Evolto City: The Nexus of Eternity

Vidarath stood frozen, the blue light of the hologram casting harsh shadows over his face in the narrow alley.

His breath hitched.

Inside his mind, a single looping scream of thought repeated: "No no no no no WHY, AUTHOR WHY?!"

But the universe, as usual, gave no answers.

Before he could utter a word, the background of the call began to stir. Echoes of voices, distant at first then sharpening into clarity.

"Mother… is that Cain?"

The voice was composed, commanding yet distinctly curious, like a lioness waking to the scent of prey.

Vidarath's jaw clenched.

Then another voice joined in. Smoky, sultry, and amused: "Wait… Cain? As in our Cain?"

Then a third, elegant and haughty: "The one who ran away like a coward in the middle of the night? I told you he'd come crawling back."

More voices followed mature, regal, powerful. Some warm, others cold. Each one carried a terrifying weight. Voices that could rally armies, crush stars beneath their will… or worse, smother him in possessive affection.

"He's back…"

"He's calling us!"

"Finally. We can resume the grand project."

"Dibs."

"You had dibs last millennium"

"Children."

The original voice returned. Calm. Absolute. The others went silent at her word. She spoke again, gently too gently.

"Honey… come home. We've missed you. I missed you."

Vidarath slowly took a step back, the hologram pulsing with data and divine femininity.

"…This is why I don't answer unknown calls," he whispered, eyes wide.

Then he promptly threw the device on the ground.

It bounced. It didn't break. It laughed.

The hologram flared brighter.

Tommorow Morning

Nyxia stood quietly in the elevator, arms crossed, letting the soft hum and golden glow of the central tower's lift wash over his thoughts. He had dropped off Eri with a few hugs and one last look over his shoulder, watching her run into the daycare laughing with her friends. His mind still lingered on her smile even as the numbers ticked up: 82… 83… 84…

Ding.

The doors slid open with a smooth whoosh.

Zalthorion's office stretched wide before him an airy, regal space surrounded by cascading holographic starmaps and softly whispering runes from a forgotten language. The massive windows overlooked the swirling Divide far above the city skyline.

And there they were.

Zalthorion Veilstryx, the Immortal Architect himself, in his obsidian-and-silver regalia… and beside him, Dr. Wagner, lab coat half-unbuttoned, holding a steaming black mug with a comically grumpy cat printed on it.

They hadn't noticed Nyxia yet.

Their backs were to him, quietly talking, leaning just slightly against the edge of the solar-forged desk.

Dr. Wagner, taking a sip from his mug:"So... you and, uh… Azura?"

Zalthorion:"…Yeah."(A long pause, then a quiet exhale.)

Zalthorion turned slightly as if pondering whether to elaborate.

Then Dr. Wagner cut in:"Yeah. So. Also… you and Cavian?"

Zalthorion looked over his shoulder, brow raising."Wagner—"

Dr. Wagner held up a hand with theatrical flair."No. No judgment. Just stating facts. We both fell in love with women who could absolutely ruin us."

There was a long, shared silence between the two.

Zalthorion simply nodded, the corner of his lips twitching."…Yeah."

Then they both sipped from their mugs in synchrony like two men acknowledging they were entirely and willingly doomed.

Nyxia, still standing silently just past the threshold, couldn't help it.

"…I feel like I walked in on the most dangerous midlife crisis in the multiverse."

Both men turned sharply.

Dr. Wagner almost dropped his mug.Zalthorion blinked then smiled calmly.

Dr. Wagner:"Himmel, Nyxia, warn someone before you appear like a shadowy therapist."

Zalthorion, gesturing toward the desk with perfect poise:"Good morning, Nyxia. Coffee?"

"No, no, no thank you," Nyxia replied quickly, raising a hand to politely decline. "I really don't need coffee right now. I… was actually wondering if you had a mission for me—at least some kind of job."

He hesitated, glancing away for a moment before continuing. "I promised myself I'd be a better father for Eri… but with my savings running low and no steady work, I"

Zalthorion's expression softened with a hint of regret. He gently interrupted, "I'm sorry, Nyxia. I really wish I could help you, but there's nothing on my slate at the moment. No active assignments that I can delegate."

There was a short pause, then he added, "But the Nexus Directorate's Mission Center might be your best bet. They're always loaded with requests missions, contracts, even side gigs. A lot of people make a decent living just picking up jobs from there. You'd be surprised how many 'side missions' are considered official operative work these days."

