Location: Hidden Vault – Beneath the Remnant Core, Tavara
The floor trembled as the glowing glyphs expanded beneath Nora and Damien, rearranging themselves like sentient veins of light. The pendant vibrated violently in her palm, then shattered—splintering into fine dust that dissolved into the air.
A section of the ground shifted with a thunderous crack, revealing a spiral platform that began lowering them beneath the Remnant Core.
"I don't like this," Damien muttered, gun raised. "Whatever's down there… it's not dormant."
Nora didn't answer. Her gaze was fixed ahead, drawn to the symbology—fractals of celestial geometry rotating in the air like projections from another era. Her blood, her very lineage, was answering a call written into her DNA.
When the platform stopped, they found themselves inside a chamber of mirrored walls and floating metallic orbs that pulsed like they were breathing.
A voice echoed.
Not one Damien or Nora could recognize. Not male or female—just presence.
> "Bloodline confirmed. Celestine Alpha-9 recognized."
"Override code sequence initiated. Legacy protocol: Reactivation."
Damien instinctively stepped in front of Nora. "Reactivation of what?"
From the ceiling descended a large spherical construct—half-machine, half-organic. Its shell bore the Celestine insignia, and its voice shifted in tone as it scanned them.
> "Celestine Nora, daughter of Elyria. You have arrived before your Awakening is complete."
"And you," it added, facing Damien, "Bearer of the Ancestral Code Fragment. Guardian. Outlier."
Nora looked at him sharply. "Damien… What does it mean by that?"
He exhaled slowly. "I don't know. Unless—unless it's referring to the Omega Sequence my father once hinted at. A hidden code in our family's bloodline. He always said I had a part to play in something bigger than empire."
> "Together," the voice continued, "you two represent the final key to the Balance Protocol. The war that erased the Core was never concluded. It was… paused."
The chamber darkened.
Suddenly, the mirrored walls flickered to life, displaying fragments of history: A celestial war fought in space and across dimensions. Families sacrificed. Cities erased from maps. And at the center of it all—a throne of light, empty and waiting.
> "The one who sits upon the Aeon Throne rules not just Tavara, but the Twelve Nations. They control memory, blood, history, and fate."
Damien's fists clenched. "Zayen wants that throne."
Nora nodded, her face hardening. "Then we take it before he does."
Before they could move, the chamber shook violently.
Zayen's voice boomed from above. "Touch nothing. The vault is mine now."
Explosions rocked the ceiling as Zayen's men broke through using tunneling charges. Smoke filled the air.
Nora grabbed Damien's hand. "This way!" she shouted, dragging him toward a narrow side corridor revealed by the shifting mirrors.
They sprinted, ducking under collapsing beams and falling debris. Behind them, Zayen's boots echoed like war drums.
But something had changed in Damien.
The glyphs on the floor pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat now.
"Nora…" he said breathlessly. "I think I'm unlocking something. Something old. And dangerous."
She glanced at him, her eyes reflecting a strange mixture of awe and fear. "Then let it awaken, Damien. We may not have another chance."
The tunnel ahead split into three.
And at the center of the fork stood a glowing pedestal.
On it—an orb.
Inside the orb—Damien's face stared back at him.