A cold silence filled the grand chamber of the Obsidian Headquarters, buried beneath the capital district of Noctara — a city that never slept, lit by towers of black metal and streams of pale blue ether energy running through its veins.
Twelve high-backed seats encircled a glowing table, and within it pulsed the holographic seal of the Obsidian Order — a black sun devouring a silver star. The air was tense, thick with static.
General Viktor Dragunov stood at the center of the circle, uniform crisp, eyes sharp but burdened by exhaustion. He had just returned from Ash Lane, his report already shaking the council's calm.
At the head of the table sat Lord Marshal Avaren Korr, the Supreme Commander of the Obsidian Order — an aged man with eyes like frozen glass, his aura alone pressing down like gravity.
"Report, General," Korr said, his tone calm yet commanding.
Viktor saluted. "Subject 'Gin' expired during memory extraction. However, his memories confirmed what the archives have hidden for decades — the survival of the Imperial Line. The boy, Jiro Tensai, carries the blood of the lost Emperor."
The room erupted in murmurs — disbelief, excitement, and fear.
"Impossible," hissed Minister Valen, the head of Research. "The royal genome was purged during the Fall! No one with that signature should exist!"
Viktor's jaw tightened. "And yet he does. The readings from Gin's memory align with the Triad Core Synchronization Pattern — identical to the late Emperor's resonance."
Korr's gaze sharpened. "And the boy?"
"Still alive," Viktor answered. "He escaped with the deserter Rein Karsen. Their location is unknown right now ."
The council fell silent. Then Avaren Korr leaned forward. "Do you understand what this means, General? The Nexus Protocol may still be viable."
Another voice — calm, female, and venom-laced — broke the silence. Director Seraphine Vael, head of Intelligence. "Reviving the Nexus is dangerous. It was buried for a reason. If that boy truly carries the Triad Blood, the device will respond to him. And once it does…" She let her words hang in the air like a guillotine.
Korr finished it for her. "The world changes — again."
Holograms flickered to life, showing lines of energy converging across the continents — Fluxion, Solareth, Lunaris, and others. At their center pulsed a dormant sphere labeled IMPERIAL NEXUS — STATUS: SEALED.
Valen spoke again, voice trembling with both awe and greed. "If the Nexus is reactivated, we can unify the energy streams of every district. The Obsidian Order would become more than enforcers — we would become the Empire itself."
Korr nodded slowly. "Then it's settled. General Dragunov, you will oversee Operation Dominion. Retrieve the boy alive. No harm, no extraction, no public attention."
Viktor saluted again but hesitated. "And if the boy resists?"
Korr's expression hardened. "Then break him until he obeys. But do not kill him. The Triad Blood is our key — and our last chance at dominion."
The hologram dimmed. One by one, the council members vanished from the projection — leaving Viktor alone in the flickering light.
He stood silently for a long moment, jaw tight, cigar between his fingers.
"Empire, Order, Nexus…" he muttered. "All of you are blind to the truth."
His gaze drifted toward the half map of Fluxion. His next destination — unknown
*****