The massive, golden warship hovered in the burning red sky. The ceiling of the Sanctum of Ages was blown wide open. The First Architect, a twelve-foot-tall God of liquid gold, stood in the center of the ruined library. He held a glowing white spear, ready to blast a hole straight through the earth. "Silas, we have to run!" Anya screamed, pulling Krov’s broken body away from the falling debris. But Silas Kapito did not run. This was his struggle. He was a boy trapped in a young, thin body, but he was facing an ancient God who wanted to erase the world. He only had one working arm. He was bleeding. He was exhausted. Silas looked at the First Architect. Then he looked back at the sparking, red computer monitor. The computer was still projecting the massive blue "Resonance Image." It was still showing the hologram of Silas’s true, original self—the broad, scarred, muscular God of War from three hundred years ago. “If I fight him as Kian, I die,” Silas thought rapidly. “I need my orig

The radio on the floor screamed with static. The terrified soldier's voice cried out one last time before it went dead. The thousand mad clones, holding the furious soul of the original Ash-King, were climbing up the dark pillar. They were coming for blood. Inside the Sanctum of Ages, young General Krov stood frozen in absolute terror. He stared at the blue hologram of the giant, ancient God of War. Then, he looked through the thick energy-glass cylinder at the skinny, bleeding boy trapped inside. The secret was out. Silas Kapito was the original. Krov’s fear quickly turned into a hot, desperate panic. "I have to kill you!" Krov yelled, his voice cracking. He grabbed a heavy plasma-rifle from a nearby weapon rack. He aimed the glowing red barrel directly at the thick glass cylinder holding Silas. "If I kill the original, the copies will die!" Krov screamed, trying to convince himself. Krov put his fi

Before the final descent into The Engine room, a different conversation took place in the ruins of the Sanctum of Ages.Silas Kapito stood in the center of the dusty, broken library. The tapestries were torn. The ancient weapons in the glass cases were shattered. General Krov stood ten feet away. The young, perfect clone of the old warrior held a heavy, dark metal combat blade. It was not a glowing energy weapon. It was a simple, brutal knife, vibrating rapidly with a deadly, high-frequency hum. "I am going to cut your heart out, Silas," Krov promised. His amber eyes burned with absolute hatred. Silas did not raise his fists. He kept his 30-beats-per-minute heart perfectly steady. He engaged his "Kinetic Vision." He looked past Krov’s angry face. He looked directly at the vibrating metal knife. "Your blade is vibrating at exactly forty thousand hertz, General," Silas said. His flat, digital voice cut clearly through th

The giant silver blast doors were vaporized into dust. Silas Kapito and his Golden-Eyed Clone stood in the massive server room. In the center of the dark room, the giant brain of the Aeon-General floated inside a clear glass pillar. But it was no longer glowing cold blue. It was glowing bright gold. Standing behind the glass was Lady Sera. Her liquid-metal skin shifted like wet, shiny mercury. She smiled a wicked, triumphant smile. "The Chrome Council didn't build an AI," Lady Sera laughed. Her voice echoed softly off the dark metal walls. "They built a new home for me. And I am taking control." General Krov pushed past Silas. He stared at the golden brain in the glass pillar. His scarred face twisted into a mask of pure, absolute horror. "No," Krov whispered, his amber eyes wide with panic. "Sera... you cannot merge with the machine. It is a strategic algorithm! It will erase your human consciousness! You will become a slave to the code!" "I will become the code!" Sera snapped

“Warning. Asteroid impact in exactly ten seconds,” the automated computer voice announced. The heat inside the server room was unbearable. The white marble floor began to melt. Silas Kapito and the Golden-Eyed Clone stood by the four massive support pillars. They pulled their heavy, tungsten-dense fists back, ready to shatter the foundation of the Citadel. If they broke the city, the asteroid would pass through the center. But suddenly, General Krov began to laugh. It was a loud, coughing laugh that sounded like grinding rocks. "You are fools!" Krov screamed from the floor. He ignored the blood dripping from his chin. "Use your eyes, Silas! Do the math!" Silas stopped. He held his fist in the air. He opened his "Kinetic Vision." He looked through the floor. He looked down at the dark, muddy Sump miles below them. He calculated the weight of the falling Citadel. He calculated the explosion of the asteroid. Krov was right. If Silas broke the city, the asteroid would pass through