Chapter 30: Shadows of the Past
In one of the dim side rooms of the Watchtower, Ben sat alone, staring at a small screen displaying fragments of lost Omnitrix data. Even though the device was no longer on his wrist, part of its code remained within the system—refusing to be erased from his life.
The data was distorted, but one phrase kept repeating, catching his attention:
> "Model 0-KAI… Compatibility: 94%."
Ben whispered to himself:
> "Model KAI? So there was a prototype… before they merged Kairus's core into the Omnitrix?"
Supergirl entered quietly, holding a cup of something warm.
> "Still digging through the wreckage of the watch?"
He took the cup from her, still looking away.
> "I'm not digging... I'm searching. For the reason all of this happened."
She sat beside him and said softly:
> "There's no one reason that justifies what you went through. But there is a reason to keep going."
He turned to her, his eyes heavy with exhaustion.
> "Azmuth treated me like a tool. And I believed him… I thought I was a hero. But I was just part of a failed experiment."
Supergirl gently placed her hand on his shoulder.
> "You're not a failure, Ben. The experiment betrayed you… not the other way around. Maybe it's time you chose your own identity—without the watch, without symbols, without orders."
A faint alarm echoed through the tower.
Batman's voice appeared on the screen:
> "We've detected a new Kairus-type entity on Mars. The energy waves are intense—different from any previous attack."
Ben stood up quickly, the hesitation gone from his eyes.
> "This isn't a coincidence. The crystals are spreading… we need to move."
But just before he could leave the room, a strange greenish pulse flashed across the screen. It wasn't from the Watchtower's systems—it was a direct intrusion.
The Omnitrix interface reactivated, rebooting itself. And then… a familiar face appeared.
Azmuth.
But his voice wasn't sharp like before—it was burdened with sorrow.
> "Ben… if you're hearing this, then there's still time for you to understand."
Ben froze in place as Azmuth continued:
> "Kairus isn't evil. He's not a creature… he's a system. A counterbalance imposed on the multiverse to correct its path. I wasn't betraying you. I was trying to stop the decay… even if it meant losing your trust."
Ben shouted at the screen:
> "You were willing to kill me! You merged me with something that devours everything around it! And you call that balance?!"
Before Azmuth could respond, the image flickered—and changed.
A new figure emerged.
Unfinished… a fusion of fog and crystal. No defined face—only two glowing eyes, staring straight into Ben's soul.
And a voice—not quite human, but more like a frequency vibrating inside his chest.
> "At last… true connection."
Ben stepped back and whispered:
> "You…"
The voice responded with terrifying calm:
> "Kairus… or a piece of me, at least."
Supergirl tried to interfere, but the crystals embedded in the walls began to glow… and the voice deepened, like it was swallowing the air around them:
> "Azmuth didn't choose me… he opened the door. But you, Ben… you're the one who let me in."
Ben's face hardened.
> "I'm nothing like you."
The voice chuckled softly:
> "But I am you. You are my core…"
Then everything went dark, and only one phrase remained pulsing on the screen in blood-red text:
> "And I… am your next universe."
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