Vortex Origins
Chapter 107: A World on the Egde

Chapter 107: A World on the Egde

Ash scrolled again.

The screen lit up with a shot of the sky—crimson clouds twisted as fire streaked through the heavens. Trails of burning stone carved down toward the earth. Somewhere behind the footage, sirens wailed.

[Catastrophic Incident in Varagos]

Multiple unidentified meteors have entered the atmosphere. Panic has spread across both Headquarters and the military. If discovered, these foreign objects must be destroyed or relocated far from all settlements. Do not approach.

Ash tilted his head.

Another scroll.

The image shifted. A wide shot of a broken settlement—walls cracked, homes blackened and half-collapsed. Smoke drifted like ghosts over the wreckage.

[Waves Ongoing Across the Continent]

Creature waves—larger than any recorded—are hitting settlements. Attacks ongoing. Survivors report the monsters are drawn to strange rocks. Do not bring them inside your home.

Ash’s jaw tightened.

His finger tapped again.

A thumbnail loaded—a video taken from a chest camera, shaky but clear. A man stood at the center of a ruined street, half his face covered by a cracked respirator. The headline was a grim joke:

[Me and the Boys Explore the Total Destruction of Raventon Settlement]

Ash clicked.

The video started with laughter.

"Alright, alright—we’re rolling,"

said the man behind the camera, his voice rough but trying to stay light.

"We’re about two klicks into what used to be Raventon. Not gonna lie—this place is cooked."

The footage panned across scorched buildings, shattered signs, twisted metal. A charred claw the size of a man’s torso lay near a broken cart.

Another voice chimed in, distant.

"Hey! Found someone’s arm!"

The camera jerked.

"What?!"

"Nah, fake-out. It’s just armor. Empty. Mostly."

Laughter—short, nervous.

But then the tone shifted.

They passed a fallen soldier, helmet crushed inward. Blood soaked the ground beneath. Another body nearby... smaller. Civilian.

One of the boys spoke up. Quiet.

"They didn’t even get to run."

The group went silent.

The wind howled through the broken windows.

"...Damn,"

The cameraman whispered.

"This was a town. There were people here."

The video cut for a second. The next shot showed them in what used to be the central plaza—now a crater. Half a creature’s corpse lay at the far end, smoking from a burnt husk. Tentacles sprawled over the rooftops like roots.

One of the boys gagged.

"Ugh. The smell, man. I think it pissed itself before dying."

A third one chuckled weakly.

"Don’t judge it. I would too if I saw us walk in."

Laughter again. Less forced.

The cameraman zoomed out, then raised a hand to the lens like he was waving goodbye.

"If you liked this—if you survived this—don’t forget to smash that like button. Subscribe for more stupid adventures like this one."

He paused.

"And, uh... say something for the people who didn’t make it. They mattered."

The video ended.

Ash sat still.

The screen glowed softly in the dim room.

He sighed.

’So the Tier 6 hit here too. Some settlements... just weren’t lucky.’

Ash scrolled again.

More fire in the sky. Another report of an asteroid tearing through a small outpost.

He clenched his teeth and swiped upward faster.

’Enough. I get it. Rocks from the sky. The world’s ending.’

He kept going.

Then stopped.

It wasn’t fire or smoke this time. Just a clean image—polished floors, white lights, a sharp man in a black suit standing behind a curved desk. His name floated in gold above the headline.

[Mavarick, the World’s Smartest Man—Creator of the SoulNet—Unveils His Latest Invention: "Eidolon."]

The AI scans and identifies any creature, old or new. Release scheduled for the coming cycle.

Ash blinked, tapped the headline, then slid down into the comment section.

——

@SynthBlooded:

MAAAN, Mavarick is on another level. First SoulNet, now this? Guy might as well run the whole damn world.

@MetaDust:

Eidolon sounds insane. Instant ID on monsters? We needed this YEARS ago.

@GrimLancer:

If Eidolon had been online during the Dusk Tide, we might’ve saved a few cities.

@WiredWitch:

SoulNet changed my life. Training there feels more real than real. You feel pain, pressure, fear... but it’s safe. Mostly. Add Eidolon in and it’s like having a second brain.

@AshesAndIron:

Imagine battling in SoulNet with real-time monster readouts. No more blind fights. Mavarick’s a damn hero.

@WraithJunkie:

Still doesn’t stop meteors though. Can Eidolon tell us where they’re gonna land?

@LucidBreaker:

Meteor jokes aside... tech like this saves lives. My team got wiped last year by something we couldn’t ID. If Eidolon was around...