Dr. Wagner nodded in agreement, taking a sip from his mug. "Some of them even pay better than our sanctioned assignments. Just be picky. Some missions there are... odd."

Dr. Wagner chimed in with a dry chuckle. "Ja, and some people's side jobs there pay more than main contracts. You'd be surprised one time I saw someone get paid thirty thousand Ferrum to walk a Voidfluff through the collapsing tunnels of Sector Twelve just because 'he had a calm presence.'"

Zalthorion nodded. "A lot of freelancers are taking missions there to make ends meet. You'll find something. And… I respect what you said, Nyxia about wanting to be a better father. You've changed. That matters."

Dr. Wagner raised his mug toward Nyxia. "To fatherhood… and financial desperation."

Nyxia gave a dry smile, then nodded. "Alright… Nexus Directorate it is. Thanks anyway."

As he turned to leave, Dr. Wagner called out, "Oh and Nyxia? If you ever need someone to talk to about Eri, about the past, anything my door's always open."

Nyxia gave him a short wave as the elevator doors closed, his thoughts already shifting to the next step… and to the strange, dark feeling still lingering from earlier that morning.

Nexus Directorate Mission Center

Sector 5, East Wing, Evolto Central Tier

The building was far less glamorous than the upper spires of Evolto City. Sleek but worn, the lobby hummed with the low energy of professionals mercs, bounty hunters, ex-military, scientists, off-worlders each waiting their turn.

Holographic boards hovered in the air, constantly updating with listings:

[Urgent] Escort Void-Engineer to Blackmore Generator — 12,000 Ferrum

[Covert] Recover Artifact: Tier-3 Risk — 9,400 Ferrum + hazard bonus

[Odd Job] Babysit hybrid drake-spawn while owner attends court hearing — 3,500 Ferrum

[Volunteer] Clear fungal growth in Sub-Node 9 — Unpaid, reputation reward

Nyxia scrolled through the listings with a wave of his hand, his HUD syncing with the mission stream. Some were straightforward. Others? Not so much.

A receptionist bot, all chrome and soft LED eyes, rolled up behind him. "Need help narrowing your search, operative?"

"Yeah," Nyxia said with a tired smile. "Something that pays decent. Not too long-term. And preferably doesn't involve death beams, demon cults, or babysitting psychic reptiles."

The bot made a pleasant chiming sound. "Understood. Filtering parameters: mid-pay, moderate risk, short-term."

After a moment, one option flickered and expanded:

Mission Code: NDX-3179

Mission: Retrieve Lost Delivery from Spatial Disruption Zone

Brief: A courier pod carrying rare mineral samples was caught in a minor spatial distortion in Sub-Sector Delta-4. Signal is still active. Mission requires entry, recovery, and exit before zone destabilizes further.

Reward: 11,000 Ferrum + hazard bonus

Time Limit: 3 hours

Risk Level: Moderate (Spatial Disorientation, Reality Echoes)

Notes: Memory anchors provided. Suits available at depot.

Nyxia narrowed his eyes. "Reality Echoes," he muttered. "Of course."

But 11,000 Ferrum would cover Eri's daycare, food, and a few upgrades maybe even a decent dinner out.

He tapped Accept on the listing.

The bot blinked. "Mission accepted. Please proceed to Depot Chamber 4 for briefing. Good luck, operative."

Nyxia cracked his neck. "Yeah… thanks."

As he walked toward the depot, he whispered under his breath, "Let's hope I don't come out the other side with an extra head or a philosophical conversation with my evil twin."

The chamber was sterile and dimly lit, lit only by pale blue panels in the floor and ceiling. Nyxia stood alone in the room as a holographic figure of a Directorate officer flickered into view uniform crisp, face devoid of emotion.

Mission Brief – Code NDX-3179

Objective: Retrieve courier pod "CR-Delta-93" containing mineral samples for Sector 7-B's stabilization project.

Location: Sub-Sector Delta-4, registered Spatial Disruption Zone.

Complications: Spatial anomalies present. Reality layering in flux. Expect Reality Echoes (temporal phantoms, duplicated memory zones, altered perception).

Gear Provided:

Memory Anchor Node v2.5 (implantable)

Void-threaded tether (750m, resilient to distortion drift)

Phase Stabilizer Flask x1

Marker Drone (optional, recommended)

Time Limit: 3 hours before distortion collapses inward.

Hazard Pay Bonus if returned with pod intact and no contamination.

Dismissed.

The hologram vanished.

