Chapter 13: The Nexus of Miraxis
The temple's walls groaned as if in agony, trembling under the weight of Ruby's Titan power. Her pulse gun hummed softly in her grip, the energy field still crackling in the wake of her previous attacks. The guardian stood before her, towering, its energy radiating like a dark sun, and the air around them felt heavy, suffused with ancient power.
Ruby staggered back, her legs still unsteady from the blast that had nearly sent her crashing to the ground. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and she could feel the Titan energy coursing through her veins, demanding release. But it was hard to concentrate, harder still with the crushing presence of the guardian looming over her.
"You cannot escape the Nexus," the guardian spoke again, its voice like the sound of distant thunder. "Miraxis is the heart of all worlds. And now that you have awakened it, you are bound to it."
Ruby narrowed her eyes. "I didn't come here to bow to some ancient force. I'm here to survive."
The guardian raised its hand, fingers curling into a fist. "Survival is not your choice, Titan. Your destiny was sealed long before you ever set foot in Miraxis. The Nexus chooses who lives and who dies."
Ruby clenched her teeth. She could feel the Nexus itself pulsing, the air thick with an ominous energy, and she knew that it wasn't just Kade, or even the guardian, who would be a threat now. The very fabric of reality itself was turning against her.
*I need to fight back,* Ruby thought fiercely, gathering every ounce of her strength.
Her fingers tightened around her weapon, and she stepped forward, prepared to face whatever came next. But the guardian was quick. With a swift motion, it lifted its hand and the space around her twisted. The air around Ruby grew thick with energy, and the ground beneath her feet began to sink into shadow.
Before she could react, her body froze. The energy around her tightened like chains, locking her in place. She was trapped.
"No," Ruby whispered, struggling against the invisible force that held her in place. "You can't trap me like this."
The guardian's form seemed to flicker and shift, its presence growing even more imposing. "This is the power of the Nexus, Titan. You are part of it now. Your fight is meaningless. This temple will consume you as it has consumed others before you."
Her mind raced, every instinct screaming at her to break free. She could feel the Titan blood within her, the unlimited power it granted her, but it wasn't enough to break the hold of the Nexus. Not yet.
Then, something shifted in the air—a subtle disturbance. A familiar pulse of energy.
*Lyra,* Ruby thought, as a figure moved in the shadows.
With a flicker of movement, Lyra appeared at her side, her blade raised and glowing with energy. The bounty hunter had returned, and Ruby's heart surged with a fleeting sense of relief.
"You're not alone," Lyra said, her voice steady as she slashed through the energy field that surrounded Ruby. "We fight together, always."
Ruby's pulse quickened as the energy around her began to dissipate. Lyra's strike had broken through the Nexus' grasp, and Ruby was free once again.
"You think you can defeat the Nexus, bounty hunter?" the guardian's voice echoed, low and reverberating. "You cannot fight fate."
Ruby stood tall, her body crackling with raw energy. Her Titan power surged, pushing through the remnants of the barrier. "I've been fighting fate my entire life," she said, her voice unwavering. "And I'm still standing."
She shot forward, the Titan strength flooding her limbs. The space around her seemed to bend with every step, the very fabric of Miraxis warping as she moved. Her eyes locked on the guardian as she unleashed a wave of pure Titan energy, tearing through the temple's structure with a force that rattled the very core of Miraxis.
Kade, still hovering in the background, eyed the conflict. The strange power of the guardian and the Nexus itself was undeniable, but Ruby was different. She had something the Nexus couldn't comprehend—free will.
He wasn't a fool. He understood the danger, but he also knew the opportunity. If Ruby was going to tear down the Nexus, then there would be nothing stopping him from claiming the power for himself.
He stepped forward, raising his weapon, preparing to take advantage of the chaos.
But before he could act, the guardian moved again. It reached toward Ruby, its dark aura expanding like a collapsing star, sending shockwaves through the temple. Ruby staggered back, barely able to maintain her balance as the pressure mounted.
"You're wasting your strength, Titan," the guardian warned, its voice becoming more distorted. "This world bends to the will of the Nexus. You cannot defy it."
Ruby felt the weight of its power crashing down on her, pushing her into the floor. Her vision blurred, but through the haze, she saw something—an image flickering at the edges of her mind.
*The Shard.*
Her Titan blood pulsed, guiding her thoughts. She knew what she had to do. The Shard—the key to Miraxis—was more than just an object. It was the last piece of a puzzle she hadn't fully understood.
Lyra, sensing Ruby's shift in focus, darted forward, cutting through the shadows with her blade, creating a pathway for Ruby to move.
Ruby's hand shot out, her fingers brushing against the Shard, which had fallen to the ground during the battle. As soon as she touched it, a surge of power erupted through her, crashing through her body like a thousand storms.
The Shard glowed with intense light, and in that instant, Ruby knew what had to be done. She raised the Shard high above her head, her body glowing with Titan energy, and released the full force of her power into it.
The temple shook violently, its ancient foundation cracking as the Nexus screamed in resistance. The Shard hummed with light, expanding outward and wrapping around Ruby like a cocoon. The energy exploded outward, ripping through the heart of Miraxis.
The guardian let out a final, mournful cry as the very walls of the temple began to crumble. Ruby's power collided with the Nexus in a violent explosion of light and dark, shattering the very fabric of the space around them.
Kade staggered back, eyes wide in disbelief. "What are you doing?!"
But Ruby didn't answer. The light was blinding, all-consuming, and for a brief moment, everything was still.