blurred.

  Lilyon was right.

  She didn't know if she was ready to lead her forces into the Nexus again. The faces of the dead haunted her thoughts. Rubbing her eyes, she felt a warm fluid sliding down her cheek. She wiped it with her hands—blood.

  She wiped her face harder, but it wouldn't go away.

  "You don't need to worry, Aetherveil. We will take good care of them."

  She gasped and searched the room. Her eyes were looking for anything that would make certain she was in reality.

  The shadows seemed darker now.

  "We trusted you. You did this to us."

  "Aetherveil?" Lilyon asked.

  Aetherveil looked at Lilyon, staring silently before responding.

  "We’ll go," she said.

  Her hands trembled as she gripped the edge of the display. She looked at her palms, they were clean now.

  "Datashade is a master of manipulation," Psionus said. "We can't trust anything we see in there."

  Lilyon nodded. "Aetherveil, are you—"

  "I'm fine!" she snapped, glaring at her.

  The display flickered again. The lines transformed into a face with hollow eyes, a smile stretched across its face.

  "You will fail them. We will be here to catch them when you do."

  "We don't have a choice," Aetherveil said, still fixed on the display. "You read the reports. He is on the warpath."

  "Ok," Lilyon replied. "I will prepare a team."

  "Before you go, what did the doctors say about your unit?" Aetherveil asked.

  "It's beyond anything they had ever seen. The Nexus was able to exploit our armor's neural interface,” Lilyon said. “More than that—it was able to change the luminescence of our eyes."

  "The technicians don't know how to protect them—if there is a way," Psionus added.

  Aetherveil stopped listening. She continued looking at the monitor, locked on to the glowing eyes in her reflection.

  "Psionus, can you see it?" she asked.

  "No," Psionus replied. "I don't know how, but it can conceal its influence from me. Whatever is going on in your mind, Aetheveil, I can't see it. I can't protect you."

  Aetherveil's chest tightened.

  “Then who will.“

  >>>>>***********************<<<<<

  The trio stood outside of the gateway with a squad of Sentinels. This was not going to be a battle. They agreed that if things went badly, they would immediately pull out.

  Aetherveil watched as the team entered, Lilyon the last to step through. She looked back at Aetherveil as she vanished into the light.

  She stopped in front of the ring and closed her eyes. With a deep breath, she advanced into the portal, a cackling bouncing off her eardrums.

  "I will see you soon, Aetherveil.“

  When she opened her eyes, she was alone in dark plains. The sound of thunder rumbled above as it began to pour down crimson. She quickly looked around.

  "Psionus?" she called out.

  "Lilyon?"

  She heard snickering from somewhere within the red squall.

  "It's just us."

  Aetherveil attempted to retreat through the gateway, but it wasn't responding. She drew her sword, its blade scraping out of the sheath, her grip tightly wrapped around it.

  "Did you really think I would just let you leave?"

  "Show yourself you coward!" Aetherveil shouted, slowly walking in circles with her sword leveled in front of her.

  "Coward? You hide behind your precious Sentinels and you call me a coward? They have learned the truth. I have shown them."

  An opening formed in the wall of rain, her squad of Sentinels stepping into view—their swords drawn

  "What are you doing?" Aetherveil shouted, her voice shaking. "This isn't you!"

  "Do you see now, Aetherveil? You’re nothing without them, and they’re nothing because of you."

  They began to encircle her, pointing the tips of their blades in her direction and syncronized in motion.

  "You led us here," they said, voices overlapping.

  "You can't save them. You never could."

  They charged Aetheveil.

  "Don't," she cried as she deflected their strikes.

  "Please—"

  She thrust her sword into the stomach of a Sentinel, her roar tearing through the construct. For a moment, she saw the humanity return to his face.

  "Commander—" the Sentinel whispered, his voice strained by the edge of metal sliding in and out with each contraction of his gut.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Aetherveil froze, her chest heaved as his body slumped against her blade. The rain washed over his face, erasing the last signs of his humanity. Sliding out the blade, his body crumpled, a fall muted by the spongy ground.

  One of the other Sentinels kicked her from behind, throwing her several feet forward. Rolling off her stomach, the Sentinels stood over her.

  "I'm sorry. I failed all of you," she whispered, eyes filling with tears.

  Before they could deliver the final blow, the entire construct collapsed. Energy blasts filled the expanse, the remaining Sentinels forced into combat with an unknown force.

  "Aetherveil!" A familiar voice called out. She tilted her head back, seeing Lilyon run towards her.

  She helped her up. "This is Selene," Lilyon said, gesturing to a woman beside her. "She got us out of the Server Void."

  "Psionus?" Aetheveil asked.

  "Him too," She replied.

