The Glitch Sovereign: Neural Forge

Chapter 9: The Crimson Gala

The Grand Hall of the Solari Estate was a sea of crimson silk and gold. Every noble in the Aurelian Sector was there to celebrate Zeryth Solari. I walked through the heavy doors, my Nirvana Engine humming quietly beneath a borrowed tuxedo.

"Invitations, sir?" A guard asked, blocking my path.

"I am the guest of honor’s old friend," I said. "Check the list for Vax."

"Ah, the trial winner," the guard muttered. "Go in. Try not to touch the tapestries."

I scanned the room. Zeryth stood on a raised platform, a glass of champagne in his hand. He looked perfect. He looked like the hero who had never committed a murder.

"Look at him," Nyxra whispered, appearing at my side in a dark gown. "He thinks he is a king now. If he sees you, he will call the High-Cleaners immediately."

"Let him see me," I said. "I didn't come here to hide."

"Vaxien, please," she hissed. "We need the resources from the vault first! Don't throw it all away for a scene!"

"The scene is the point, Nyxra," I said.

I walked toward the platform. The crowd parted. My presence was like a cold draft in a warm room. Zeryth looked down, his eyes landing on me. He didn't recognize me at first.

"A newcomer?" Zeryth asked, his voice booming for the crowd to hear. "Are you here to offer your sword to the Solari family, traveler?"

"I am here to return something you dropped," I said, stopping at the base of the stairs.

"And what would that be?" Zeryth laughed. "I have everything I could ever want."

"You dropped your conscience in the Shadow-Wastes," I said.

The room went silent. The clinking of glasses stopped. Zeryth’s smile faltered. His eyes narrowed.

"The Wastes?" Zeryth whispered. "Who are you?"

"Don't you recognize the face of the man you threw off the Sky-Bridge?" I asked.

I pulled back my hood, revealing my face under the bright chandeliers. The gasps from the nobility were like a wave.

"Vaxien?" Zeryth gasped. He stepped back, nearly tripping over his crimson cape. "No. That is impossible. You were stripped! Your Soul-Code was gray!"

"It still is," I said, stepping up the first stair. "But I found a new way to breathe. Do you remember the sound of my bones breaking, Zeryth?"

"Guard!" Zeryth screamed, his voice cracking. "Kill this imposter! He is a glitch! He is a ghost!"

Four elite guards lunged at me. I didn't even look at them. I took a deep breath.

"Vacuum-Burst," I muttered.

The air around the guards vanished. They collapsed instantly, clutching their throats as they tumbled down the stairs. The nobles shrieked and scrambled toward the exits.

"Stay where you are!" I roared. My voice echoed with the power of the Nirvana Engine.

"You... you survived," Zeryth stammered. He dropped his glass. It shattered on the marble. "How? No one survives the fall! There is nothing but toxic mist and monsters!"

"I ate the monsters, Zeryth," I said. "And now, I am going to eat your reputation."

"You think anyone will believe you?" Zeryth hissed, regaining his composure. "I am a Solari! I am the Golden Son! You are a nameless error! I’ll tell them you’re a shapeshifter sent by the rebels!"

"Tell them whatever you want," I said. "But look at your hand."

Zeryth looked down. His hand was shaking uncontrollably.

"Why am I trembling?" he gasped. "What are you doing to me?"

"I am compressing the oxygen around your nervous system," I said. "Your brain is starving, Zeryth. Just like mine was when you choked me."

"Stop it!" He wailed, falling to his knees. "I’ll give you credits! I’ll give you a seat in the High Council! Just stop!"

"I don't want your seat," I said, standing over him. "I want you to admit it. Tell them what you did on the Sky-Bridge."

"I... I can't," he wheezed.

I leaned down, my eyes glowing with a cold, golden light. "Say it, or I will turn this ballroom into a vacuum and watch every noble here turn purple."

"I did it!" Zeryth screamed. The sound rang through the hall. "I pushed him! Vaxien was the top of the class, and I couldn't let a nobody beat a Solari! I threw him into the Wastes!"

The silence that followed was heavy. The nobles stared in horror. Zeryth’s father, the High Lord Solari, stood frozen in the back of the room.

"There it is," I said. "The Golden Son is just a murderer."

"You've ruined everything!" Zeryth sobbed. "My life is over!"

"Your life ended the moment I hit the silt," I said. "This is just the funeral."

"Vaxien, we have to go!" Nyxra shouted. "The Archon's ships are locking onto the estate! They don't care about the truth, they just want to stop the anomaly!"

I looked up through the glass dome of the ceiling. Red targeting lasers were sweeping the floor.

"Let them lock on," I said.

"Are you insane?" Zeryth yelled, looking up in terror. "They will vaporize the entire estate just to hit you!"

"Then I guess you should start praying," I said.

A massive beam of red energy punched through the ceiling. The glass exploded into a million shards.

"System," I whispered. "Can the Nirvana Engine absorb orbital fire?"

[Analyzing...]

[Probability of survival: 0.04%.]

"Good enough," I said.

I grabbed Zeryth by his collar and held him up toward the descending beam of light.

"Let's see if your family's name can shield us from this," I said.

The heat became unbearable. The world turned red.

"No! Please!" Zeryth screamed.

The explosion swallowed us both.