Virtual Reality Cultivator-Chapter 63: Voices from Within

After leaving Zarkhon, the Ardent Flame drifted slowly through a dimly glowing asteroid belt. The starlight in the distance seemed faded, as if the whole region of space was trying to hide from something indescribable.

Ember stood alone in the meditation chamber. The room's metallic walls shimmered faintly, etched with psionic patterns pulsing gently—remnants of the modifications she'd received on the psionic world of Kareth.

But this time, the vibrations felt... different.

She sat down, took a deep breath, and tried to clear her mind. But the moment she closed her eyes...

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"Ember..."

The voice came. Soft. Almost sweet.

"You are halfway awakened. Now is the time to become whole."

Ember's eyes flew open, her body trembling. There was no one there.

But she knew—it wasn't a hallucination.

Growing Distrust

Bell stepped into the command room, eyes locked on the screen showing Ember walking alone through the corridor, speaking to herself.

"That's the third time she's done that," Bell muttered, frowning. Claire and Nova exchanged worried looks behind her.

"Maybe it's a side effect from direct contact with the Nexus. Powers like that... they can warp perception," Nova offered, trying to be logical.

But Bell wasn't satisfied.

"Or... maybe the Nexus is trying to change her."

Unspoken Conversations

In the main corridor, Ember walked slowly, eyes unfocused, staring at the walls. The voice in her head would not stop calling.

"They don't understand, Ember. They fear you. You've evolved. They'll try to stop you."

Ember covered her ears—but the voice wasn't in her mind anymore. It came from deeper. From her soul.

"Open your third eye. Let me show you the truth."

Suddenly, her vision shifted. The walls of the ship became transparent. She saw the past—faces of Nexus experiments, children altered, bodies torn apart by failure... and herself.

But not her from Earth. A different version. In a test chamber.

She collapsed to the floor, trembling. "No... I'm not them... I'm Ember...!"

Confusion and Tension

Bell rushed to find Ember after hearing a cry from the hallway. She found her collapsed, breathing heavily, eyes glassy.

"Ember! Hey! Focus on me, not the voices!"

Ember looked up at her, confused. "What... what's happening to me, Bell?"

Bell pulled her into an embrace. "You're still you. But you've got to stop carrying this alone."

Claire appeared behind them, watching from a distance. She held a small pendant in her hand—a soul tracker, gifted by the psionic tribe that raised her.

"She's being touched by something. Not just Nexus... something deeper."

A Secret Revealed

Hours later, in the data room, Nova managed to decrypt part of the artifact from Zarkhon. Ember, Claire, and Bell sat nearby, watching closely.

"Nexus is a network. But... there's something alive within that network. An ancient consciousness—not man-made."

He pulled up an image: a ring of black energy, with a glowing eye in its center.

"They called it Orivath. The only entity to ever fully control the Nexus... and it was destroyed by its creators. Or so they thought."

Ember swallowed hard. The voice she'd heard...

"It wasn't the Nexus. It was Orivath."

Unanswered Questions

In her quarters, Ember sat staring at her hands. Her psionic energy glowed softly—but now she knew that part of it came from something she didn't fully understand.

"Am I still human?" she wondered.

Her console lit up. An anonymous message appeared.

"The third point awaits you on Regalis Prime. But this time... you won't be alone. I'll be there."

Her heart pounded as she read it. Someone knew her route. Knew her steps.

She stood and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"If you're really watching me, Orivath... then I'll face you myself. And I'll stop you."

Chapter Close

As the Ardent Flame set its course for Regalis Prime, the emotional and spiritual pressure on Ember grew. Her bond with the team began to strain—not from hatred, but from fear.

Because now, they all knew:

Ember wasn't just the key.She might be the doorway to destruction if they weren't careful.