Then he saw her .
And in that crack, Orion saw the truth of v0.8.0: the update wasn’t the monster’s release.
The air in the hidden vault still smelled of rust and ancient electricity. Orion wiped a smear of synthetic blood from his lip—Annie’s plasma whip had caught him by accident during the skirmish with the Sentinels. Around him, the party caught their breath: Dalia leaning against a crumbling pillar, her axe crackling with residual energy; Nova already fiddling with a datapad, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and exhilaration; and Annie, pale but defiant, refusing to meet his gaze. Eternum -v0.8.0- -Caribdis-
Dalia stepped forward, axe humming. “Talk straight, ghost. What’s coming?”
The real one.
Idriel stood at the far end of the chamber, not as a ghostly projection, but solid. Her feet touched the fractured marble floor. Her silver hair floated as if underwater, and her eyes—those twin voids—locked onto Orion alone.
The floor shattered.
“You’re welcome, by the way,” Annie muttered. “That Sentinel was about to core you.”