Elias stood at the crossroads of reality.
On one side—peace, at the cost of stagnation. A universe where humanity would survive, but never reach beyond its limits again.
On the other—endless war, but with it, the keys to knowledge beyond anything ever imagined. The power to shape existence itself.
The golden entity watched, silent, waiting.
Elias's breath came in ragged gasps. He could still feel the battle raging beyond The Nexus. The Vanguard's fleet was fighting against impossible odds. The Forgotten Sovereign was moments away from fully emerging.
There was no time left.
Sienna. Roarke. The thousands of lives in the fleet.
Every decision Elias had ever made in his life had led to this moment.
He clenched his fists.
And then—
He chose.
---
The Nexus shook.
Reality itself fractured, golden light bursting outward as Elias's will reshaped the fabric of existence.
The golden entity's voice resonated through the void.
"So be it."
The chamber collapsed around him—
And Elias was ripped back into the real world.
---
The Vanguard - Bridge
The ship lurched violently, alarms screaming as the battle reached its breaking point. The Forgotten fleet was tearing through the human defenses, their constructs flickering in and out of time.
Sienna braced against the control panel. "We're losing ships fast! Where the hell is Elias?!"
Then, without warning—
The Nexus exploded.
Golden shockwaves erupted outward, rippling through the battlefield.
Every Forgotten ship caught in the blast froze mid-motion—then began disintegrating, unraveling like sand in a storm.
The Sovereign's form shuddered, its towering presence wavering, as if something greater than it had just rewritten the rules.
Sienna's eyes widened. "What—what's happening?"
And then—Elias's voice echoed through the comms.
"It's over."
A golden rupture opened in space—directly above the battlefield.
And from it, Elias emerged.
But he was no longer just Elias Voss.
Something had changed.
Golden energy crackled around him, his presence radiating an unnatural stability. The very fabric of reality bent around him—not breaking, but reinforcing itself.
Sienna gasped. "Elias?"
His eyes glowed with the same golden energy as The Nexus.
The Sovereign turned toward him. "You have chosen your fate, Elias Voss."
Elias's expression remained unreadable. "No." He lifted his hand—and golden energy rushed outward, washing over the battlefield.
The Forgotten Sovereign screamed—its form flickering wildly, its grip on reality breaking apart.
And then—
The Nexus sealed.
With one final, blinding burst of golden light, the Sovereign vanished.
The Forgotten were gone.
The breach was closed.
And the war was over.
---
Aftermath
The battlefield was silent.
Ships drifted, their weapons offline, their engines barely running. The fleet had survived, but just barely.
Elias stood aboard the Vanguard's bridge, feeling the weight of what had just happened. He was still himself—but something inside him had changed.
Sienna approached slowly. "…What did you do?"
Elias exhaled. "I made sure they can't come back."
Roarke, still catching his breath, narrowed his eyes. "But at what cost?"
Elias looked out at the stars. He could still feel The Nexus—but not as a crumbling seal.
As something new.
"I changed the rules," he murmured. "The cycle ends here."
Sienna searched his face. "…What happens now?"
Elias didn't have an answer.
Because for the first time in eternity—
The universe was free.