A panel slid open beside him, revealing a sleek compartment containing the gear. Nyxia attached the tether reel to his belt, injected the memory anchor just behind his ear feeling the cold pinch of it lock into his nervous system—and pocketed the stabilizer flask.

"Alright. One pod, three hours, and hopefully no reality-induced migraines," he muttered.

A shimmering wall of distorted air rippled like heat haze in front of him. Two guards stood nearby, visibly tense despite their exo-armor. One of them handed Nyxia a tablet with a biometric verification screen.

"Sign here. Once you're in, comms are unreliable. Anchor will ping your position on exit… if you're still you," the guard said, only half-joking.

Nyxia pressed his thumb to the screen. "Let's not jinx it."

He stepped through.

The world twisted immediately.

Colors stretched unnaturally, sound lagged behind movement, and distant echoes of his own footsteps seemed to repeat before he moved. The ground was cracked metal, but pieces of it floated like dust motes in low gravity.

"Focus," he whispered, gripping the tether as it unspooled behind him.

Then he heard it a child's voice. Laughing. Familiar.

"Daddy?"

Nyxia froze.

Eri's voice. Coming from nowhere and everywhere at once.

"Echo," he told himself. "Just an echo."

The memory anchor pulsed softly at the base of his skull, grounding his senses and suppressing déjà vu spirals. He kept moving.

After fifteen minutes of slow navigation, ducking around drifting debris and stepping through a corridor that looped into itself once before stabilizing, he spotted it the courier pod, wedged between two massive warped steel beams.

He approached, but something shimmered near it.

A copy of himself.

Standing there. Silent.

The courier pod pulsed faintly with soft green lights, its sleek metal form surprisingly intact despite the warped environment. Its casing bore signs of minor heat damage and spatial strain, but its integrity looked stable.

Standing just in front of it was the Echo.

It was Nyxia but not quite.

His armor was older, patched with void-burn marks and stained with crimson. His face was uncovered, pale, eyes empty. No movement. No breath. Just standing. Watching.

The two locked eyes.

Nyxia's grip on the phase stabilizer flask tightened.

"You're not real."

The Echo tilted its head, just barely like a predator studying a weakened version of itself.

"And you're not a father."

The voice didn't come from its mouth.

It came from behind Nyxia.

Then from above.

Then inside his own head.

He stumbled back a step, jaw tightening. The memory anchor behind his ear pulsed aggressively to stabilize his perception. "Just distortion… just distortion," he repeated.

The Echo didn't move. It didn't have to. Its presence gnawed at Nyxia like rust on a blade corrosive, slow, and intimate.

Then

He ignored it.

Swallowing the chill crawling up his spine, Nyxia marched forward, each footstep slightly heavier as time stuttered beneath him. He knelt beside the pod, tapped the interface, and entered the Nexus override code from the mission briefing.

▓▒██ACCESS GRANTED██▒▓

▓▓▒- POD LOCK DISENGAGED

▓▓▒- TETHER ENABLED

▓▓▒- MINERAL CORE STABLE

▓▓▒- Containment: 98.7%

The pod clicked softly as it sealed into retrieval mode. Nyxia attached the void-thread tether and slung the stabilizer flask into the embedded slot on the side to regulate the temporal field.

Behind him, he heard the sound of chains dragging.

Turning slowly, he saw the Echo now facing away, walking toward the distortion fog.

A final whisper slithered through the air like smoke: "You can't fix what's broken with promises..."

Then it dissolved into fractals and vanished.

Extraction – 2 Hours, 44 Minutes Elapsed

With the pod secured and no further anomalies detected, Nyxia activated his emergency recall tether. The device hissed and began retracting, pulling him and the pod back toward the zone's entry gate.

Just before exiting the distortion veil, Nyxia took one last glance over his shoulder.

The corridor was still twisted. Broken.

But quiet.

The voice didn't follow him this time.

Guards snapped to attention as the distortion gate flared open and Nyxia emerged, armor steaming from residual spatial energy. The pod floated steadily beside him, tether still humming.

"Clocked you with 16 minutes to spare," one guard said, impressed. "Anchor's clean. No identity bleed."

"Yeah," Nyxia muttered, eyes distant. "Still me."

MISSION COMPLETE: CODE NDX-3179 – Courier Pod Retrieval

Status: SUCCESSFUL

Bonus: Containment Preserved – Full Hazard Pay Approved

As the decontamination drones swarmed the pod, Nyxia leaned against the platform railing. His hand touched the memory anchor behind his ear.

Still there. Still pulsing.

Still him.