  Aetherveil looked around. The Sentinels lay dead. People with Selene dragged their bodies next to each other, laying them out in neat line.

  "How are you here?" Selene asked. "I mean...actually here?"

  Two men joined his side. "Those are real bodies," one said. "That shouldn't be possible."

  "Quantum gateways," Aetherveil replied. "They're how we enter the Nexus."

  "Quantum gateways?" he asked, skeptical.

  "I can't explain it to you. It's beyond your understanding…and mine," she said. "I need to find Datashade."

  "You're out of your damned mind if you think you're going to fight him," he snapped.

  "Tell me where!" she shouted, grabbing him by the collar.

  Lilyon pulled her off of him. He straightened himself out.

  "You won't have to look hard. He will come to you," he replied.

  Aetheveil looked at Lilyon.

  "Where is Psionus?" she asked.

  Lilyon smiled, her body flickering.

  "Lilyon?"

  She dissolved into a pile of pixels. Aetherveil reached out, her arm piercing through them. "No—no!"

  She heard sinister laughter.

  The construct went dark.

  "I haven't finished with you, yet.“

  >>>>>***********************<<<<<

  Lilyon and Psionus analyzed Aetherveil as she remained frozen. The construct around them was a cavernous chamber filled with static discharges.

  "Psionus, what's wrong with her?" Lilyon asked, looking into Aetherveil's blank eyes—the arcs reflecting off their surface.

  Psionus had been trying to connect with her mind, but he was being pushed out.

  "It's Datashade. He has her," Psionus said.

  "What do we do? How do we get her back?" Lilyon asked, a film of tears glazing her eyes.

  The Sentinels' heads shot up. They looked into the darkness, rifles raised.

  "State your intent!" one of them shouted.

  Selene and two others stepped out of the shadows, hands raised.

  "We know what this is," she said. "You're in the Server Void."

  Lilyon blinked several times trying to rebuild a projection of strength.

  "Who are you?" she asked.

  "She is not real, but she is also not Nexus," Psionus said, walking closer.

  "We are players—avatars." Selene said. “I'm Selene. These two are Daemon and Kade.

  Lilyon looked around before snapping her attention back on Selene.

  “Server Void?" Lilyon asked. "I thought that's where she is."

  "She is," Selene replied. "And so are you. What we don't know is how she can be here and with Datashade at the same time.“

  “As I'm sure you have figured out, we're not simply avatars,” Psionus said.

  He turned slightly, extending his arm out toward Aetherveil.

  “Datashade was able to intercept her consciousness mid-transmission. The gateway, however, completed the process of constructing her body here—possibly as a failsafe.“

  "How do we get her out?" Lilyon asked, desperation in her voice.

  "I'm sorry," Selene said, stepping closer to Lilyon. The Sentinels kept their rifles trained on her.

  "You don't. You need to leave her. You don't want to be here for what comes next," she said.

  Lilyon's brow furrowed deeply as she shot a piercing look at Selene.

  "No!" she snapped. "We won't leave her. Whatever happens, we'll face it together."

  She motioned for the Sentinels to lower their weapons.

  "If you want to leave—leave. We're staying," Lilyon said, turning toward Psionous.

  He nodded while continuing his attempts to connect with Aetherveil's mind.

  “The longer she is in this state of duality—”

  Psionus silenced himself. Selene's hand rested on Lilyon's shoulder.

  "I'm not trying to save you from the Nexus. I'm trying to save you from your friend," Selene said, softly.

  The intensity of the discharges grew in sync with the volume laughter echoing all around them.

  "They will learn as you have, Selene."

  Daemon and Kade quickly turned to look at her.

  "What does it mean by that?" Kade asked, concerned.

  "I—" Selene turned away.

  The laughter grew louder.

  "Tell them, Selene. Go ahead. Tell them about Arcturus."

  "Arcturus?" Daemon asked.

  “He's nobody,” Selene replied softly.

  Selene looked toward the static. "You don't know what he's capable of.“

  Psionus gasped. Lilyon ran to him, his body frozen like Aetherveil's.

  >>>>>***********************<<<<<

  Psionus found himself in the plains. Every step he took felt wet and spongy, the soles of his boots getting pulled into the mush.

  "Aetherveil?" he called out.

  He continued walking, cautiously, searching for Aetherveil, not knowing if he was in Aetherveil's mind, or Datashade's construct. He observed a humanoid silhouette in the distance. It became a more recognizable shape as he got closer to it.

  It was Aetherveil.

  He noticed some things off about her. She wasn't moving, armor dull and corroded. Her eyes glowed a dim green light.

  "Aetherveil," he called again.

  She turned slowly, almost mechanically, green eyes locking onto him. There was no recognition, no humanity beneath them. Her mouth formed an empty, hollow smile.

