Chapter 3: What is the System Eclipse?

The Tri-Lunar Eclipse happens again, but this time the eclipse’s light is centered around the 2. Lira erupts into her Glass Seraph form (binary-winged angel, half pristine light, half corrupted void). The three moons converge into her wings, their colors spiraling through her body. With a single beat of her wings, she launches a Reality-Severing Strike—a beam/slash of crystalline light wrapped in glitching shadow. The Hydra freezes mid-scream, fractures into millions of shards, and disintegrates instantly. The festival grounds are silent. Survivors stare as the corrupted debris dissolves into starlight, leaving behind a new Memory Shard in Yuri’s hands.Mira stares wide-eyed: “…That power… it bypassed the Nexus’s own code. Yuri…”

Yuri looks at Lira’s new form & is surprised to see her “Master Yuri are you ok?” She said Yuri is surprised to see Lira’s new form & says, “You look mesmerizing. It’s like you’re my Guardian Angel.”Lira then giggles & says, “Are you joking or do you really mean it?”“I mean it, Of course!” Yuri said hastily Yuri then hugs Lira & whispers to her, “Thank you for being here with me.”

[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]

The corrupted entity Hydra of Error [Lv.50] has been defeated.

Player Yuri Eclipse has delivered the Final Blow.

Special rewards have been granted.

The rewards he got from it are listed as he reads them.
“The Eclipse Core Fragment. A jagged crystal pulsing with alternating white and black light, like two eclipsed moons fighting for dominance. It appears to have a resonance to my gauntlet.The Hydra’s Crown. A regal circlet forged from the Hydra’s shattered horns, glitched fragments still flickering with static code. Gear Only for Cosmetic & Reputation. Last but not least… a Corrupted Eidolon Sigil!?
A glowing red-and-black emblem that burns into the skin of the bonded Eidolon, fusing corruption with their essence. Uh ok let’s put that sigil in my inventory for now!” 

Yuri said Hastily, but Lira touches his shoulder.

“Master Yuri don’t worry since I’m half corrupt I should be able to handle it. Trust me.” 

Yuri reluctantly agrees & allows Lira to wear the sigil. It burns into her hand & she gains a new attack, Corrupt Seraph Strike.

A Massive AoE holy-dark hybrid attack that erupts as corrupted wings lash the battlefield. Deals bonus damage to Corrupted-type enemies. Corruption Backlash Chance: 15% — the Eidolon temporarily goes berserk, losing player command for some time. 

“It is done Yuri. Don’t worry I should be able to control it.” Lira says, 

“You’re not going to be handling that power alone! Together we can master both! You understand?” Said Yuri comforting Lira.

As she looks into Yuri’s eyes & sees the love, trust & sincerity in them.She says, “Ok thank you Yuri!”

In the Aftermath all players are getting a broadcast message by the creator of Eidolon Nexus Sofia Verdant & her partner Arnold Kindleburg.

The skies above Edolis ripple like fractured glass. The three moons flare briefly in unison — the pale white, the azure, and the black eclipse-moon. Then the world pauses. NPCs and players freeze mid-motion, the air turning weightless. A glowing data-sigil expands across the heavens, forming a massive projection.

(A crystalline projection fills the sky above Edolis — visible in every city, battlefield, dungeon, and home across the Nexus. Two figures stand within the projection: a sharp-eyed woman in emerald robes with gold circuit-thread embroidery, and a man with disheveled blond hair and a scholar’s coat cluttered with tools and scrolls.)

Sophia Verdant (calm but urgent tone):

“Players of Eidolon Nexus… I am Sophia Verdant, founder of this world.”

Arnold Kindleburg (stepping forward, voice weary but steady):

“And I am Arnold Kindleburg, co-architect of its systems. We apologize for breaking into your experience, but what you have all witnessed is no mere event. The beast you fought — the Hydra of Error — was never part of our design.”

(The sky flickers with the image of the Hydra, glitching between its true monstrous form and a corrupted code-wraith.)

Sophia:

“A corruption, foreign to our creation, has infiltrated the Nexus. We call it the System Eclipse — a fracture between light and shadow code, spreading unpredictably across Eidolons, relics, even into players themselves.”

[Cut to players across the world reacting.]

Some laugh, thinking it’s scripted. Others panic, recognizing the Hydra was real and nearly unstoppable. A few glance at their Eidolons nervously as faint glitches ripple across them.

