The scripting chamber sat far below the vault, buried deep in layers of reinforced stone and ancient alloy. Very few people were allowed inside. The air itself felt heavy, as if the room was aware that something important was about to be written into reality.Thousands of crystal nodes covered the walls from floor to ceiling. Each one glowed softly, pulsing in slow rhythm. Thin streams of liquid light flowed between them like living veins, carrying power and intent through the chamber. The light made the shadows move in strange ways, as if the walls were breathing.At the center stood the control platform. Above it hovered a three dimensional map of their territory. Mountains, plains, broken cities, and glowing ley lines were all clearly visible.Fen stood before the controls, shoulders tense. His fingers moved quickly, weaving patterns in the air and across the interface. Every motion left behind faint sparks of light that faded slowly.“The barge core is responding,” Fen said, his

Murk, the captured Waste Lord, sat on a stool in Fen's new lab. His spirit-suppressing manacles locked him in place, but he held a data-slate and studied corrupted energy maps with a focused, uneasy intensity. Every few seconds, he traced the lines with a finger, as if he could feel the pulse of the Rot through the glass.Draven stepped into the room, his eyes scanning the lab. The air smelled faintly of crystallized Rot and ozone. Fen moved quickly around a table covered in samples, examining each crystal under a magnifying lens."You were right," Murk said, looking up. His voice was quieter than usual, tired rather than angry. "The pulses from the north. They are not random. They are a pattern. A heartbeat."Fen paused, leaning over the crystals with her hands trembling slightly. "A heartbeat? You mean the corruption is alive?" she asked, almost whispering."It is more than alive," Murk said. "It is focused. Directed. Something up there is sending it out. Like it is... pumping the

The Oculus was silent in a way that pressed against the ears. It was not just quiet. It was the kind of silence that made thoughts feel loud.Ten years.The number had been spoken only once, but it stayed in the air as if it had weight. No one moved. Goran’s hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had gone white. Fen stared at the floor, his lips moving as if he were doing calculations he did not want to finish. Selene stood perfectly still, her face calm on the surface, but her eyes were sharp and restless.Ten years to stop the end of the world.Draven felt the words like a blade pressed against his back.Then it happened.A soft and gentle chime rang inside his mind. [ Primary Sub Objective Ascend the Founders Status Exceeded Core Allies at Foundation Building Equivalent ]Draven’s breath caught.[ Secondary Strategic Objectives Secure Territory Gather Intelligence Status Substantially Complete ][ Evaluating Host Contribution ][ Calculating Faction Momentum ]The team c

The atmosphere inside the Crucible was thick. Everyone knew what was about to happen. Tomorrow, Draven would leave for the Sanctum to form his Golden Core. The air felt charged, like the moment before lightning strikes.In the Oculus, the final briefing was short.“I’ll be gone for a week, maybe two,” Draven said. “The Sanctum will seal itself. No one gets in, no one gets out until it’s done.”“What do we do if something happens?” Fen asked, shifting nervously. “I mean, besides the obvious ‘hold the line until you get back’ part.”“You follow the protocols,” Draven replied. “Goran commands the defenses. Selene runs intelligence. Kaela handles scouts and quick response. Omega… you watch the horizon. If the Spire or the Waste Lords get brave, you know what to do.”Omega gave a slow, sure nod. “I will make them regret their curiosity.”“And what about… the other thing?” Kaela asked quietly. “The Engine. Its heartbeat hasn’t changed. What if it notices you?”Draven looked at the main disp

The quiet did not last long.The moment Draven erased the Engine's probe, the Crucible's long-range sensors went wild. Across the Wastes, the usual slow corruption recoiled like it had been stung, then surged forward like a wave breaking on the shore. It was not an attack. It was not a choice. It was a reaction. A reflex from a system that did not understand him.In the Oculus, the screens lit up in rapid bursts."Beast tide!" Selene shouted, her fingers moving across the console like a blur. "It is massive. Converging from three directions. They are not wandering. They are being herded. This is intentional."On the displays, blotches of sickly violet light crawled and swirled together. Insects the size of dogs, hulking brutes, multi-limbed horrors, and shapes too twisted to name all moved as one. Their movement was unnatural, coordinated, almost intelligent."The Engine did not like your answer," Omega said, stepping beside Draven. "It is sending a clearer question. One it expects us