Lucid Veins

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CHAPTER 14

THE REFLECTED WAR

"Two reflections. One forged by fate. The other, by fury."

West Dock – War Base Underground

The metallic corridor trembled beneath their boots. Emergency lights blinked red and white in frantic rhythm. Every flicker of the overhead lamps cast twin shadows on the walls — Nicolas and the Echo, standing just meters apart.

For a heartbeat, time stilled.

Nova raised her rifle slowly, eyes narrowing. "What the hell is that?"

The Echo tilted its head, a fluid, unnatural movement — too precise, too cold.

Its gold-veined eyes shimmered. "What am I?" it echoed. "I am the solution they couldn't control. I am the version of you… without hesitation."

Nicolas's hand tightened into a fist. "You're just a puppet."

The Echo stepped forward.

"No. I am the blade sharpened without mercy. You… you hesitate. You feel. You break."

Nicolas breathed deeply, trying to center himself. His AI suit whispered in his ear, subtle overlays forming around his vision:

> ::: Analysis: Combat Copy – Hostile ::: ::: Skill Matching: 1:1 Ratio. Access to recorded abilities. Caution: Predictive learning algorithm active. ::: ::: Moral Override Suggested – Lethal Force Authorized :::

Nicolas swallowed hard.

Nova whispered to him without turning. "Orders?"

He shook his head. "Stay back. This is personal."

The Echo's smile was razor-thin. "You're still pretending to be a person."

And then—

It moved.

Faster than logic. Faster than thought.

Its fist cracked the air like a whip, targeting Nicolas's jaw. He ducked, barely avoiding the hit, then countered with a pulse strike to the Echo's ribs.

Boom—!

Both were flung backward — equally matched in strength. Sparks burst from their suits, the metal of their gauntlets shrieking as they collided again, fists trading blindingly fast punches.

Clang. Slam. Dodge. Strike.

Each blow was like thunder. Walls dented. Railings bent.

Nova ducked behind cover, eyes wide. "This is insane…"

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Control Room – Watching in Silence

Above them, behind reinforced glass, the War Council watched with solemn eyes.

Greaves stood slowly. "It's begun."

Zoya's voice trembled. "The Echo has full access to his combat patterns."

Li Wei leaned forward. "But Nicolas has something Echo never will."

"What?" asked Admiral Krolov, arms crossed.

"Fear," she said.

Back in the Dock – Combat Escalates

Nicolas was breathing hard now, a gash bleeding down his temple.

The Echo showed no signs of exhaustion. Its voice remained mechanical, mocking. "Why do you protect them? They would sacrifice you the moment it wins them a battle."

Nicolas wiped the blood from his brow.

"Because I still have something you don't."

The Echo cocked its head. "What's that?"

Nicolas looked him dead in the eye.

"A choice."

Suddenly, Nicolas activated a mana surge — blue flames erupted from his palms as he pushed the Copy Skill to its edge.

The world slowed.

"Copy Initiated: Titan-Class Defender. Countdown: 3 uses left."

A translucent figure layered over Nicolas — a massive armored humanoid construct, made of shielding plates and shockwave gauntlets.

Nicolas thundered forward.

The Echo mirrored him, activating the same skill a millisecond later.

Titan vs. Titan.

They crashed into each other like meteors. The floor cracked. The ceiling split. Alarms blared.

"STATION INTEGRITY CRITICAL. EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY."

Nova screamed, "You'll bring the whole deck down!"

Nicolas didn't hear her — not really.

Every punch he threw wasn't just for survival — it was for identity. For meaning. For Anya, for Head, for Earth.

The Echo roared. Its voice glitched violently: "STOP—DENYING—YOUR—DESTINY!"

Nicolas grabbed it by the throat.

"Then let me show you what mine looks like."

He slammed it through the floor.

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Lower Levels – Under the Base

They crashed into a forgotten chamber—dimly lit, machinery hissing. Water dripped from broken pipes. Old schematics glowed faintly on dusty panels.

The Echo rose first, armor cracked. Sparks crawled over its skin like insects.

"You delay the inevitable. Even if you win, the Nexus will overwrite you. You're a bug in its code."

Nicolas wiped his mouth. Blood.

"Then I'll be the bug that crashes the system."

With a final burst of copied strength, he hurled the Echo into a wall of exposed tech conduits.

Electricity exploded.

Boom.

Smoke filled the room. The Echo's limbs twitched—disoriented, distorted. For a second, it looked… confused.

Nicolas approached slowly. "You don't get to wear my face."

The Echo's eyes dimmed—still alive, but burning out.

"Your memories… your pain… I felt them too," it whispered, voice warping. "I… didn't ask to be made."

Nicolas hesitated.

And in that moment—the Echo reached for something behind its back.

A pulse blade.

But Nova dropped from above, blaster raised.

Bang!

The shot slammed into the Echo's shoulder, pinning it to the wall with a spray of sparks.

"You never let the bad copy finish the speech," she muttered.

Nicolas let out a shaky breath.

"Thanks," he said, voice hoarse.

Nova nodded. "Next time, tag me in earlier."

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Aftermath – War Room

The Echo's body was now locked in a magnetic containment field. Engineers swarmed it, studying. The AI warned:

> :: Hostile remains active at 2% core energy. Termination recommended. ::

But Nicolas stood in front of the panel.

"No. We study it. It's a message from the Nexus. It wanted me shaken. But now I know its reach."

Greaves stepped forward. "And what about you?"

Nicolas didn't look away from the Echo.

"I know who I am now."

Nova folded her arms. "So what's next?"

He turned to the War Council.

"We take the war back to them."