Arnold:

“We believed this to be contained. We were wrong. Reports from the outside world… show that some players who bond too deeply with corrupted Eidolons are suffering in reality. Headaches, seizures, fainting, even comas. Plus developing Fatigue. Fevers. Migraines. In some cases… much worse.”

They then show some people who are in the hospital over the corruption & when they showed Airi Yuto’s sister, a girl with brown hair with hazelnut eyes lying in bed with a little headache & fever but still determined to play the game to help other players & save it

“That’s my sister Airi! So she’s still playing the game trying to help stop all this, but that means she got corrupted before the System Eclipse happened! How!?” Yuri said & Lira puts a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

“So that’s Yuto’s sister… Don’t worry kid. I’ll help you find her in this world if it’s the last thing I do.” Said Mira as she & Tikka plan to reunite Yuto with Airi in game.

Sofia Verdant:

“To be clear: You may still log in and out freely. This is no prison. But understand this — every time you enter this world not only must you enjoy but fight for it as well.

Arnold Kindleburg (adjusting a stream of data projections — Relics, Sigils, Weapons flicker across the sky):

“We’ve authorized emergency distribution protocols. Certain Sigils, Relics, and corrupted-resistant equipment have been unlocked in the code. They are rare, difficult to obtain, and dangerous to wield — but they can stave off corruption, even purify it. Know that you must be careful with them misuse will lead you down to corruption as well.

[Visual showcase begins — items appear like a cinematic trailer]

Purity Sigils — glowing emblems that strengthen trust between player and Eidolon, reducing corruption spread. Relics of Accord — ancient gear forged by the First Bearers, able to dispel glitched anomalies. Code-Bound Weapons — blades, bows, and gauntlets etched with fragments of the system itself, striking directly at corruption. Sanctuary Equipment — armor infused with stabilizing energies that shield against the corruption.

Arnold

“Understand this — corruption is not simply an enemy to defeat. It adapts. It learns. You will need each other, and your Eidolons, more than ever. Some of you may fall. But together, you can resist it.”

Sophia (closing words)

“Someone tampered with my creation. Someone unleashed this plague. The System Eclipse is not a natural event — it was triggered. And its architect still hides within these servers. I won’t let this become a game disaster like day 1 of SAO & the battle of Gideon in Infinite Dendrogram.”

(Her face hardens — for a moment, she almost seems like a player herself, not just the creator.)

“I will not stand by. I will walk this world with you, until we uncover the truth. Fight not only to survive, but to protect what this world was meant to be.”

The hologram fades, leaving the crowd in silence. NPCs and players alike murmur in fear, resolve, or confusion.

Yuri gasps softly & says, “Whoa! Sofia & Arnold want us the players to help save this gaming world! Also they’re gonna dive in to stop this too!? Guess this game does have infinite possibilities like a certain other.

“Indeed it does.” Says Mira as she arrives to Yuri’s location. “Anything is possible in various worlds & in this 1 it’s the usual stuff still. Team up to battle evil & find out what else is going on. By the way the Game Disasters she just said, that was what you were talking about earlier right?”

Yuri shakes his head yes & as he tries not to think about it the 2 & there Eidolons stand proud for helping defend Edolis but then Lira senses something in the Hydra’s Crown.

“Yuri the Hydra Crown it feels like the Hydra or something else is inside it.” 

As everyone tries to help repair the city and help the inhabitants, night falls & Yuri Lira, Mira plus Tikka make a campfire outside of town to discuss the crown. Lira sits close to Yuri, watching the Hydra’s Crown glimmer faintly in the dark.

“… That crown… it hums. Like a heartbeat. Not of yours, but of something else.” Lira said beginning dialogue with Yuri & the others.

Yuri: Did you feel it too?

Lira: (presses a hand over her chest, wincing slightly) “Yes. It pulls at me… like a voice I should know, but don’t. A song broken into shards. If I listen too long, it hurts.”

Tikka: I feel it too. It’s so sad.

Yuri: It’s hard to believe that there’s still life in this relic of a dead monster.

Mira: “Well? Believe it!”

Lira: (frowning, shaking her head) “No. Not dead. Not fully. Something sleeps in it. Waiting. Watching us.”

Yuri: “Does it remind you of anything Lira?”

Lira: (hesitates, ears flicking like she’s listening to faraway echoes) “When my Sigil first awakened… I felt a similar hunger. As if something vast was staring through me, testing whether I would break or endure. This crown feels the same… only colder. Lonelier.”

