The Void Realm was silent.
Not the silence of peace, but the kind that weighs on reality like a verdict. Standing on a floating hexagonal platform carved from absolute law, the Warden waited. His towering figure was wrapped in layered metal robes etched with runes of order and obedience. Chains floated around him, not bound—but alive, sensing judgment to come.
From afar, the Architect watched through a fragment of the ÆtorƎo lens, an expression of nostalgia ghosting across his usually unreadable face.
> "He was the one who taught me discipline," he murmured. "Before I even knew what time was."
---
Flashback: Æternal Vault, Ages Ago
A chubby, giggling baby Architect floats through a zero-gravity nursery. Stars orbit his fingers like toys. He reaches out, snapping galaxies together like blocks.
A tall figure appears—younger, less armored, but unmistakably the Warden.
> "Playtime's over," the Warden says, arms crossed.
> "I made a black hole!" the baby cries out proudly.
> "You made a mess," the Warden replies, and snaps his fingers.
Suddenly, the chaos of the infant Architect's toys arranges into perfect orbits and mathematical alignments.
> "Order is beautiful," the Warden murmurs, gently tucking the baby into a cradle that sings lullabies made from equations.
---
Present Day:
The skies over Keningau rumble—not with thunder, but with judgment.
A crack opens above the sports complex. The wind freezes. Time hiccups.
Nel, standing near Chelestar, looks up. His heart beats once—then skips. A coldness slides down his spine. Not fear—awareness.
> "Something ancient is watching us," he mutters.
Chelestar's fox ears twitch. "I hear it too. A heartbeat not from this world."
Suddenly, the Warden appears.
He doesn't fall. He descends—like a commandment written in light.
Chains spiral from his body, anchoring him to air itself. Every step flattens the grass, rearranging the molecules into neat grids.
Students freeze. Even those with powers drop to their knees, overwhelmed by his aura.
---
Warden's Voice booms—not loud, but inescapable:
> "Kriztorez Nel. You exist outside the system. That is a violation."
Nel steps forward, shielding Chelestar instinctively.
> "I was born this way."
> "And born things can be corrected."
---
Meanwhile: The Architect, watching through a void mirror, chuckles.
> "Let's see if my old babysitter can still enforce nap time on a Child of the Bang."
---
TO BE CONTINUED…