The infinite expanse of the Nexus stretched out before Karl like a glimmering city of impossible geometry. Floating panels of semi-transparent metal hovered at every angle, each etched with glowing schematics, half-assembled mech parts, and shifting blueprints. Lines of energy flickered and warped across surfaces, some glitched into fragments, others rotated like living gears.
Karl floated in the center, his armored hands raised instinctively. Streams of Vythra pulsed along his limbs, connecting his mind to the floating constructs, allowing him to sense their purpose before he even touched them.
Hephaestus's voice resonated in the endless chamber:
Hephaestus: "Before you assemble, you must understand. Every design has intent. Every blueprint has a soul. Organize them, study them, and decide the sequence. If your foundation is flawed, the mech frame will collapse before it even exists."
Karl nodded, swallowing the lump of apprehension in his throat. He took a deep breath, letting the energy of the Nexus flood him. His eyes — Admiral Blue with cerulean cores — scanned the room. Schematics floated like constellations, spinning, shifting, half-formed. Some seemed to pulse in anticipation, waiting for him to command them.
Instinctively, he reached out. Streams of Vythra snaked from his fingers, touching each blueprint like a conductor guiding an orchestra. The panels responded — sliding into alignment, spinning into grids, and separating into clusters of related parts:
Arm assemblies hovered together, each component highlighted and tagged with faint glowing numbers.
Leg and mobility units floated in modular segments, energy lines connecting joints and servos.
Central chassis components rotated in slow arcs, showing stress points and torque channels.
Nanite lattice blueprints shimmered like constellations, waiting to merge with the Engine Soul and Gear Drive.
Karl's hands moved methodically. He pulled glitching panels toward the clusters, the floating fragments snapping into place as if recognizing the order he demanded. His pulse raced, but the Engine Soul's hum beneath his chest kept him grounded, stabilizing the flow of Vythra as he worked.
Hephaestus observed silently, molten eyes tracing each of Karl's motions.
Hephaestus: "Good. Organize first. Memorize the interconnections. The torque distribution. The blueprint sequences. Only then can creation begin."
Karl exhaled sharply. The Nexus responded like a living workshop, a storm of kinetic potential awaiting his command. Panels hovered at his fingertips, ready to be assembled, merged, and stabilized. He could feel the Gear Drive adjusting micro-rotations, calibrating imaginary gear ratios in real-time as he prepared the framework.
He flexed his newly armored hands and muttered to himself, almost in awe:
Karl: "Okay… first the skeleton, then the joints, then the lattice… step by step."
A pulse of Vythra shot through the Nexus, the floating blueprints flickering in response, as though the realm itself acknowledged his intent. Glitching lines of schematics aligned in harmonic resonance, forming a coherent web of potential mechanical structures. The once chaotic Nexus was slowly becoming an organized, navigable field of creation.
The first step was done. Karl now had a mental map of the mech frame, every joint, every limb, every micro-gear and connection memorized. The room was quiet, the hum of his Rider armor syncing with the heart of the Engine Soul, waiting for the next stage: bringing the blueprints to life.
Hephaestus's voice broke the silence, firm but approving:
Hephaestus: "Very well, Karl. Now… build. Let the Vythra flow through every component. Forge the frame, piece by piece. Make it perfect — or reshape it until it is."
Karl's eyes glimmered. He had infinite time, infinite energy, and the Nexus itself at his command. With the blueprints organized, he was ready to begin the first true act of creation: assembling his mech frame, breathing life into the designs with his own Vythra.
Karl hovered in the Nexus, surrounded by floating blueprints, glowing panels, and the endless potential of raw Vythra energy. The schematics shimmered in midair, teasing him with possibilities, yet his attention kept snapping back to his armored body.
He flexed his fingers, lifted his arms, and rotated his shoulders experimentally. "Okay… okay… how do I… untransform?" he muttered under his breath, a hint of frustration in his tone. His Rider form was responsive — too responsive — but the method to return to his human self eluded him completely.
The hum of the Engine Soul thrummed beneath his chest, almost like a heartbeat, echoing his rising impatience. Karl let out a short, exasperated sigh and tapped the Drive Regulator again, trying different rhythms, revving the nanites slightly in the hope of triggering a reversion. Nothing.
A mild wave of panic brushed past him, but he forced it down. "I… I can't just stay like this… can I?" His voice trembled slightly, more from confusion than fear. Around him, the Nexus shimmered with reactionary pulses, the floating blueprints vibrating subtly, as if responding to his mental state.
He clenched his armored fists, watching the Vythra flowing along the plating. Each pulse of energy seemed almost alive, as though questioning his resolve. "No… I can still do this. I can still work like this," he reminded himself, exhaling slowly. He closed his eyes, letting the faint guidance of Ayaka and Itsuki — his mother's calm intuition and father's precise logic — seep through the Engine Soul and Gear Drive. Their presence steadied him, a subtle anchor in the overwhelming expanse of the Nexus.
Opening his eyes, he scanned the floating blueprints, letting the glow of the Vythra guide his gaze. "Alright… Rider form or not, this is my trial. I just need to… focus." He extended a hand toward the nearest blueprint, watching his Vythra flow through his arm, softly manipulating the panels into an organized sequence.
The Nexus pulsed in approval, shimmering slightly brighter as if encouraging him. Karl took a steadying breath. "One step at a time. I can handle this."
Even as the mild frustration lingered, a spark of excitement shone in his Admiral Blue eyes. For the first time since awakening, he felt the thrill of creation — the raw potential of building something with his own hands, guided by his parents' souls, tempered by the limitless Vythra of this space.
And with that, he began organizing the blueprints, letting his mind and Vythra flow together in harmony, ready to take the first steps toward shaping his mech frame.