Tikka: That might be the Corruption side of you Lira but I know you & Yuri won’t give into it. Not without a fight right?

Lira: “Right Tikka.”

Mira inspects the Hydra Crown but couldn’t crack its code.

Mira: Wow this crown is full of corrupted code. If I know I can crack what’s making it like this… If I level up some that should be a possibility.”

[Lira moves closer, her corruption side glows faintly resonating with the Crown’s dark pulse.]

Lira: (pained, clutching her arm):

“Yuri… if it ever tries to use you the way it once used the Hydra… promise me you’ll let me stop you. Even if it means—”

(She cuts herself off, trembling, then steadies her breath.)

[Court Gasps]

Noble 1: “The Hydra’s horns… Impossible! None have faced it and lived!”

Noble 2: “Is this… a curse, or a blessing?”

Queen Selene (rising slightly from her throne, voice calm but sharp):

“So it is true. You carry the relic of the beast that haunted our borders for centuries… the Crown of Hydra.”

Yuri: What truth did the Hydra hide, Your Majesty?”

Queen Selene (studying Yuri intently):

“Ah… you saw it, didn’t you? That flash within its dying gaze. The memory of the Eidolon it once was. A sentinel of the old Nexus, betrayed by its summoner. The Council sealed that truth… yet here it is, crawling back through you.”

Prince Ethan:  (intrigued, breaking his silence) “Mother… then the Hydra was no beast at all, but a corrupted Eidolon?”Queen Selene: “Yes. And now its crown rests in the hands of another outsider. History has a cruel rhythm.”

*Yuri then speaks to Lira telepathically*

Yuri: (“Hey Lira should we let them inspect the crown?”)

Lira: (“Since it holds some kind of sinister power & with the Queen being an expert on Eidolons I’d say we can trust her. As long as we keep its memory shard we can let them have the crown.”

Yuri: (gets on his knee & offers the crown to the Royal Family) “Queen Selene! Lira detected something still living inside the Hydra Crown. It’s something sinister it could still be the another form of the Hydra Eidolon or something else entirely. So, I want you to take the Crown. Keep it & study it. If anything happens with it let me know. I hope we can trust each other moving forward.”

Queen Selene: (takes it carefully, setting it beside her throne) “Yes you can trust us because we now trust you. A gift of such weight is not easily forgotten. The throne owes you a debt, Yuri of the Nexus. We will let you know what we’ll find out on our investigation on the crown.”

Lira: “Thank you Your Majesty! We’re also going to investigate the Hydra’s memory shard. I believe that when the shard & crown come together the Hydra might return. So for now let’s keep them separated.

*The Queen nods in agreement with Lira’s proposal* “Oh I almost forgot. Yuri take this as a gift from us as thanks plus a sign of friendship & trust with us. This Sword was used during the 1st person who made a connection with the Eidolons. It’s still in pristine condition & has been blessed by Astraea. Triselenis is its name.”

The Queen gives Yuri the Sword. When Yuri unsheathes it he feels the power of the tri-lunar eclipse from it meaning that the 1st person was blessed by the power of 3 moons. As it shines with the color of the 3 moons as well.

Yuri: “Triselenis huh? Thank you I’ll treasure this blade & use it well.”

As Yuri, Lira, Mira, & Tikka leave, The Queen delivers 1 final say to the Court.

Queen Selene (final judgment): “Bear this truth well: the Hydra’s death was not an ending… but the opening of a locked door. What waits beyond… only the Council dares to know.”

Yuri: “Hey I saw you put a shield around the whole town Mira. Are you sure the game isn’t gonna delete you or something?”

Mira: “Don’t worry without me this world will be brought into the dark ages. I’m able to help the Nexus go on, but now it’s rewriting itself that’s incredible plus whatever the System Eclipse is that made it rewrite everything. I just hope that all this rewriting doesn’t affect this world.”

Afterwards they return to help the town from the Hydra attack. Aside from Yuri, Lira, Mira, & Tikka there are 4 others 1 of them being a white hooded girl. 

Later Yuri looks at the crystals he got from the Hydra. The Core Fragment & its Memory Shard.

Yuri: “I wonder what these will do & if this crystal have the Hydra still in it, I better be careful & learn more about these.

Lira: *enters with a smile & says* “Yuri uh we got some company. The good kind not the bad kind.”

End of Chapter 3

Next time Chapter 4 Memory Shards & Phantoms