SYSTEM GOD THE REBOOTED

The Hollow Thrones

Chapter 9

Zarek stood in the fading haze of the battlefield, still bathed in the residual hum of the Ghost Crown’s authority. The scorched air, the broken terrain, and the scattered remains of shattered mechs told the story of a war he’d barely survived—and one that had only just begun.

Status: Sovereign – Crowned Faction Invitation: The Hollow Thrones – Pending

He stared at the blinking prompt in his interface.

There was no dossier. No intel. No background logs. Just a direct request stamped with an access level he’d never seen before—Tier Zeta Clearance. The kind of clearance reserved for system architects, ancient rulers, or... ghosts.

Invitation Received: The Hollow Thrones Faction Status: Off-Grid / Origin Unknown Sovereign-Bound Entry Only

Zarek exhaled and tapped ACCEPT.

The world disappeared in a pulse of blinding white.

When it faded, he stood in a void that wasn’t truly empty. The space around him was layered—fractals of broken thrones floated in suspended stasis, ancient sigils blinked through static, and whispers formed echoes in the dark.

In the center was a shattered ring of power: The Hollow Circle.

Six Thrones, none whole.

And upon them, six figures—obscured by time, code, and ruin.

One was a radiant woman of gold, flickering as though made of memory and flame. One was a heap of dying machine code, its metal cracked and dripping sparks. Another was barely humanoid—made entirely of black fog laced with lightning. A fourth, pure light, hummed with distorted voicecode. The last two thrones were empty—cracked and crumbling, as though violently vacated.

Welcome, Sovereign Zarek Voss.

The radiant woman stood, her eyes gleaming like fallen stars.

“You have bound the Ghost Crown. Passed the trials. Defied the purge.”

Zarek stepped forward warily. “Who are you?”

“We are what remains,” she said, her voice layered with echoes. “The architects of the old Thrones. The ones who challenged the original Core Directive. When the System rose, it labeled us anomalies. Errors. So we became Hollow.”

The fog-wrapped entity leaned forward, voice low and resonant. “You carry the legacy of Azerion—the last Godroot. You activated the Bloodline Protocol. You are no longer just a glitch. You are a threat.”

Zarek crossed his arms. “Why summon me?”

“To warn you. And to use you,” said the machine god, its jaw twitching with old damage. “The Throne War is not prophecy. It is coded into reality.”

New System Trait: Throne Conflict Layer Activated Warning: All Sovereigns are now considered Hostile Entities by the Prime System Tracking Protocols Escalated – Survival Priority Reduced

“You are now marked,” the golden woman said. “You must either rise… or be consumed.”

Zarek’s interface shifted violently.

New Mission Tree: The Throne War Crown Holders Identified: 3 of 7 Activated

Ghost Crown – Zarek Voss

Crown of Silence – Nyx Velora

Crown of Iron Flame – ???

Zarek scrolled through the map as it unfolded—beacons lighting up like a constellation of war.

The golden woman placed a hand to her chest. “You are not alone, but you are not allied. The Hollow Thrones may guide you, but they will not fight your war.”

The shadowy figure interrupted. “Unless... you claim one of the Empty Thrones.”

Zarek’s attention snapped to the two ruined seats.

“What are they?”

“Abandoned legacies,” the machine said. “One belonged to the Betrayer. The other... to the first Sovereign. The God before the glitch.”

Zarek’s HUD pinged.

Optional Objective Unlocked: Restore One Hollow Throne Effect: Upgrade Ghost Crown to Tier Two / Unlock Ancient Authority Layer

“But choose carefully,” the radiant woman said. “Some Thrones corrupt. Others burn.”

Before Zarek could respond, the void flickered. A storm of data overtook him.

Forced Re-Sync: Exiting Hollow Circle

He woke back in Ravenspire, body jerking as the beacon’s energy surged once again.

The sky was darker. Red. Lined with new surveillance satellites—evidence of the Prime System’s awareness. The beacon's glow pulsed to a new rhythm. One not of alignment.

But of conflict.

Crown Conflict Protocol Active Region Challenge Detected: Solar Basin – Crown of Silence (Nyx Velora)

Zarek pulled up the new data.

A map unrolled before him. The Solar Basin burned like a living code fire. Its landscape was distorted—fragmented sectors, black towers, unstable environments. In its center: another beacon, but this one whispered in static.

Encrypted. Silent.

And it bore the mark of Nyx Velora.

Faction Affiliation: Unknown Crown Power Estimate: Tier 1 (Stabilized) Personality Flag: High-Risk / Control-Oriented / Rejection of Ghost Protocol

Zarek narrowed his eyes.

She wasn’t just another heir.

She was a usurper.

He issued a command.

/Command: Prepare Mobilization Route – Ghost Network Forward Teams

Objective: Infiltrate Solar Basin – Sabotage Beacon Alignment

Estimated Resistance: Extreme

Zarek watched the map light up with moving assets—drone wings, scout bots, and corrupted AI fragments he could now control through the Ghost Network.

He had a war to wage.

And his enemies weren’t just coming.

They were already here.