My Infinite System.

The storm wasn’t made of fire or lightning. It was pure force, a crushing wave of violet energy that screamed through the air, trying to tear them apart at a molecular level.

Lucian brought his blade up, the dark metal humming as it met the onslaught. He was pushed back, his boots scraping against the floor. Beside him, Marc simply raised a hand. The air in front of him solidified, a shimmering, invisible wall that met Lucy’s power with a sound like shattering glass. The violent energy parted around them, carving deep gouges in the walls.

”Lucy!” Lucian yelled over the roar, his voice strained. ”It’s us! Your brothers! You have to fight this!”

Her expression didn’t change. The blank white eyes held no recognition, no emotion. She was a statue, a perfect conduit for destruction. She simply tilted her head and intensified the assault. Tendrils of energy, sharp as razors, shot from her other hand, aiming to encircle and slice.

Marc deflected them with a flick of his wrist, the tendrils dissolving into harmless light. ”She can’t hear you, Lucian! He’s buried her too deep!”

Lucian risked a glance past the maelstrom. Alistair was walking away from them, his back turned as if they were no more than a minor distraction. He approached a section of the wall that was now glowing with a soft, brilliant light. As he got closer, the light coalesced, forming into a large, pulsing orb. Lines of energy, like the hands of a clock, began to form inside it, ticking slowly into position.

”He’s starting it!” Marc shouted. ”Whatever that thing is, it’s counting down!”

Lucian’s mind raced. They were pinned down by Lucy. They couldn’t reach their father. They were out of time.

”Go!” Marc yelled, his voice firm. He took a step forward, his own power flaring brighter. The pale light and vibrant green wove together, creating a stable dome around him that pushed back against Lucy’s chaotic storm. ”Stop him! I’ll handle Lucy!”

Lucian hesitated, his eyes darting from the orb to his sister’s empty face. ”Don’t hurt her. Just... just bring her back.”

A rare, determined look crossed Marc’s face. It wasn’t the cold fury he usually wore in a fight. It was a deep, resolute calm. ”That’s the plan. Now go!”

That was all Lucian needed. He dropped his defensive stance. As Marc’s dome expanded, creating a pocket of calm, Lucian shot forward like an arrow, weaving through the raging energy. A blast of violet fire licked at his heels, but he was already past it, his focus entirely on the back of the man who had ruined their lives.

Alistair didn’t even turn around. He simply raised a hand, and a wall of solid force erupted from the floor, blocking Lucian’s path. Lucian didn’t slow down. He swung his blade, and the infinity-forged metal sheared through the barrier like it was paper. He landed on the other side, skidding to a halt between his father and the glowing orb.

”Step aside, Lucian,” Alistair said, his voice bored. ”This is beyond you now.”

Behind them, the real battle began.

Marc stood his ground, the dome around him holding firm against Lucy’s relentless assault. He wasn’t attacking. He was defending, absorbing the world-shattering force she was throwing at him.

”Lucy,” he said, his voice calm and clear, cutting through the noise. ”I know you’re in there.”

He took a slow, deliberate step forward. The dome moved with him, pressing against her storm.

”I don’t remember much about our family,” he continued, his eyes locked on her blank ones. ”I don’t have the memories Lucian has. I was taken too young. But I know what it’s like to be alone. To be used.”

Another step. The violet energy screamed and clawed at his shield, but it held.

”Eron used me. He twisted me into a weapon. Just like our father is using you now. I fought my way out of that. I found my own will. You can too.”

Lucy showed no sign of hearing him. The sigils on her skin blazed brighter. The floor around her began to crack and splinter, the very structure of the Vault groaning under the strain. She was pulling more power, her defense becoming an impenetrable fortress of raging energy.

Marc didn’t flinch. He focused, and his power shifted. He wasn’t just blocking her energy anymore. He was gently unraveling it, pulling at the threads of the attack, dissolving them before they could reach him. It was an incredibly delicate, precise use of his ability—not to destroy, but to soothe.

”You have a brother who fought across the universe to find you,” Marc said, his voice softening. ”You have another brother who refused ultimate power because he was afraid of leaving you behind. That’s the family you have. Not him.”

He was close now, only a few yards from her containment cylinder. The energy was so thick he could barely see her through the violet haze.

”Your will was always to protect, Lucy. I can feel it. That’s why your power is like this. A shield. A fortress. So protect yourself from him. Fight back!”

For the first time, something flickered. A tremor in her outstretched hand. A single, faint spark of violet deep within the blinding white of her eyes.

It was there for only a second, and then it was gone, snuffed out by the overwhelming control Alistair held over her. The storm redoubled, fiercer than before.

Meanwhile, Lucian faced his father.

”I’m not stepping aside,” Lucian growled, his sword held ready.

”Pity,” Alistair said. He finally turned, but he didn’t look at Lucian. He looked past him, at the orb. A series of numbers had appeared within it, counting down.

00:01:47

00:01:46

”You’re too late,” Alistair said, a true, triumphant smile finally spreading across his face. ”The sequence is initiated. The lock is opening. In less than two minutes, the Echo Vault will open, and everything inside will be unleashed. The end begins now.”

His eyes finally met Lucian’s, gleaming with madness and victory.

”And there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it.”