Metaverse of Mechas

📘 Chapter 103

⚙️ Scene 1: Echoes of a Forgotten War

Zeron stared at the amethyst crystal now pulsating with a slow, steady heartbeat. Aeris Noctis knelt beside him in the Vault's chamber, etching diagrams into the glowing platform beneath them.

"What is this place really?" he asked.

Aeris looked up, her expression distant.

"This isn't just a vault, Zeron. It's a memory engine. It stores fragments of the soul's previous cycles. You're not just someone who inherited the Purple Krono… you are its origin."

The ceiling shimmered and displayed a cosmic battle: titanic machines clashing, entire planets consumed by Krono storms, and a single figure in the heart of it all—clad in gleaming violet armor, wielding a blade of stardust.

Zeron whispered, "That's… me?"

"A past version of you," Aeris replied. "You sacrificed yourself to reset everything… and it didn't work."

🛰️ Scene 2: Earth's Calculated Betrayal

Back on Earth, inside the United Mecha Council's hidden chamber, a grim-faced commander slammed his fist on the table.

"We've lost contact with Lunar Outpost-7. And our sensors show unidentified Krono signatures on the Moon."

Another man, cloaked in a suit that hummed with artificial Krono, leaned forward.

"He's up there. The anomaly. The one from the Prophecy Scrolls."

A third councilwoman, Agent Riva Cain—Zeron's former superior at the guild—folded her arms.

"Then let's finish it before it blooms into a rebellion."

The council unanimously agreed.

"Activate Operation Eclipse. Send all orbital-class Mechas. This is not a negotiation."

The Earth was preparing to destroy its savior—before he even fully awakened.

🌳 Scene 3: The Roots of Decay

Deep in Bloomshade Valley, Zui wandered with Arla, searching for answers to why the throne had reacted so violently to her rejection.

"It felt alive," Zui whispered. "Like it wanted to consume me."

The deeper they went, the greener everything became—until they stumbled upon something horrifying.

A tree made entirely of Mecha parts.

It pulsed with dark red Krono, twisted with vines of corrupted life.

Suddenly, the bark cracked—and a creature emerged. It had no face, only a gleaming black mirror, and roots for limbs.

"That's not natural," Arla said, drawing her compact Krono-blade.

"It's not from this world," Zui said. "It's something between worlds."

The tree whispered in an ancient voice: "The Bloom has been poisoned."

⏳ Scene 4: Riftbreakers

Zake and Ira fled through the Time Rift's decaying zones. Behind them, figures in shattered armor crawled from broken timelines—creatures with multiple faces and fractured voices.

"Keep going!" Ira shouted.

Zake stumbled, sparks flying from his mechanical arm. His transformation was accelerating again. Ira stopped and turned back.

"You can't keep holding this thing inside without consequences."

Zake's eyes flared red again. "Then help me stop it."

Ira dug into his own core, unleashing a surge of teal Krono. It spiraled around Zake like a ribbon, slowing the mutation for now.

"We're going to find the Reset Engine," he said. "And we're going to fix you."

But the creatures behind them didn't care for hope.

They wanted collapse.

👁️ Scene 5: The Mirror and the Spark

In the vault, Aeris pressed the amethyst crystal to Zeron's chest.

"If you want to unlock what's buried within, you need to confront your first death."

Zeron closed his eyes—and the world around him vanished.

He stood now in a battlefield of ruins floating in space, ghostly versions of himself locked in battle with a swirling mass of Krono-tentacled gods.

"Why do I remember this?"

A voice echoed through the void.

"Because your soul remembers everything… even what the mind forgets."

He raised his arm—and violet Krono burst to life around it, wrapping into a gauntlet of ancient metal.

"I don't want to be a weapon."

The voice whispered, "Then become something greater. Become a legend."

Zeron opened his eyes.

The crystal was gone—but the gauntlet remained on his hand.

Aeris smiled. "You've taken your first step… Second Soul."

🔮 Preview – Chapter 104: Operation Eclipse

Earth launches a full-scale assault on the Moon to neutralize Zeron.Zui and Arla are pursued by the Forest Mecha—guardians twisted by ancient Krono.Zake and Ira meet the Keeper of the Reset Engine—an entity who once served Zeron's past self.Aeris reveals the truth about the Mecha Gods and the Seven Broken Stars.Zeron must decide: fight Earth's army or flee deeper into the galaxy to uncover the truth.