Kenji rubbed his gloved thumb on the worn leather of his wrist guard. He focused on the flickering signals from Kaito's salvaged comms array.
The low hum of the vault's makeshift generators was a constant, almost hypnotic drone.
His System still blared [Corruption Influence: CRITICAL!].
It was a constant, grating reminder of the silent war inside him.
"Any luck with that long-range scan, Kaito? Anything beyond the usual blight chatter?"
He was desperate for news, any news, of other survivors.
Kaito, hunched over the sparking console, swore under his breath.
"Luck? Luck is a myth in a blighted dimension, Kenji. But… wait. I'm picking up something. A faint, encrypted signal. Sector Beta-4. It's a strong, organized perimeter, decent power signature. Not just a handful of scared refugees, this is… a proper pocket of resistance."
He paused. His fingers flew over the makeshift keyboard as he decrypted parts of a recorded broadcast. His eyes widened, and he shot a startled glance at Kenji.
"Kenji, this is going to sound crazy, but… I think it's your sister. She's leading this group. She sounds… fierce. And she's talking about tactical maneuvers against a Blight-Harvester."
Kenji felt a jolt, a sudden, sharp intake of breath. His sister. Alive. Leading a group.
A wave of mixed feelings hit him: relief, disbelief, and deep, scary anxiety. He was so different now.
So… dark. Would she even recognize him? Would she understand? His Corruption Influence meter flickered, responding to the sudden wave of emotion.
Elara carefully cleaned her Lumina crystal. She looked up, her face showing a gentle understanding.
"Your sister? That's wonderful, Kenji! A family reunion amidst… all this."
She gestured vaguely towards the reinforced walls, a quiet sadness in her voice.
"We should go. Immediately."
The journey to Sector Beta-4 was a tense, silent ordeal. They moved through the maze-like streets, now full of tough decay and shadowy outlines of old buildings.
Kenji navigated the shadows, his senses heightened, constantly aware of the pervasive blight. He pictured his sister's face, younger, before the war, before the blight.
He remembered how he used to tease her. Even then, her fierce ambition stood out.
She had an unwavering sense of right and wrong. How would she react to him? To the power that pulsed under his skin, the shadow that now defined him?
He ran a hand over his Shadow Brand, a stark reminder of his transformation.
Kaito was quiet as he focused on their route. His battered scanner swept for threats.
"They've got a good setup, it seems. Strong energy signatures. They're using some old civic defense grid, repurposed. Smart. Real smart."
He didn't meet Kenji's eye, sensing the emotional turmoil swirling around him.
They infiltrated the Beta-4 complex through a service tunnel Kaito had identified.
The air was cleaner here. The quiet voices and clang of tools stood out from the silent, suffocating blight outside. As they emerged into a brightly lit, cavernous command center, Kenji saw her.
She stood tall, her back straight. Her short, practical hair shone under the bright emergency lights.
Her face was grimmer, hardened by war, but it was undoubtedly her. Commander Alani. His sister.
She was barking orders at a squad of armed soldiers, her voice sharp, authoritative.
Hana's eyes, a familiar shade of hazel, snapped to him. Her mouth opened, gasping.
Then, her gaze landed on Shadowfang at his hip. She noticed the faint, almost invisible dark aura around him, a byproduct of the Heart of the Eclipse. Her expression changed.
Relief gave way to a chilling mask of disbelief, then to something cold and hard. Her eyes narrowed, jaw tight.
"Kenji. You… you're alive," Hana said her voice flat, devoid of the warmth he remembered.
"But what is this? This… darkness around you? This… blade?"
She took a step back, her hand instinctively going to her sidearm.
"You always wanted power, but to embrace this? To wield the very thing that consumes us? You've fallen, Kenji. You're weak. You've traded your soul for a shadow."
Her words cut deep, filled with bitter disappointment and fear. She completely misunderstood his true nature and the painful struggle he faced inside.
Kenji flinched as if struck. The accusation hit harder than any physical blow. His gut twisted.
He tried to speak, but the words stuck in his throat. Frustration and a sudden wave of despair choked him.
His Corruption Influence meter pulsed with cold, internal rage, ironically reinforcing her perception. He clenched his fists, forcing himself to breathe.
"Alani, it's not what you think,"
Elara said, stepping closer. Her Lumina light glowed softly, aiming to close the gap of distrust.
"He fights for us, Commander. He fights against the darkness every second. His power… It's a burden he carries to protect us all. He's never been stronger, or more resolute."
Kaito pushed past Kenji, stepping into the tense space.
"Look, Reyes, he's basically a walking tactical nuke, but he's our walking tactical nuke. He's been dragging our butts through the blight dimension for weeks. He knows this enemy better than anyone, and he's not corrupted. He's just… evolved."
Before Hana could respond, a sudden, muffled alarm blared through the complex.
"Infiltrators! Sector Gamma-5 breach!"
A soldier yelled, pointing at a flickering monitor displaying a red warning.
Alani's attention immediately snapped to the threat.
"Gamma-5? That's our power conduits!"
She barked orders, her soldiers rushing to their defensive positions.
Kenji didn't hesitate. He surged forward, Shadowfang a blur.
"I'll handle it!"
He used a swift Shadow Step, appearing directly at the breach point. Two Infiltrator-Blights, still shimmering from their camouflage, were tearing at the conduit.
Kenji moved with terrifying precision, not brute force.
He didn't unleash a devastating Void Blast that might damage the critical power lines.
He used targeted Shadow Slashes to cut the blight-creatures' vital nodes. This dispatched them quickly and cleanly.
His movements were fluid, controlled, and almost surgical. He protected the conduits. He not only defeated the threat but also kept collateral damage low.
Hana watched, her eyes wide. She saw something new in Kenji as he moved with a grace that terrified her.
He wasn't just powerful; he was utterly in control. The threat neutralized, Kenji turned back, his gaze meeting hers.
Alani stared at him, then at the dissolving remnants of the Blight-creatures. Her jaw remained tight, but the raw fear in her eyes lessened, replaced by a grudging respect.
"You're strong, Kenji."
She conceded, her voice flat, devoid of warmth.
"Effective. But I don't know this person. This… thing you've become."
She turned, giving orders to her soldiers, but the unspoken message hung in the air: You are a tool, not my brother.
Kenji's gut twisted. He had found his sister, but lost a piece of his past. The cold, internal rage of the Heart of the Eclipse pulsed, but he forced it down.
He looked at Elara, her eyes filled with sympathy, and Kaito, who gave him a grim, supportive nod.
He drew Shadowfang. Its dark blade shone under the camp's lights, which hummed with new purpose.
"This war… it demands sacrifices beyond just blood,"
He muttered, more to himself than to them.
"Let's coordinate defenses. We hit the supply lines tomorrow. No rest. No time."