The Skyvault wasn't marked on any official grid. It floated above the clouds—suspended between forgotten satellites, artificial gravity wells, and greed-funded tech. Built as a utopia for the elite after the Collapse, it had become a fortress of isolation and cruelty. Now, it was Kael's playground, and the third Nexus Key fragment was hidden somewhere within.
Ash gripped the bike's handlebars as it rocketed skyward. Juno sat behind, her rifle magnetically strapped to her back, hair whipping wildly in the wind.
"Once we breach the upper thermosphere, we lose signal," she warned. "You sure about going in blind?"
Ash smirked. "Blind's better than dead."
They broke through the clouds, emerging into a city that floated above the world like a god's throne.
Skyvault.
Golden towers pierced the heavens, all wrapped in forcefields and anti-air batteries. Drone patrols crisscrossed the skies. And at the center—looming over all—was the Obsidian Spire. The third fragment was there.
Ash and Juno ditched the bike mid-flight and landed on a service platform using jet-gliders. They immediately dropped into stealth, their suits shifting shades to blend in.
Juno hacked a security node. "There's a gladiator ring in the central square. Kael's broadcasting a fight tonight—invitation only."
Ash raised a brow. "Let me guess. Winner gets the third fragment?"
She nodded grimly. "And the loser? Their memories get harvested into the Blood Circuit."
Later That Night – The Skyvault Arena
It was a spectacle of horror and luxury. The elite watched from hover-lounges while fighters below spilled blood on holo-lit floors. The audience roared as a massive cyber-brute dismembered his opponent.
Ash, now disguised in tattered champion gear, walked into the arena pit.
An announcer boomed: "A challenger rises from the earth below! Let's see if the gutter-spawn can SURVIVE!"
The crowd jeered.
The gates opened—releasing his opponent.
It wasn't a brute or beast.
It was Kael.
He stepped out calm, composed, wearing new high-grade armor infused with dark alloy. His eyes glowed a venomous blue.
Ash stiffened. "You couldn't just run. You had to put on a show."
Kael grinned. "This is more than a fight. It's a message. I want them all to see what happens to those who resist the Circuit."
The bell rang.
They exploded into action.
Fist met blade. Sparks flew. The arena floor cracked under their blows.
Kael was faster this time—his upgrades allowing him to distort momentum, pulling himself mid-air like a magnetized shadow. Ash relied on instinct, countering with Crucible-powered strikes and nano-enhanced dodges.
They clashed again and again, trading damage like currency.
But Kael had a trick up his sleeve.
With a flick, he summoned a mirror-field—a technology that created dozens of shifting versions of himself.
Ash stood surrounded.
"End of the road, brother."
But Ash didn't flinch.
He remembered something Drex once told him: "If you can't find the real enemy—become the thing they fear most."
Ash closed his eyes, slowed his breathing… and let go.
He launched into a brutal spin, slamming his gauntlet to the ground. The shockwave destroyed the mirror-field in a burst of light.
Kael reeled.
Ash charged and drove a knee into Kael's chest, then elbowed him across the jaw, sending him crashing into the arena wall.
The crowd went silent.
Ash stood victorious.
High above, the Obsidian Spire lit up.
A hologram formed, showing an ancient, half-rotted face. One eye mechanical, the other missing.
"WELL DONE, ASH IRONVALE."
Juno gasped in her headset. "That's him. The original Zero Warden. He's… alive?"
Ash growled. "Show yourself."
"I ALREADY HAVE. I EXIST IN EVERY CIRCUIT FIGHT, EVERY BROKEN BODY, EVERY MEMORY STOLEN."
The third fragment floated down from the sky, encased in energy. Ash reached for it—
But Kael, bloodied but breathing, tackled him into the ground.
They struggled—both grasping for the fragment—until it released a burst of code-light and vanished into Ash's chest.
Kael's eyes widened in fury. "You… took it from me…"
Ash threw him aside. "I didn't take it. You lost it."
Moments Later – Skyvault Rooftop
Juno helped Ash limp to the exit platform. The city was on lockdown now—alarms blaring.
"We have to move—Kael's enforcers are coming."
Ash coughed blood but kept walking. "The final fragment?"
Juno tapped her pad. "No known coordinates… But I found something worse."
She turned the screen.
It showed the Citadel Wastes—a radioactive dead zone outside the Grid. Long abandoned.
But something was glowing in the center now.
A symbol.
The Warden's Crest.
End of Chapter 12
Next up: Chapter 13 – Citadel of Ruin