Never had it happened that anything escaped the gaze of Eroviath, the Lady of the Flow — a powerful entity who oversees time and the rhythm of worlds.
She neither seeks power nor desires to rule the multiverse. Yet, she was embarrassed — for a force, small in form but immeasurably potent, had slipped past her sight and into the human world.
It is the year 7319 on the calendar of Earth/Gaia.
By now, humans have long since learned they are not alone in the universe.
They have mastered the art of dimensional travel — crossing planes of existence once thought divine.
But knowledge and curiosity rarely come in peace.
Much like the Informal Exploration Era of the 50th century, a group of explorers stumbled upon a star — one teeming with minerals and rare metals never before seen by humankind.
What they found was not a pristine discovery, but a revelation:
They were not the first.
Tools. Machinery. Ancient systems.
Operating — or abandoned — by an unknown species, built on a technology utterly alien to human understanding.
Far, far away, on a planet called Kharz'Vora —
A name whispered in fear, given by the gods themselves, who avoid it for a single reason:
The insatiable lust of its people — not for power, but for minerals and rare cosmic metals.
They are known by many names:
Among themselves: Drakthirn.
To humans: Gravemaws.
And to the most intelligent civilizations: Charym'Zul — Children of the Hollow Core.
Though low in intellect, they are terrifying in force.
Driven by population growth and endless hunger, the Charym'Zul have consumed over half of the universe's mineral wealth.
To protect the cosmos from their greed, the universe was divided into four quadrants by the most advanced species — the Elder Intelligences, beings of unfathomable knowledge.
It is they who barred Gaia from ever reaching the southern quadrant…
For beyond that veil lies the empire of the Charym'Zul.
The air was thick with static, and the soft whir of dimension-lock stabilizers echoed within the bridge of the expeditionary vessel Astera V. Captain Lys Renholm stood at the helm, eyes fixed on the holographic starmap, her breath shallow with anticipation. This was not just another jump into the void — this was the edge of known reality.
"Jump complete. Coordinates verified," said Delta-9, the ship's AI, in a smooth, neutral voice. "We have arrived at anomaly cluster E-739."
Outside, space shimmered in hues of violet and rusted gold. Before them hung a star unlike any in known charts — enormous, pulsing with chaotic energy, encircled by rings of black mineral that crackled with magnetic interference.
"Begin scans," Lys ordered. The crew, made up of six elite dimensional explorers, leaned into their instruments.
Dr. Ishra Vohl, a xenogeologist, gasped. "These mineral readings... They're off the scale. The core has layers of element signatures we've never encountered."
"Confirm life traces or structural anomalies," Lys said.
Moments later, the screen blinked. A contour map lit up showing angular structures embedded in the asteroid ring.
"These aren't natural formations. We've got architecture," murmured Navin, the survey tech. "And energy patterns — low power, but still active."
The team knew what this meant: contact.
Lys turned to Delta-9. "Prep landing gear and armory. We go in."
Hours later, the landing module detached and descended to a massive, slate-colored asteroid known only by its AI-assigned codename: Fragment Theta. The surface was metallic and scarred, resembling melted obsidian riddled with what looked like tunnels — though no drill known to humans could bore so perfectly.
As the team ventured inward, light from their suits revealed walls covered in thin, circuit-like etchings. Ancient, unreadable symbols blinked as though reacting to their presence.
"It's not just tech," Ishra whispered. "This place is... alive."
Something stirred deeper within.
To be continued...