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Void child

The Rift Core screamed as it split open.

Fragments of corrupted time and space blasted outward, warping the chamber. Bran raised a shield of compressed air with a grunt, Lumi threw up a spell dome, and Volt's body crackled with containment static.

Kairo didn't move.

He stared.

Because standing in the center of the storm was himself.

But older.

Sharper.

Wrong.

The clone's armor shimmered with void-iron plating, pulsing like it was alive. A long blade hung at his hip, forged of the same energy as Kairo's Void-Fangs—but darker, hungrier.

[System Detected: Entity – Kairo_V2]
[Classification: Failed Prototype – Riftborne Reaper]
[Threat Level: Tier 5]
[Warning: Signature Conflict Imminent]
"Wow," Kairo muttered. "They even tried to clone me."

The clone tilted its head.

"I'm not a clone. I'm the first. You were the backup."

"Then why am I still standing?" Kairo asked.

"Because I let you," it answered simply. "Until now."

Kairo stepped forward. "Let's test that theory."

The Fight – Rift Chamber Meltdown
The battle exploded in seconds.

Kairo_V2 moved with brutal efficiency—Voidstep-like flashes without delay, chains that shattered terrain, and gravity spikes that launched Lumi across the room. Bran intercepted, roaring as he drove his greatsword into the clone's side.

But it wasn't enough.

Rena slashed a tendon on his leg. Volt shot lightning into the wound. Lumi followed with an explosive burst of holy fire.

And Kairo?

He met himself blow for blow.

Their Void-Fangs clashed, sparks cascading through warped space. Gravity twisted around them, collapsing floors and lifting stones into orbit. Chains of light and shadow lashed out like serpents.

But Kairo had something his counterpart didn't.

A reason.

A sister.

A home.

[System Notice: Bonded Drive Activated]
[Void Chains Strengthened – Rift Child Echo Detected]
He slammed both daggers into the clone's chest over and over again and forced the gravity around him to implode. Kairo_V2 screamed—not in pain, but rage—as his form dissolved into thousands of whispers and static, absorbed into Kairo's Mark.

Silence fell.

Then—

[Void Signature Absorbed: Partial Memory Transfer Complete.]
[Warning: Voidline Resonance Reached 20% – Mutation Risk Pending.]
[Skill Evolution in Progress...]
Kairo dropped to one knee, panting, vision spinning.

Lumi was the first to speak. "Was that... you?"

Kairo nodded.

"Then what the hell does that make you now?" Rena asked.

Kairo stood.

And said nothing.

Because he didn't know yet.

That Night – Arcadia Apartment
Kairo blinked into the living room, slow and exhausted. His body felt like steel being tempered—bent, scorched, reforged.

Mina was asleep on the couch again, sparks flickering gently from her hair.

He smiled faintly and turned toward the kitchen.

But then—the room went cold.

His mark flared.

Not in warning.

In labor.

He dropped to one knee, eyes wide as the system flared with error messages and radiant heat. His chest pulsed, and void energy poured from his body like smoke and starlight.

[Void Child Passive: Activated]
[Biological Echo Manifesting...]
[Inheritance Process Initiated]
A swirling orb formed in front of him—light, shadow, memory, bloodline—and from it... came her.

A small girl.

Maybe five years old.

She blinked up at him with wide golden eyes. Her hair was raven-black, long and wild, the same shade as his. Her expression?

Pure Kairo.

Serious. Curious. Slightly annoyed by existence.

She sneezed, and a miniature portal blinked into existence before vanishing again.

Kairo stared.

"...I just became a dad."

The Next Morning – Apartment Kitchen
Mina stood frozen mid- egg throw .

"...There's a kid in the living room," she said slowly.

"Yep," Kairo said, sipping his coffee like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"And she looks like you."

"Yep."

"She opened a portal to steal my sock."

"Sounds about right."

Mina narrowed her eyes. "You gonna explain?"

Kairo exhaled slowly. "Her name's... Kira."

The girl peeked around the corner and blinked. "That sounds right."

Kairo cleared his throat. "Her mom... was a portal user too. She passed recently. So I'm taking care of her now."

It wasn't exactly a lie.

Just a temporary truth.

Mina stared. "You had a whole daughter and never told me?"

"I didn't know either."

Kira smirked and sat next to Mina. "I like your spark."

"You're weird," Mina replied, but smiled anyway.

Final Scene – Elsewhere in the Rift
Across the border of reality, a dozen watchers stirred.

Tall silhouettes without names. Eyes carved of glass. Symbols across their bodies flickering with ancient math.

One stepped forward.

"She birthed one."

"No," another replied. "He did."

"...Then the prophecy is off schedule."

"...No," whispered the oldest one. "The child was not meant to be born. She was chosen. That makes her dangerous."

The void shifted.

"Two Rift-borns now walk the Earth."

"Prepare the Ascended."