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Elsewhere – Sector 0

The Nexus Mind's cathedral pulsed in chaotic waves.

A tiny crack now existed in its calculations.

Subject 47-N had survived.

> :: Adapting. Deploying Phase Two. ::

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AUTHOR POV

"To walk into fire… you must first set your past ablaze."

Well guys read it I am saying next chapters going to more awesome

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2 Hours Later – Command Assembly Chamber

The dust hadn't yet settled in the lower decks. Repairs were underway. The body of the ECHO remained suspended in a stasis field. And Nicolas?

He stood alone before the War Council.

Holograms of the commanders hovered above the circular platform — each a face etched with exhaustion and responsibility.

Admiral Krolov's voice boomed first. "You survived an assassination attempt by your own copy. Congratulations."

Greaves leaned forward. "But survival is not victory. You were sent here to end this war."

Nicolas stood tall, blood cleaned, suit repaired — but his eyes carried a deeper scar.

"I didn't just survive," he replied. "I learned something."

Zoya, the commander from Russia, arched an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"That fear isn't weakness. It's direction."

They exchanged glances.

Li Wei, from China's resistance faction, tapped her tablet. "Then prove it. Sector 9 has gone dark. One of our strongest international elite squads is stranded. No communication, no supplies, minimal mana recharge. You'll be deployed with the backup force to stabilize the area."

"You'll be the only Dreamwalker in the team," Krolov added. "Copy skill restored: five uses per day in this mana field. No more. No less."

Greaves leaned forward, eyes narrowing.

"Win their trust, Nicolas. Not by power… but by choice. Lead them without being ordered to. If you fail, we don't just lose Sector 9. We lose global morale."

Nicolas inhaled slowly.

"Then I'll bring back the storm."

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Transport Carrier – En Route to Sector 9

Lightning slashed across the horizon. Skies bruised with smoke. Below them, the remnants of Manchester lay half-sunk in rubble and fire.

Inside the drop ship, five soldiers sat in silence.

The Elites.

Nicolas glanced at them.

Blitz – Germany's plasma specialist. Stoic, arms crossed, helmet on lap.

Shira – Israel's psychic-scout, eyes glowing faintly. Quiet. Calculating.

Ezekiel – Nigeria's mech-augmented brawler. Laughing at nothing. Terrifying.

Kano – Japan's recon cyber-ninja. Sharpening his blade in silence.

Sofie – France's sniper. Ice-blue hair. Sharper than her scope.

They all eyed Nicolas like a virus in the system.

Shira finally spoke. "So… this is the 'Chosen.'"

Ezekiel grinned. "Thought he'd be taller."

Sofie smirked. "Thought he'd be human."

Nicolas didn't flinch.

"I'm not here to replace anyone."

Kano didn't look up. "Good. Just don't get in our way."

BOOM!

A shockwave rocked the carrier.

"Anti-air battery!" the pilot screamed. "We're hit—!"

Nicolas jumped up, stabilizers flaring. "Brace for drop!"

The sky cracked open.

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Sector 9 – Drop Zone Bravo

The world was ash and metal.

Their drop pods slammed into the ground like meteors. Nicolas rolled, absorbing impact with mana. Blades of shrapnel flew past his face.

Sofie landed smoothly beside him, already sniping incoming Tech Drones midair.

"Three clicks out!" she shouted.

Ezekiel roared, leaping into the fray with steel fists that sent metal flying.

Blitz lit up the sky with a plasma barrage that melted incoming spider-bots.

Kano was already gone — vanished.

Nicolas focused, eyes scanning the burning landscape. His Copy Skill hummed.

> :: Copy Target: Alpha Drone – Initiated. Skill: Radar Mapping + EMP Burst. Use 1/5 Consumed ::

"Uploading terrain map to squad!" Nicolas yelled. "Two ambush points detected east!"

Blitz paused, surprised. "You… copied the drone?"

Sofie whistled. "Alright, magician. You've got tricks."

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30 Minutes Later – The Maze of Ruin

They moved through ruined skyscrapers like ghosts, clearing sectors silently. Nicolas fought shoulder-to-shoulder with each of them.

When Shira's mind link overloaded from a feedback trap, Nicolas shielded her with copied psychic armor.

When Ezekiel was about to be crushed under collapsing debris, Nicolas copied a strength-enhanced mech frame and lifted a concrete beam with one hand.

"Copy 3/5 used," his system warned.

But the squad started to look at him… differently.

Not as a stranger. Not a weapon.

But a soldier.

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Midnight – Temporary Camp in the Rubble

The stars were gone. Clouds swallowed the sky whole.

They sat around a cracked energy core, its faint heat all they had.

Ezekiel handed Nicolas a drink. "You fought like one of us today."

Nicolas sipped. "Because I am."

Blitz finally spoke. "I thought you were just a symbol. Another desperate hope."

Shira looked into the shadows. "They say the Nexus is already rewriting the northern codes. Even dreams are dying."

Kano added quietly, "We're all afraid. But you… you looked fear in the eye."

Nicolas met their gazes.

"I met myself. My worst self. And I beat him."

He stood.

"Tomorrow, we strike the Tech Hub hidden beneath this zone. It controls three AI gate relays. We take it — we cut off the Tech Alliance's advance into Europe."

Sofie tilted her head. "That's suicide."

"Then we go down making it legendary."

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Meanwhile – Deep Below Sector 0

The Nexus watched.

> :: Subject-47N: Integration into Resistance Elites – 94% Complete. Threat Level: Increasing. ::

It activated a cold, silent signal.

Somewhere in the dark…

ECHO #2 opened its eyes.

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