The first tremor was soft — a whisper under the surface, easy to mistake for a settling of the crust. But the second came like a heartbeat that cracked mountains.
Dust lifted from the plains. The wind changed direction, swirling inward as if drawn by an unseen force.
Luna stumbled, catching herself on the edge of the ship's hull. "It's starting again!" she shouted.
Eris looked up. The sun was no longer crimson — it was burning, bleeding light into the sky like molten glass. His visor dimmed automatically, yet the glare still pierced through.
Mara's scanners went wild. "Magnetic inversion! The planet's poles are flipping!"
Kael cursed under his breath. "That's not possible. Mars hasn't had a magnetic core in millennia—"
But the readings didn't lie. The ancient world beneath their feet was reawakening.
The ground split open in jagged scars, each fracture glowing with the same blue-white light they'd seen below the ruins. From the cracks, massive structures began to rise — towers of silver and black, covered in shifting runes that pulsed in rhythm with the planet's core.
Eris took a step forward, his voice low. "They're rising from the old city…"
The air filled with a deep, resonant hum. The crew's suits buzzed from overload. Their visors flickered, displaying unreadable glyphs that crawled across their screens.
Liora's voice trembled. "Eris, it's the same symbols from the Watcher's chamber. Whatever we did—it woke the entire network."
The horizon darkened. Clouds of iron dust rose high, swirling into cyclones that stretched into space itself. Lightning tore through the storm, striking the emerging towers, and with every strike, something shifted inside Eris.
He heard the voices again — louder, layered, infinite.
> "Heir of the Seven… awaken the Gate… the Sovereign calls…"
He clutched his chest. "I can feel them. The Seven… they're not dead. Their essence… it's inside me."
Luna reached for him. "Eris, don't—"
But before she could finish, the sky split open.
A beam of red light shot from the sun, piercing through Mars' atmosphere, striking the center of the ancient city. The impact shook the planet. Waves of pure energy rippled outward, vaporizing dust and igniting dormant machines buried beneath the surface.
Kael screamed over the comms, "That's solar energy, direct transfer! The sun's feeding Mars!"
The crew barely managed to take shelter inside their ship as the energy storm swept across the landscape. Alarms blared. Shields strained against the pressure.
Inside, Luna watched the sensors spike off the charts. "The radiation's rewriting the atmosphere. Oxygen levels—rising?"
Mara blinked. "Mars is… rebuilding itself?"
The light outside dimmed slightly. The storm calmed just enough for them to see through the viewport.
And there — across the horizon — stood colossal figures made of crystal and flame, walking slowly across the newly revived plains. Their movements were mechanical, yet fluid, each step leaving ripples of energy behind.
Kael whispered, "Constructs…"
Eris stepped closer to the glass, eyes glowing faintly. "Guardians," he said. "The Sentinels weren't alone. These are the Gate Keepers."
Liora turned to him. "Gate Keepers for what?"
He stared at the sun — still burning red, still bleeding fire across the sky.
"For the Gate of Sovereigns," he said softly. "The second bleed has begun."
Silence filled the ship.
Then a new sound — faint at first, then growing — a pulse of communication through static. Luna adjusted the receiver.
"—Expedition 09, this is Dr. Helena Vale. The second solar anomaly has reached Earth's orbit. We're seeing Mars light up across every spectrum. Listen to me carefully—"
Static again. Then, her voice, sharper, almost urgent:
"—You triggered the awakening. Do not approach the central zone. If you open the Gate before containment—"
The transmission cut off.
Outside, the towers' glow intensified. The energy around them formed a spiral, pointing toward the same crater where Eris had first found the Heart.
He turned, eyes shining like twin suns.
"It's too late. The Gate's already listening."