  "Psinous," she said.

  "This isn't you," Psionus replied.

  His psychic connection was being blocked. Every attempt was like pushing his head down in a bowl of broken glass. She stepped forward, movements rigid and seemingly forced.

  "You abandoned me, Psionus," she whispered. "You let this happen. Just like you let all the others die."

  The ground beneath him began to move, his feet sinking into the grass. He looked down to see hands—Sentinels reaching out of the earth, clawing at his ankles.

  "Stop!" he commanded, unleashing a wave of energy. The hands dematerialized, but the ground kept moving.

  His left. "You can't save her.“

  His right. "You can't save anyone. Pathetic."

  Aetherveil charged at Psionus, swinging her sword in clumsy arcs. He quickly rolled out of the way—she didn't seem to have the same competence he was familiar with.

  She swung again, Psionus dodging the blade and throwing her to the ground. He held her down as he attempted to connect with her mind again, but with more force. He was thrust backward by an explosion of energy, struggling to get back on his feet.

  The laughing grew louder.

  “My control over her is absolute. She belongs to me.“

  Psionus looked around the construct trying to figure out where Datashade was hiding.

  “If your control was absolute, why has she forgotten how to wield her sword?“ he asked.

  The laughter faded. The glow in Aetherveils eyes flickered—it was all a facade. Psionus seized the moment, focusing on the vulnerability in Datashade's hold over her.

  In her mind, he could feel the agonizing pain of its control, but he began to see the cracks in the illusion. The blood-soaked plains transformed into something new—memories. The faint glow of her true self was buried beneath the layers of Datashade's manipulations.

  “Aetherveil, I know you’re in there,” he said, stepping closer. His hand hovered near her shoulder, but he didn’t touch it.

  “You’re clumsy with your blade because it’s not yours anymore. It didn’t finish the job, did it?“

  Her head twitched at his words. Her mouth opened as if she was going to speak, but nothing came out—just a choking rasp.

  “You presume too much, Psionus. I will crush her rebellion. My hold will only get stronger.“

  Psionus ignored its taunts. “Keep fighting it, Aetherveil. You don't belong to it.“

  He threaded through the gaps where Datashade's control had broken down, finding pathways in her mind no longer being manipulated by him.

  “You are more than their tool,” Psionus said, his voice heard both aloud and in her mind.

  Aetherveil's body began to convulse.

  Datashade's laughter became a growl as Psionus dug deeper. Its perfect construct collapsed into the chaotic landscape of electrical storms and artifacted renderings. Aetherveil's green eyes were slowly replaced by orange until they erupted with their fiery luminescence.

  “You think this is freedom? You were never free. Not from them—not from me.“

  The construct transformed again, reforming into the plains, playing back the images of Aetherveil killing a Sentinel in plain view. Psionus knew what it was trying to do, blocking out the images from her mind.

  “You promised to protect us. Where were you when we needed you.“

  Despite the agony, Psionus continued to shield Aetherveil's mind. The construct began to collapse, revealing Datashade—a grotesque humanoid of both binary and exposed nerve circuits.

  “Do you think this is about control? Join me. I can make you gods.“ Datashade said. “You have seen the truth. You have felt the weight of your failures. Let me make you more.“

  Its face was constantly reforming into loved ones, enemies, and faceless entities, its voice a reflection of the shuffling identities.

  Psionus glanced toward Aetherveil.

  “I have made my choice,” he whispered.

  Revenants materialized into the construct. Aetherveil blinked, her vision returning. She couldn't tell if what she was seeing was real, or if it was all still an illusion.

  Her grip tightened around her sword, the weight felt familiar to her.

  “This is real. I am real,” she whispered.

  She cut down the Revenants, making her way to Datashade—materializing in endless waves. Psionus observed as Aetherveil fought with the skill and speed he had remembered.

  Datashade laughed—mocked her desperate attempts to reach him. Psionus knew he had only one option to defeat him. He activated the quantum gateway.

  As Aetherveil felt its pull, she looked back at Psionus. “What are you—”

  She was forcefully evacuated by a vortex of light. He activated it again, only instead of bringing him back—to erase the construct and everything in it. As the construct collapsed, Datashade pleaded with Psionus.

  “Stop! You can be more than just flesh. You don't have to be shackled to the limits of mortality—unlike Aetherveil.“

  “You always wanted what she has. To have eternity to learn, to understand the secrets of the universe. I can do that for you.“

  For a fleeting moment, Psionus hesitated. He thought about Aetherveil—her eyes bringing light to the darkness.

  “I don't need eternity to know what matters.“

  The construct dissolved into a chaotic stream of broken data, followed by nothingness.