The machine spoke again, louder this time.
"Directive required. Rebuild… or erase?"
Adrian's reflection stared back at him in the pulsing glass.
Kaela's voice cut through the tension. "Don't touch anything until we know what it does."
But Adrian's hand was already hovering over the console. His mind spun — rebuild or erase.
Create or destroy. The same choice he'd faced a lifetime ago when his own company betrayed him.
He whispered to himself, "I didn't die to erase. I came here to build."
He pressed REBUILD.
The entire chamber shook. Machines powered up, lights blazed, and somewhere deep below, gears the size of towers began to turn.
Kaela shouted over the rising hum, "Adrian, what did you do?"
The machine's voice responded, now filled with eerie warmth:
"Directive accepted. Construction phase initialized. World integration accelerating."
Adrian stared at the glowing core as its light grew blinding.
What have I just awakened?