——

Ash leaned back.

’So we don’t have to guess anymore. Monsters show up, Eidolon names them, SoulNet shows you how to fight them. Maybe... maybe we’re finally catching up.’

He stared at the headline a moment longer.

"I wonder what Max thinks about all this."

Before the thought settled, a voice cracked through the speakers overhead. Sharp. Urgent.

"Kael, Ash. Get to the lab. Now."

The screen blinked off.

Ash was already on his feet.

No hesitation.

————

Ash’s boots struck the floor with a dull rhythm, the sound sharp against the silence of the lower wing. Cold metal underfoot. The smell of scorched wires and something chemical lingered in the air.

As he neared the lab, voices cut through—low, tense.

The door slid open with a soft hiss.

Max stood beside a cluttered workstation, fingers curled into a fist, his voice tight.

"No. I won’t test it on you."

Kael stood across from him, arms folded, lips curled into a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"Come on. You could rig a kill switch. If anything goes wrong, I’ll handle it."

Max didn’t even look at him.

"It hasn’t been tested on any living subject. And now you want to strap it to yourself like it’s some game?"

Ash stepped in, his gaze flicking from one to the other.

"What are you two even arguing about?"

Max turned, rubbing the bridge of his nose like he hadn’t slept.

"This idiot wants to test a high-risk prototype on himself. Just so he can spar against someone stronger."

Ash raised a brow.

"What prototype?"

Max sighed, then pointed to a metal object on the table. It looked like a piston, thick and jagged, dark veins of crystal webbed through its core. It pulsed faintly.

"That is a duplicator. It copies physical matter. Designed to replicate tools. Objects."

Kael stepped in, eyes gleaming.

"Not just objects. That thing—it’s built from the brain of a Duplicyst Tyrant."

Ash froze.

Kael didn’t stop.

"That creature could copy anything. Perfectly. Even people. I just found out Max here is the one who got his hands on the Tyrant’s brain—the core of its power—and now he’s acting like it’s junk."

Ash looked between them. The device gave off a low hum, like something breathing slow in its sleep.

Kael stepped closer to the table.

"You don’t get it. This isn’t about testing. If it works... I’ll have a clone of myself. Same skills. Same instincts. I could fight someone twice my level."

Max’s voice was low.

"Or it kills you. Or worse, it doesn’t copy you—it replaces you."

Ash narrowed his eyes. The machine looked inert. But things built from Tyrants never were.

"So what happens if it works?"

Kael shrugged.

"Then I’ll finally see if I’m as good as I think."

Max let out a long breath, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Enough. That’s not why I called you both."

He moved back to the center console and brought up a projection. A spinning core hovered above the table—dark gray, cracked with gold veins that pulsed like a slow heartbeat.

"It’s about the Titan Soulcore. This how mine looks like. We need to figure out what this thing is... and if it’s tied to the asteroids—or whatever those things really are."

Kael leaned against the wall, grinning.

"Actually? I’m loving it."

Max turned, brow raised.

"Didn’t you say you hated it?"

Kael shrugged.

"I did. But after Dunehaven and Ironhold... it grew on me. It’s better than what I was doing before. Slower, yeah—but the skills it gives? Way stronger."

Max nodded, but the frown didn’t leave his face.

"Still. Killing higher-tier creatures to level up? Not exactly efficient anymore. They’re getting rare. If the system let us use any creature, even the low ones, we’d actually make progress."

Ash stood quietly, eyes fixed on the projection.

Then he spoke.

"Do either of you... hear voices?"

They both turned to him.

Max blinked.

"What?"

"Sometimes it’s like someone’s talking. Not clearly. Just... whispering."

Ash glanced down, then shook his head.

"Never mind. Maybe I’m imagining it."

Max opened his mouth, but didn’t get the chance to respond. His monitor flared to life with a sharp tone. He spun his chair around, fingers flying across the keys.

Kael stepped closer.

"What now?"

Max’s hands stilled. He stared at the screen for a beat, then exhaled.

"Emergency call. One of the settlements is under wave siege. Smaller scale, they say."

Kael barked a short laugh.

"After Ironhold? There’s no such thing as a small wave. At least I’ll get to stretch."

Ash ran a hand through his hair, already turning toward the exit.

"So this is what we’ve become, huh? Can’t even rest without a fight knocking at the door."

Max grabbed his bag from under the desk.

"Come on. Get to the ship. We’ll get briefed on the way."

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