Chapter 15: The Manifestation

The passage stretched before them, narrow and winding, the air growing colder with every step. Coza felt the walls pressing in around him, their surfaces slick with condensation and pulsing faintly with the veins’ golden glow. Each pulse seemed to resonate with the sphere in his pocket, the artifact growing warmer against his chest as if urging him forward.

Edna led the way, her movements quick and precise. Her weapon remained in her hand, its barrel gleaming faintly in the dim light. Coza struggled to keep up, his breaths coming in shallow bursts. The weight of the day’s events pressed on him, the sights and sounds of the Titan, the Heralds, and the crumbling Harbor playing over in his mind like a broken reel.

The silence was oppressive, broken only by the occasional rumble from above. Coza didn’t want to ask how much time they had before the Titan found them. The sound of its roars still echoed faintly, a reminder that their escape was fragile at best.

“Where does this lead?” Coza finally asked, his voice cutting through the stillness.

Edna didn’t look back. “Somewhere we can regroup. Maybe somewhere the Harbor hasn’t reached yet.”

“That doesn’t sound reassuring,” Coza muttered.

“It’s not meant to,” Edna replied, her tone sharp.

The passage opened abruptly into a cavernous chamber, its ceiling arched like the inside of a cathedral. The veins here were brighter, their light spilling across the jagged stone floor in intricate patterns. At the center of the room stood a large, circular dais, its surface etched with symbols that glowed faintly.

Coza hesitated at the threshold, his gaze drawn to the dais. The sphere in his pocket pulsed sharply, its hum vibrating through his chest. He pulled it out, the artifact’s glow matching the light emanating from the symbols.

“What is this place?” he asked, stepping closer to the dais.

“A nexus,” Edna said, then grimaced. “Not the kind you’re thinking of. It’s a convergence point. Where the veins meet.”

Coza frowned. “Why here?”

“Because this is where it started,” Edna said, her voice heavy. “The Harbor was built over something ancient—something it was never meant to disturb. This,” she gestured to the dais, “is part of that.”

The air around the dais seemed to shift, a faint hum growing louder as Coza approached. He felt the sphere grow warmer, its light intensifying until it illuminated the entire chamber. The symbols on the dais began to shift, rearranging themselves into new patterns.

“What’s it doing?” Coza asked, his voice trembling.

“It’s responding to you,” Edna said, her tone uneasy. “Or to that thing you’re holding. Either way, we don’t have time to stand around waiting for it to decide whether we belong here.”

Before Coza could respond, a deep rumble shook the chamber. The veins along the walls flared, their glow surging outward like a wave of fire. The hum grew louder, drowning out even the sound of the Titan’s distant roars.

The light coalesced at the center of the dais, forming a pillar of golden energy that stretched toward the ceiling. The air crackled with electricity, and Coza felt his skin prickle as the energy grew denser, taking on a physical shape.

A figure emerged from the light, its form tall and imposing. It was humanoid, but its features were fluid, its body shifting between flesh and metal. Its eyes burned with the same golden light as the veins, and its voice was a low, resonant echo that seemed to emanate from every corner of the chamber.

“You carry the spark,” the figure said, its gaze fixed on Coza. “You have awakened the forge.”

Coza stepped back instinctively, the sphere clutched tightly in his hand. “Who are you?”

“I am a fragment,” the figure said. “An echo of what was. A harbinger of what is to come.”

Edna raised her weapon, her stance tense. “And what exactly is coming?”

The figure turned its gaze to her, its expression unreadable. “The cycle returns. The Harbor’s foundation crumbles, and the veins rise to reclaim what was lost.”

Coza’s pulse quickened. “Why me? Why did the sphere bring me here?”

“The spark seeks a vessel,” the figure said. “One who can shape the path ahead. You have been chosen.”

“I didn’t ask to be chosen,” Coza said, his voice trembling.

“Choice is irrelevant,” the figure replied. “The Harbor has become a prison for what lies beneath. The veins are its heartbeat, and the forge is its soul. You must decide whether to preserve it or release it.”

The chamber trembled, the light from the veins growing brighter. The figure began to fade, its form dissolving into golden mist.

“Wait!” Coza shouted. “What happens if I make the wrong choice?”

The figure’s voice echoed as it disappeared. “There is no wrong choice. Only consequence.”

The chamber fell silent, the hum of the veins subsiding into a faint pulse. Coza stood motionless, his mind racing. The sphere’s glow had dimmed, its surface cool once more, but the weight of its presence remained heavy in his grasp.

Edna lowered her weapon, her expression grim. “If that thing was right, then this place is a time bomb. And you’re the one holding the detonator.”

Coza turned to her, his frustration bubbling over. “You think I don’t know that? I didn’t ask for this. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do!”

“Then figure it out,” Edna snapped. “Because the Harbor won’t wait for you to catch up.”

Another rumble shook the chamber, and the sound of the Titan’s roars grew louder. The veins pulsed violently, their light flickering like a dying flame. Coza glanced back at the dais, the symbols etched into its surface glowing faintly.

“We can’t stay here,” Edna said, grabbing his arm. “The Titan’s closing in, and this place won’t hold.”

Coza nodded reluctantly, his grip tightening on the sphere. They turned and ran, the veins’ pulsing light guiding their path through the twisting passageways. The walls trembled with every step, the sound of the Titan’s approach reverberating through the stone.

As they emerged into the open air, the storm above the Harbor raged with renewed fury. Lightning arced across the sky, illuminating the city’s fractured spires and the golden veins that now wove through its streets like living tendrils.

The Titan loomed in the distance, its massive form silhouetted against the storm. Its movements were slow but deliberate, its energy tendrils carving through the city with devastating precision.

Coza stared at the chaos, his chest heavy with the weight of his choices.