Kai stopped at the top of the stairs, his body heavy in a new way, his mind spinning between exhaustion and the shock of being alive. The Nexus seemed to breathe around him, damp, stifling, full of strange smells that clung to his skin. Even with everything spinning, he knew, deep down, that now he had some control over his own destiny. The core throbbed in his chest, hot and irregular, his hands sweaty and trembling, but Kai was no longer just fear. He had a strange urge to get out of there, to see the light again, and at the same time the feeling that he would never be the same. The shadow stuck to his heels, rippling with his every step, as if waiting for a command, and Zero whispered softly, the voice echoing in the back of his head, "Evacuation route mapped, Portal identified as the only viable exit, Synchronized movement suggested."
Without thinking much, Kai walked down the wide, cold corridor, guided by an instinct he no longer knew if it was his or the thing inside his chest. The blue moss seemed more alive, covering loose wires, abandoned boxes, marks of battles on the walls. With each step, he felt his body was made of rubber, muscles ready to spring or collapse. Even so, he didn't stop. He turned the corner slowly, his breath held in his chest, and the lights of the portal sector appeared for the first time like both an invitation and a threat.
The area was full of Union soldiers. Flashlights cut through the darkness in harsh beams, weapons slung over shoulders, dirty uniforms, alert eyes. No one smiled. They spoke quietly, fiddled with old panels, checked the radio every minute, repeating details, unstable energy, creature tracks, signs of anomaly. The smell was odd, sweet e-cigarette, burnt oil, stale sweat, and the ozone from the portal. Everything felt too real, too dangerous.
Kai pressed into the corridor's shadows, his body tense, his senses heightened in a new way. Zero kept him focused, "Wait for a distraction, Use the shadow for partial masking." A flashlight swung his way and he froze, blood turning cold even in his ears, but no one saw him. The soldiers were distracted, arguing over a faulty sensor. One yawned loudly, another turned his back to mess with the radio. That was the gap. Kai slid along the wall, slowly, the shadow stretching out with him as if it were arms and legs protecting every inch of his body.
The portal was just ahead, an enormous archway of rusty metal, dangling wires, blue light blinking and humming like some beast on the prowl. It smelled of storm, of burnt wire and hope. Kai stood still for a few seconds, heart pounding too loud, Zero counting silently, "Now."
He crossed. The shock was physical, almost violent. A wave of cold and heat mixed washed over his body, his skin prickled from head to toe, the core vibrated stronger than ever. For a moment, everything went kind of mute, only the sound of his own blood in his ears. He saw his own distorted reflection in the metal of the arch, a strange shadow flickering behind his shoulder. For a second, he thought he saw Lina in the glow of the blue light, or maybe it was just longing. Then there was only himself, changed, alive, but far from who he once was.
He staggered until he fell behind a pile of cardboard boxes and plastic bags. The night in Solarius pressed heavy in the air, thick with smoke, the sour smell of garbage and old restaurant grease. In the sky, drone lights cut through the darkness, distant sirens, voices muffled by the buildings. The core kept beating fast, and the shadow, wrapped around his body, pulsed along, as if it too needed to breathe.
Kai stayed there for a few minutes, trying to slow his heart, listening to the soldiers' footsteps returning from inside the Nexus, muffled laughter, the crackle of a radio. None of them noticed what had just passed by, or if they did, their brains ignored it, maybe thanks to Zero, maybe just because of the exhaustion from so many impossible things.
When he finally managed to stand up, he searched for the darkest alley. His feet stumbled over torn bags and broken bottles, the damp ground stuck to his worn-out sneakers. The streets were empty, every shadow seemed to lurk. Kai walked half-hunched, trying to make himself small, his body tired but alert, like an animal escaped from a trap.
He stopped by a puddle, breath caught in his chest. He squatted slowly, knees shaking. The reflection in the dirty water was hard to face, pale face, sunken eyes, shining with an almost silvery hue, the hard stare of someone who has seen too much. Behind him, the shadow moved on its own, undulating like black smoke, ready to leap if anyone got close. For a moment, he wanted to cry, to apologize to Lina for everything he was becoming. But he could only laugh softly, that hoarse laugh of someone who no longer knows whether they feel fear or relief.
Zero spoke again, calm and direct, "Fusion in progress, I recommend rest and analysis, Situation, under control."
Kai felt a chill, not knowing if it was from the cold or from what was inside him. "Under control for who? Because it doesn't seem like you understand what's happening out here," he muttered, not lifting his head. Zero replied without hesitation, neutral tone, almost mechanical, "Vital parameters stable, Deregulated emotions can compromise our survival, Follow the guidance, Kai."
He clenched his hands, looking at his distorted image. "Accept? You want me to accept becoming what, exactly? A walking shadow, something not even Lina would recognize?" The silence inside his mind felt heavier than the noise of the street. After a moment, Zero sounded even colder, "Refusing the changes is inefficient, Denying your new condition puts us both at risk, Adaptation is necessary."
Kai bit his lip, feeling anger mix with exhaustion, with loneliness, with the fear of being swallowed up by it all. For a few seconds, he said nothing. He just sat there, listening to the sound of distant engines, the echo of Solarius' voices crossing the night. The wind hit the back of his neck, the smell of smoke and dampness sticking to his skin, making it clear he was far from any safety.
Deep down, he knew he had survived, even with all the risks and changes he could no longer hide. He might not understand everything he was now, but he felt that he was still the owner of his own story, even if he shared his body with an impossible secret. Now, more than ever, he was not alone. And that, as strange as it was, brought a kind of strength, or maybe it was just another beginning, one he didn't even know if he wanted to follow.