The enemy fleet had withdrawn, but the Dead City refused to remain dormant.
Blue lights continued to flicker across the looming towers, and vast machines stalked the streets, as if the battle had never ended.
I stood amidst the ruins, watching the final airships vanish into the Aether fog.
"We won."
Vexa stated as she looked over the damaged city.
"We survived."
I responded looking at her.
"Isn’t that the same thing?"
"No."
She replied gesturing towards the skyline.
"Winning means you planned for this."
Vexa gestured towards the crater behind us.
"Surviving means you had no idea what you were doing."
Nyx chuckled.
"I like her."
"I don’t." I said.
"You like me."
"That is unfortunately true."
Cyra said walking up behind us.
"You two bicker like an old married couple."
I nearly choked on my tongue.
Vexa shot Cyra a look.
Nyx laughed.
Cyra’s face remained completely straight.
"What?"
I asked.
"Where did you learn that?"
She shrugged.
"People talk."
"That somehow makes it worse."
She smiled.
The moment of levity was cut short when the ground suddenly vibrated.
Deep within the earth, some unknown machine gave a pulse.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
All the Sovereign Guard suddenly halted.
They all turned their heads toward the center of the Dead City.
Cyra’s smile vanished.
"It’s waking up."
I looked at her.
"What is?"
She didn’t answer.
Instead, she closed her eyes.
Her gaze grew unfocused.
"Something beneath us."
The System appeared.
[Massive energy fluctuation detected.]
[Ancient Network synchronization increasing.]
[Current synchronization 21%.]
I frowned.
"What happens when it hits one hundred%?"
Cyra opened her eyes.
"I don’t know."
"That’s becoming your favorite answer." I said with a sigh.
She gave me a small smile.
"I’m sorry."
I shook my head.
"Don’t apologize. We’ll figure it out."
I gestured toward the ancient towers.
"We’ll find out what’s down there."
Cyra stepped closer.
Her fingers lightly brushing against mine.
"You always say that."
"Because it works." She smiled.
"Then I’ll believe you."
I squeezed her hand.
For a moment, the ruined city didn’t seem so intimidating.
However, the feeling vanished as a Sovereign Guard approached us.
"Commander."
I turned toward the nearest machine.
"What is it?"
"Central chamber requires inspection."
"Why?" I asked.
"Unauthorized awakening detected."
I frowned. "Unauthorized by who?"
The machine’s single red eye blinked.
"Unknown."
Vexa stepped forward.
"Could it be the Network?"
The machine shook its head.
"Negative."
Nyx’s hand went to her weapon.
"Then what is it?"
The machine looked down at the ground.
"Another entity."
I narrowed my eyes at it.
"What kind of entity?"
The machine was silent for a moment.
Then it answered.
"Human."
That was even worse.
We entered the tunnels leading to the central chamber.
The path had changed since we’d been here last.
Doors that had previously been sealed were now open, revealing new corridors.
Blue Aether flowed through the walls in veins, giving the tunnels the appearance of some great mechanical beast.
I couldn’t help but stare.
This city was something special.
It really was a network.
Everything connected to everything else.
Every machine.
Every tower.
Every vein of Aether.
And somehow, it all connected to Cyra.
The System appeared.
[Environmental synchronization detected.]
[Upgrade potential available.]
I stopped walking.
"Wait."
Vexa turned around.
"What is it?"
I ran my hand over the wall. The System expanded on the touch.
[Ancient Aether Conduit.]
[Condition: 17%.]
[Upgrade available.]
[Cost: 4 Upgrade Energy.]
I looked at how much energy I had.
Seven.
If I upgraded the conduit, I’d only have three left.
What would happen if I did?
I hesitated.
"Riven?"
I looked at Cyra. She was watching me closely.
"You’re considering upgrading it."
"yeah."
"Do you know what it does?"
"No." I admitted.
She smiled.
"Then you should do it."
I blinked at her.
"That’s terrible advice."
"Maybe." She stepped closer. "But you’ve been right so far."
I placed my hand against the conduit.
"System."
[Awaiting command.]
"Upgrade."
Blue light flared from the wall as I spoke.
The conduit repaired itself, and the entire corridor brightened.
The Aether current grew stronger, and the city responded.
