Chapter 43

• The war room was bathed in the soft glow of the Nexus map, its threads shimmering faintly. Kael stood in silence, his gaze fixed on the newly unlocked section of the system interface. The words “Nexus Protocol: Stage II Initialization” pulsed in his vision, their significance yet unclear.
• Angelica leaned against the edge of the table, her violet eyes sharp. “That’s the second time the system’s mentioned this Nexus Protocol. What does it mean?”
• Kael shook his head. “I don’t know. But it’s tied to the system’s evolution—and the system’s tied to the Nexus. Whatever it is, it’s important.”