Kael woke to a shiver running through the Nexus currents, subtle but unmistakable. Lumen hovered beside him, eyes narrowed.
"The Architect has moved," Lumen said. "Prepare yourself. This is the first coordinated strike across multiple realities."
Kael's mark pulsed in response, flaring with energy he had honed in training. "How many realities?"
Lumen's translucent fingers traced patterns in the air. "Seven. Each one destabilizing differently. The Architect is testing your control under pressure."
Before Kael could respond, the chamber around him dissolved into seven separate worlds, layered like translucent sheets over one another. Buildings bent in impossible angles, skies warped with mirrored clouds, and light split into spectra that made him squint.
"Each reality will overlap, interacting with the others," Lumen explained. "A failure in one affects all. You must maintain balance across them simultaneously."
Kael exhaled sharply. His body tensed. Energy surged, pulling him in multiple directions as he extended his consciousness. The paradox currents rippled through him, responding to the cascading chaos. He could feel citizens fleeing across collapsed cities, minions attacking with distorted gravity, and entire buildings folding upon themselves.
A pulse exploded in Reality One. Kael reacted instinctively, bending the shards of that world to absorb the force. Simultaneously, a tower in Reality Two fell toward him at impossible speed. He used his forbidden flow to redirect it, feeling his consciousness split, holding multiple threads of action at once.
"Focus, Kael," Lumen said. "Do not fight the chaos—adapt to it."
Reality Three twisted into a loop, trapping Kael in an endless fall. He realized the loop was both a trap and a lesson: timing and instinct were everything. Channeling the Nexus pulse in sync with the rhythm of the loop, he stabilized the fall and emerged upright.
But the Architect was not done.
Reality Four rippled violently, shadows forming living predators that lunged with energy faster than thought. Kael reacted, but one claw grazed his arm, leaving a burn of distorted time across his skin.
"Pain is temporary," Lumen murmured. "Control is permanent."
Kael gritted his teeth and pressed on. He was no longer just surviving. He was learning the Architect's rhythm, anticipating distortions, bending paradox currents not just to counter chaos, but to orchestrate it.
And then he realized—this strike wasn't just about strength. It was about choice, calculation, and the ability to maintain himself across seven realities at once.