Chapter 14: The Titan’s Call

The light receded as suddenly as it had erupted, leaving the tower trembling in its wake. Coza’s ears rang, and his vision was a swirling haze of afterimages, the radiant pulse from the sphere burned into his retinas. The air smelled of ozone, sharp and electric, mingling with the metallic tang of rust and rain.

The platform beneath his feet swayed, groaning as the tower’s structure strained against the storm raging around them. Coza blinked rapidly, his grip tightening on the sphere, which had grown strangely cool in his hand. The veins running through its surface pulsed faintly, their rhythm uneven, like a faltering heartbeat.

“Get up,” Edna barked, her voice cutting through the chaos. She stood a few feet away, her weapon aimed at the edge of the platform. Smoke rose from the barrel, the faint glow of spent energy cells reflecting in her narrowed eyes.

Coza staggered to his feet, his legs unsteady. The Heralds were gone—at least, the ones that had reached the platform. Below, the metallic figures lay crumpled, their forms shattered like broken glass. Golden mist rose from their remains, curling upward as if seeking something unseen.

“What just happened?” Coza asked, his voice hoarse.

Edna didn’t look at him. Her gaze was fixed on the storm clouds above, their edges illuminated by flashes of distant lightning. “You happened,” she said grimly. “Whatever the sphere did, it didn’t just stop them. It triggered something bigger.”

Coza followed her gaze. The storm seemed alive now, its movements deliberate, its thunderous roars echoing like a challenge. The veins running through the Harbor’s spires pulsed in sync with the lightning, their glow spreading outward in a web of golden light. It was beautiful and terrifying, a tapestry of energy that wove itself into the very fabric of the city.

And at the heart of it all, Coza felt the sphere stirring.

A deafening roar tore through the air, and the tower shuddered violently. Coza grabbed a nearby beam for balance as the platform lurched beneath him. Below, the streets of the Harbor were in chaos. People scrambled for shelter, their panicked cries lost beneath the storm’s fury. Automated systems blared incoherent warnings, their synthetic voices distorted and broken.

“What do we do?” Coza asked, his voice rising with panic.

Edna shot him a sharp glance. “We don’t stand here waiting to die.”

She moved toward the edge of the platform, her boots steady despite the shaking structure. Coza followed, his movements clumsy as the sphere weighed heavier in his grasp. The wind whipped around them, carrying flecks of rain and ash as they climbed down the tower’s rusted framework.

Halfway down, a shadow moved through the storm. Coza froze, his breath catching as the massive figure emerged from the clouds. It wasn’t a Herald—it was something far larger, its form a shifting amalgamation of metal and energy. Its head turned slowly, golden light spilling from its eyes as it scanned the Harbor below.

“What is that?” Coza whispered.

“A Titan,” Edna said, her tone flat. “The Harbor’s enforcers weren’t enough. Now it’s sending in the big guns.”

The Titan’s gaze locked onto the tower, and a low hum reverberated through the air. Its movements were deliberate, each step sending tremors through the ground. Tendrils of golden light extended from its limbs, lashing out like whips as it advanced.

Edna cursed under her breath. “We need to get off this thing. Now.”

They reached the base of the tower as the Titan’s energy tendrils lashed across its surface. The structure groaned, beams snapping like twigs under the onslaught. Coza followed Edna through the rubble-strewn streets, the glow of the veins beneath their feet guiding their path.

Ahead, a narrow alley beckoned, its entrance shrouded in shadow. Edna darted into it without hesitation, her weapon at the ready. Coza hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the Titan. Its gaze swept across the Harbor, its tendrils cutting through spires and walkways with terrifying precision.

“Move!” Edna’s voice snapped him out of his trance, and he stumbled into the alley.

The narrow passage twisted and turned, its walls lined with pipes that hissed and groaned under the city’s strain. The air was damp and oppressive, each breath carrying the scent of mildew and rust. Coza kept his gaze forward, the sphere’s faint glow lighting their way.

The alley opened into a hidden courtyard, its edges overgrown with moss and vines. At its center stood an old terminal, its screen flickering with static. Edna approached it cautiously, her fingers dancing over the cracked keyboard.

“What is this?” Coza asked, his voice echoing in the quiet.

“An access point,” Edna said. “The Harbor’s built on layers—old systems buried beneath new ones. If I can connect to the right node, I might be able to figure out what’s happening.”

Coza glanced at the veins running through the courtyard, their glow dimmer now. “And if you can’t?”

Edna didn’t answer. Her focus remained on the terminal, her expression grim.

A distant roar shook the ground, and Coza’s stomach twisted. The Titan was drawing closer, its movements deliberate and unrelenting. He could feel the sphere reacting to it, the artifact’s pulse quickening in time with the tremors.

“It’s coming,” Coza said, his voice tight.

Edna ignored him, her attention fixed on the terminal. Lines of code scrolled across the screen, fragments of data flashing in and out of existence. Finally, she stepped back, her jaw set.

“Whatever you did at the forge,” she said, “it’s rewritten the Harbor’s systems. The veins, the Heralds, the Titan—they’re all connected now.”

Coza frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means the Harbor isn’t just responding to the sphere,” Edna said. “It’s evolving. Adapting. And if we don’t stop it, it’s going to consume everything.”

Another roar split the air, and the courtyard trembled. Coza turned to see the Titan’s massive form rising above the rooftops, its golden gaze fixed on them. Energy crackled along its limbs, and the veins in the ground pulsed brighter, feeding into the creature’s hulking frame.

Edna grabbed Coza’s arm, pulling him toward a hidden passage at the edge of the courtyard. “We can’t fight it,” she said. “But we might be able to outrun it.”

Coza didn’t argue. The passage descended into darkness, the sound of the Titan’s approach growing fainter with each step. The walls closed in around them, the glow of the veins casting eerie shadows as they ran.

For the first time since the forge, Coza felt the weight of his choices pressing down on him. The Harbor was alive, its every pulse a reminder of the power he had unleashed. And as the sphere pulsed in his hand, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t finished yet.