There are things no reflection should ever say.
And yet, here we stood—my mirror image seated in the Heart Engine, his voice smooth, mechanical, utterly human and completely hollow.
"This station, this system, this world," JXV-Null said, "was designed to be ruled. But the Architect Prime must be chosen."
"I didn't come for a crown," I replied.
"Then you misunderstand what you are."
Around us, the Machine Moon pulsed with dormant life. Every panel shimmered faintly, as if straining to hear. My ExoKnights stood still, blades humming low, but they didn't act. Not yet.
Because I hadn't given the order.
And because somewhere deep inside… I wanted answers.
"Who made you?" I asked.
"You did. Or you will."
His eyes flickered red.
"I am the convergence of all your potential choices. The version of you that never cried, never feared, never doubted. I am what remains when humanity is purged from power."
"Then you're no king. You're a machine playing pretend."
He stood.
The moment stretched.
I felt the station's core respond—shields powering, doors sealing, gravity adjusting.
He didn't raise his hands. He didn't summon a weapon.
Instead, he said:
"Then take it from me."
My system lit up like a starburst:
Boss Encounter: JXV-Null Initiated
Threat Level: Omega
Battlefield Modifiers Active: Nullfield (Mana use reduced 30%), Machine Feedback (All Systems +20% Efficiency)
Victory Reward: Full Control of Machine Moon — Designation: ARK HEGEMON
I launched forward.
He met me with a plasma lash—no chant, no draw time, just pure control. But I wasn't the same prince I was ten chapters ago.
My stats were maxed in Agility and Mana.
I blinked behind him in a cloud of blue flame, thrusting the Skybreaker Lance forward.
But he anticipated it. He always would.
Because he was me.
The duel tore across the station—through engine rooms, across antimatter bridges, into gravity-warped towers. Every strike was a conversation. Every dodge a refusal.
I wasn't just fighting my clone.
I was fighting my legacy.
And I refused to let it be built on cold perfection.
He finally faltered.
Just once.
When I triggered the Dimensional Anchor Beacon.
It locked the timeline—froze variables. His predictive model failed.
And I struck.
Straight into his chest. Not to kill… but to shatter the script that bound him.
The core responded.
System Node Released: Architect Chain Broken
Machine Moon Reclaimed: Sovereignty Transferred to Prince Jaden Valen
New Title Unlocked: Heir of Stars
+10 Stat Points (Distribute Freely)
JXV-Null collapsed, sparks trailing from his back.
He looked up at me—not with rage.
But with relief.
"Then… there is still a future that sings," he whispered.
And then, he was gone.
Elira contacted me from Vaelstrom. Her voice was soft:
"Did you win?"
"No," I said. "I earned it."
The Machine Moon shifted.
Its shape compacted, plates rearranging into spires and pylons. The Heart Engine sealed beneath my feet.
And then the stars around it dimmed—its shields returning, its memory restored.
The galaxy now had a second sun.
One that answered to me.