Chapter 254: Through Distortion And Desperation

Cyrus pulled up the forging sequence timeline.

During the initial synchronization phase, all five Shard pillars would channel their full divine resonance into the central matrix simultaneously.

The array would demand maximum output.

Every available fragment of divine authority redirected toward reunification.

For approximately four seconds, the suppression network would lose access to the Roaring Shard’s power.

The Royal Command Seal would destabilize.

His instincts would be free.

Cyrus saved the schematic to memory and closed the terminal.

Elias approached, reviewing data on a handheld tablet.

"Finished with your analysis?"

"Yes."

Cyrus turned.

"I can stabilize the karmic bond extraction. We’ll need to recalibrate the frequency modulation during synchronization."

Elias smiled.

"Excellent."

Cyrus gestured toward the terminal array.

"Your team will need to adjust the harmonic feedback loops. The frequency modulation must account for karmic resonance fluctuation."

The lead technician—a hawk spirit with augmented talons—stepped forward with a datapad.

"Specific parameters?"

"Start at seven-point-three terahertz baseline. Increase incrementally during the extraction phase. If the bond destabilizes, the backlash will corrupt the entire sequence."

Elias observed from the elevated platform.

"You’re being remarkably cooperative."

"I want Kane alive."

Cyrus kept his tone flat.

"That requires precision."

The technician adjusted settings while Cyrus calculated variables in his head.

He couldn’t directly attack Elias. The blood sigil would incinerate him.

He couldn’t destroy the forging array. Same result.

He couldn’t simply remove the Roaring Shard. The containment wards would trigger security protocols.

But he could influence how his own dragonfire interacted with the Crystal.

Elias required precise synchronization between dragonfire and the five Shards. That gave Cyrus control over one essential variable.

His plan: when the forging began, Cyrus would regulate his dragonfire so that the Roaring Shard’s divine authority redirected away from the suppression network and into the main array.

The action itself would appear to be a legitimate part of stabilizing the Crystal.

The blood contract shouldn’t punish it because Cyrus wasn’t destroying or sabotaging the array. He was performing the synchronization Elias requested.

However, this wasn’t guaranteed.

The contract could interpret his hidden intent as sabotage.

Timing mattered.

Execution mattered.

His strategy remained incomplete:

Survive the forging. Redirect the Roaring Shard’s power. Break the Royal Command Seal.

Then what?

Find a way to protect Kane and the hatchling.

Prevent Elias from claiming the completed Crystal.

He still lacked the information needed for those final steps.

The dimensional rift’s residual signature glowed on the monitor.

Ginsei traced the coordinates with his finger.

"St. Mariel’s."

Rina leaned over his shoulder.

"Elias went back to his own facility?"

"Apparently."

Ginsei pulled up overlay scans.

"But it’s concealed beneath spatial distortion. Suppression wards layered at least twelve levels deep."

Isabelle studied the readings.

"We should raid it immediately."

Rina nodded.

"I’ll inform Commander Qi."

"Wait, no."

Ginsei didn’t look away from the screen.

"The facility’s wards will detect a hostile incursion instantly. If Elias triggers containment protocols—"

"Cyrus and Kane could get hurt."

Isabelle finished the thought quietly.

Rina’s jaw tightened.

"Then what do we do?"

Isabelle pulled a thin silver device from her coat pocket.

"Veyr Corp maintains encrypted spirit communication channels. Cyrus carries a private emergency resonance signature."

She activated the device.

"We attempt contact."

The transmission launched.

Static filled the lab.

Distorted pulses flickered across the screen, breaking apart before reforming.

"It’s not going through."

Rina gripped the table edge.

"The suppression network is scrambling it."

Isabelle increased the power output.

The signal wavered but pushed deeper through the interference.

Inside the laboratory, Cyrus examined harmonic feedback loops on the terminal.

An unfamiliar pulse rippled against the suppression wards.

He froze.

Elias approached from behind.

"Is there a problem?"

"No."

Cyrus forced his posture to relax.

"Recalibrating the frequency modulation."

Elias returned to his tablet.

The pulse came again.

Softer this time.

Cyrus recognized it.

Isabelle’s emergency signal.

He couldn’t answer normally. Any overt response would trigger Elias’s attention.

Instead, Cyrus subtly shifted his dragonfire resonance while adjusting the terminal settings.

The change was minor—barely enough to ripple through the suppression network.

But recognizable.

Back at BSA headquarters, Ginsei stared at the monitor.

"Wait."

Rina turned.

"What?"

Ginsei leaned forward.

"Something answered."

Isabelle stepped closer.

Three crimson pulses appeared on the screen.

A pause.

Then one final pulse.

Isabelle closed her eyes.

"Cyrus is alive."

Rina exhaled shakily.

"Can we send another message?"

Ginsei studied the monitor.

Red warnings flashed across the interface.

"The facility’s wards are adapting to the attempted transmission."

He looked up.

"They’re learning our frequency. If we try again, the system will lock us out permanently."

Isabelle straightened.

"Then we use what we know."

She glanced at Rina and Ginsei.

"Cyrus confirmed he’s alive. That means he’s still able to respond."

Ginsei’s expression darkened.

"But we may not get another chance."

Back at the laboratory, Elias descended from the observation platform with uncharacteristic energy.

His smile widened as a technician approached with a tablet.

"Confirmed?"

"Yes, sir. All five Shards show synchronized harmonic drift. The resonance window opens in fifty-seven minutes."

Elias turned toward Cyrus.

"Fate smiles upon us."

Cyrus didn’t respond.

Elias continued anyway, enthusiasm creeping into his normally measured tone.

"The boundaries between dimensions are weakening. The Spirit Realm’s remnants and the human world are converging. The Shards will become receptive to reunification—but only during this window."

He gestured toward the forging array.

"We begin in one hour."

Cyrus’s jaw tightened.

"Then we proceed."

"Not quite."

Elias tapped the tablet.

"There’s one final complication."

The hologram shifted, displaying the obsidian egg case.

"The Crystal requires a living draconic spirit to awaken its divine authority. Your hatchling provides the ideal resonance."

Cyrus stepped forward.

"What are you saying?"

"The egg’s unhatched state offers the perfect spiritual frequency. But its physical form cannot withstand the convergence’s power."

Elias enlarged the projection.

"I intend to separate the hatchling’s spirit from the egg temporarily. We’ll use it as a living catalyst during the forging sequence."

Cyrus’s dragonfire flared.

"No."

"The procedure will preserve the spirit’s existence," Elias said calmly.

"However, the physical egg will be destroyed."

Cyrus went still.

"You promised he would survive."

"And he will."

"Without a body?"

"A minor inconvenience. Once the Crystal is complete, I can construct a more suitable vessel."

Cyrus stared at him.

"You intend to turn my son into one of your experiments."

Elias’s smile returned.

"I prefer the term improvement."

Crimson dragonfire erupted around Cyrus’s claws.

He lunged for Elias’s throat.

The blood sigil ignited around his wrist.

Agony tore through his spirit core, forcing him to his knees.

Elias watched without moving.

"The convergence begins in less than an hour."

He glanced toward the obsidian egg.

"I suggest you spend the remaining time explaining to your son why he may never get to meet you."