The buildings overhead rotated, and long metal arms unfolded from the wall.
A great holographic display rose into the air, showing a detailed map of the continent.
I stared at it.
Then dozens of red blips appeared on the screen.
"What are those?" Vexa asked.
I looked at the System.
[Network nodes detected.]
[Active Nodes: 17.]
[Dormant Nodes: 83.]
My stomach twisted.
"Eighty-three?"
Cyra looked at the map.
"Those are Aether Network stations."
"You know what they are?"
"No." She gestured at them.
"But I can feel them."
The red blips began to pulse.
One.
Then another.
Then another.
Something was happening to them.
Vexa turned white.
"That’s not good."
I looked at the map.
"Someone is waking the Network."
The System appeared with another message.
[Unknown administrator detected.]
[Authority conflict detected.]
[Network control contested.]
I felt my blood run cold.
"So someone else can control it."
"It would seem so." Cyra replied.
Nyx crossed her arms.
"Who?"
The answer came from the darkness.
A woman’s voice.
"Someone who has been waiting a very long time."
We all turned toward the source of the sound.
At the far end of the corridor, a lone figure waited.
She wore a dark mechanical coat and had a mask covering the left side of her face.
Her back was mostly exposed, revealing numerous silver cords running into a small compact device.
I leveled my revolver at her.
"Identify yourself."
She chuckled.
"You’re Riven Vex."
My grip tightened on the weapon.
"How do you know my name?"
"Because the System announced your arrival."
My heart stopped.
"What did you say?"
She took a step closer.
"The moment you appeared in this world, the Network took notice."
Cyra stepped in front of me.
"Who are you?"
The woman looked at her.
Then she removed her mask, revealing a pale face, short black hair, and bright purple eyes.
She smiled.
"Someone who remembers the world before the Collapse."
Vexa raised her weapon.
"That’s impossible."
"Is it?" The woman arched an eyebrow.
"My name is Seraphine Kade."
She looked at Cyra.
"And I’ve been searching for the Sovereign for twenty years."
Cyra’s eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
Seraphine’s gaze met mine.
"Because she isn’t the only one who can awaken the Network."
I narrowed my eyes at her.
"What do you want with us?"
She smiled.
"You."
I pointed the gun at her.
"Wrong answer."
She laughed.
"I expected you to say that."
Then Seraphine reached into her coat and pulled out a small black device.
The System reacted to it immediately.
[Unknown artifact detected.]
[Similarity to System architecture: 73%.]
My eyes widened as I looked at it.
"What the hell is that?"
Seraphine’s smile vanished.
"The reason your System exists."
The device opened and projected a three-dimensional image of an old laboratory onto the ground.
Inside the room, I could see dozens of identical crystalline pods. Each held a human body.
Some were adults.
Some were children.
And some were machines.
The projection changed to show the interior of one of the pods.
A young girl floated inside, her silver hair trailing behind her.
Her blue eyes were the same as Cyra’s.
Cyra gasped.
"That..."
"That isn’t me!" She insisted.
Seraphine looked at her.
"No."
Then she turned to me.
"But it is where you came from."
The System suddenly flashed a warning.
[Critical error.]
[Memory access denied.]
[Unknown administrator attempting connection.]
I took a step back.
For the first time, the System failed to give me information.
In fact, it was afraid.
It made my skin crawl more than the gunslingers that hunted us.
Seraphine turned toward the darkness.
"We don’t have much time."
"Why not?"
She looked back at us.
"Because the first node has already awakened."
The ground shook violently.
Far above, some unseen force caused a massive blue beam of light to shoot into the sky.
Seraphine’s expression darkened.
"And something on the other side just noticed you."
I gripped my revolver tightly.
Cyra moved beside me, and our shoulders pressed together.
I gave her a small reassuring smile.
Whatever happened next, I wasn’t going to face it alone.
The System appeared one final time before vanishing.
[Major Arc Objective Updated.]
[Discover the Origin of the Infinite Upgrade System.]
[First Destination: Aetheria.]
I looked at the message on my visor.
We came to the Dead City searching for a cure for Cyra.
But instead, we found the origin of the System.
And with the way the ground was currently shaking...
It would seem our journey was far from over.