The Null Province lay under a bruised sky, its air thick with the aftershock of the Auditor's retreat.
Kael stood at the Watchtower's base, the Code Fragment's faint glow casting shadows across his blood-streaked face.
Veera leaned against a cracked pillar, her spear planted in the ash, eyes fixed on Rekh's envoy.
The Ashbound Veteran stood sentinel, his obsidian blade reflecting the sigil's blue light overhead.
The Core Stabilizer hummed faintly from the Research Hall, its energy grounding Kael's Laws.
Kael's screen flickered:
[CODE FRAGMENT (EPIC): UNANALYZED]
[SYSTEM AUDIT RISK: 38% WITH CORE STABILIZER]
[LAW OF THE FIRST SOVEREIGN: 5/10]
[WATCHER CLASS REASSESSMENT: 48 HOURS]
The envoy shifted, cloak rustling.
"Sovereign Kael, time runs thin. Virel's Nexus Breach isn't just a weapon—it's a fracture in Aetherion's code. It'll rip your territory apart, Laws and all. Rekh offers alliance: shared resources, joint defense."
Kael's gaze was cold.
"And what does Rekh gain? My head on a pike when Virel's done?"
The envoy's green eyes glinted.
"Survival. Rekh's territory bleeds under Virel's raids. We need your Laws to counter the Breach."
[INSTINCTIVE REWRITE: LAW DETECTION ACTIVE]
[REKH'S LAW #2: "FEAR SPREADS FASTER THAN FIRE"]
Kael studied the envoy's thread.
Rekh's Laws were cunning, manipulative—but fragile against direct force.
He opened the Research Hall interface, syncing the Code Fragment.
[TIER 2 OPTION UNLOCKED: LAW AMPLIFIER]
{EFFECT: +20% LAW POTENCY, +10% THREAD CORRUPTION RISK}
[COST: STONE x25, IRON x15, CODE FRAGMENT x1]
[BUILD TIME: 8 HOURS]
"Build it," Kael said.
Worker Souls surged, their ghostly forms weaving new pillars around the Research Hall.
Veera's jaw tightened, but she said nothing.
"You're gambling again," she finally muttered, stepping closer. "The system's already hunting you. Now you're amplifying Laws that nearly broke it?"
Kael met her gaze. "If I don't, Virel's Breach will break us first."
The envoy coughed, impatient. "Rekh awaits your answer. Refuse, and we both fall."
Kael's screen pinged:
[RESOURCE CACHE UPDATE: RUINED TEMPLE EXCAVATION COMPLETE][GAINED: STONE x40, IRON x20, WORKER SOUL x2]
He opened the construction menu, selecting a new option:
[IRON WALL BLUEPRINT UNLOCKED]
[COST: STONE x30, IRON x15, WORKER SOUL x1]
[EFFECT: +25% TERRITORY DEFENSE, -15% ENEMY MORALE]
"Fortify the perimeter," Kael ordered.
The Worker Souls moved, forging a jagged barrier around the Shadow Trenches.
He turned to the envoy. "Tell Rekh I'll consider his offer—if he meets me in person. No proxies. Null Province, three days."
The envoy hesitated, then nodded. "Done."
He vanished into the fog.
Veera rounded on Kael. "You trust him?"
"No," Kael said. "But I need to see Rekh's threads myself."
The Ash Throne pulsed in the distance, its whisper sharp:
Break their chains, or wear them.
Kael's Lawcraft Interface flickered, unprompted.
A new warning appeared:
[SYSTEM ALERT: NEXUS BREACH SIGNATURE DETECTED, 72 HOURS OUT]
[SOURCE: CRIMSON VALE]
[EFFECT: TERRITORY COLLAPSE RISK]
He gripped his blade, eyes on the horizon.
Virel wasn't waiting.
NEITHER COULD HE.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
[END OF CHAPTER 12]
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(happy friendship day everyone, hope you all receive gifts from your friends unlike mine who keeps on asking for a party :()