Soran looked at him with disdain.
"Do you really think I would give these items to my precious granddaughter without taking precautions?"
Omar was unable to respond for a moment. Garuda was hardly different from a living Mecha—it was something that fought entirely on instinct. Soran had not designed its cockpit like a conventional one; instead, it was worn like a suit, allowing the user to move as if it were their own body. PLD-01, on the other hand, was a complete enigma—an unfinished product. It had been constructed from the skeleton and scales of a platinum dragon, but before it could be tested, an SS-rank rift rupture occurred near the facility, and the entire area was completely isolated.
"What about PLD-01? Even you couldn't get past the monsters around it!"
Soran chuckled.
"I've thought of everything—don't worry. Garuda for large monsters, PLD-01 for smaller ones. Once Elenor awakens and receives these two, no one will be able to kill her! These three devices are among my greatest masterpieces. I trust my granddaughter—after all, she's even smarter than I am… Anyway, let's close this topic for now."
Omar asked curiously,
"Soran… what are you planning to do with Elenor? What if she doesn't want to awaken? And even if she does, what if she wants to walk her own path? What then? Will all these preparations be for nothing?"
Soran froze for a moment. After thinking for a while, he sighed.
"Don't worry, I have something in mind… Anyway, I need to make some adjustments. Keep driving."
Omar sighed and turned on the music, while Soran opened holographic screens and focused on his research.
— Three Days Later —
Just outside the city of Lotus stood a solitary structure surrounded by high walls, covering an area the size of five football fields. Soldiers wearing various types of armor stood guard atop and within the walls. Outside the structure, three newly built Mechas were undergoing testing. The facility was heavily guarded, as it was Soren's personal laboratory.
Inside the laboratory, in various rooms, scientists whom Soren trusted most—some of whom he considered his students—were conducting research. There were multiple research centers inside the facility, each personally overseen by Soren. Some rooms focused on weapons, Mechas, armor, armored vehicles, artillery, and similar projects, while others specialized in biology, alchemy, chemistry, physics, medicine, and agriculture. The laboratory functioned as both a research center and a living space.
There were numerous facilities where researchers could relax and spend their time—massage parlors, hot springs, cafés and restaurants staffed by top-tier chefs, gaming halls, gyms, training grounds, walking parks, and more. Additionally, there was a residential complex for their families, complete with a school for children and employment opportunities for adults. The Turanya and Azera Empires valued their researchers immensely, which was why they built comfortable research centers for them and spared no expense when it came to budgeting.
Beneath the laboratory lay an additional research complex spanning four underground levels, with the third and fourth floors belonging entirely to Soren. At this moment, Soran was working alone in his most secure room on the fourth floor. He was preparing the device he intended to give to Elenor, carefully checking the panels outside a high-tech glass dome with extreme precision. He was alone—this project was being developed in absolute secrecy. If this technology fell into the wrong hands, it would be catastrophic, and there was a specific reason Soran insisted on working alone.
Inside the dome, the device floated in a special liquid. It was an elegant, minimalistic yet extremely advanced smartwatch with a silver-colored, circular 50 mm casing, crafted from various metallic alloys, and a strap adorned with runic engravings. However, it was currently disassembled. It contained nano-technological circuits, sensors embedded beneath the casing, along the edges, and even within the metallic, clasp-like strap. The most striking sight was the vein-thick cables extending from the interior, drifting within the liquid. Every component of the watch bore magical symbols and runic inscriptions.
The runic inscriptions were tied to Soren's awakened ability. His power was that of an ancient sage mage, granting him a mental library of knowledge in runes, alchemy, and magic. Rune knowledge was an invaluable discipline for enhancing equipment, and its greatest advantage was that it could be taught. Soran had poured every fragment of knowledge in his mind into perfecting this device. After long months—indeed, years—of work, the device was nearly complete. He was now applying the final touches.
After a few minutes, he muttered to himself,
"This is the final point."
Robotic arms inserted a chip into the watch's core. The chip glowed blue, sending a wave of light coursing through every part of the device. As the process completed, Soran let out a relieved breath and tapped a few commands to finalize it. The scattered components of the smartwatch gathered together, retracting the micro-cables into compact compartments within the strap, then absorbing all the liquid within the capsule. Once the process ended, the capsule opened. Soran stepped forward, retrieved the device, and placed it into a sleek black, high-tech case resting on the table.
He walked calmly to the main console and inserted the case into a designated slot. As the case slid in, the compartment shrank to secure it, and several indicator lights illuminated. When Soran activated the panel in front of him, the following text appeared:
[Lifelink Yoked Reprogramming Activator = L.Y.R.A.]
Soran carefully entered several lines of code. The text changed, and a loading screen appeared.
[System initialization starting… 3%]
Soran exhaled in relief. Years of work had progressed without issue. The system installation would take some time—the system's size was immense—but even this speed was fortunate. While the process continued, Soran quickly adjusted several settings.
"Alright, now let's handle authorization."
His fingers moved rapidly.
[Administrator: Soran Altarez]
[Administrator transfer in progress…]
[New administrator: Elenor Altarez.]
[Do you accept this action? Yes / No.]
Without hesitation, Soran made his choice.
[You selected YES… Authorization confirmed.]
[Administrator privileges transferred. Primary key designated as L.Y.R.A.]
Soran let out a relieved breath. Next, he would need to copy the knowledge within his own mind into LYRA, but first he would wait for the system installation to complete. Stretching, he leaned back into his chair to rest. Smiling contentedly, he tapped the touch panel on the armrest to order a cup of coffee. A few seconds later, a drone flew in and delivered a steaming cup. Soran took it with satisfaction and began drinking, softly humming a melody Elenor loved.
"With this, all my laboratories on the continent, my shelters, even all my artifacts will be under Elenor's command… Of course, she'll have full authority after me."
He sipped his coffee peacefully as the loading bar continued to advance on the screen.
[System installation: In progress Status: 7% Estimated completion time: 6 hours 36 minutes]
Soran sighed. The system was enormous—even this speed was remarkable. As the process continued, exhausted from days without sleep, he decided to take a nap. After finishing his coffee, he tapped the panel on his chair, which slowly transformed into a comfortable bed. After setting an alarm, Soran yawned, lay back, and gradually drifted into sleep.
After three hours of peaceful rest, Soran awoke to the alarm. He stared blankly at the ceiling for a few seconds before restoring the chair to its original form and stretching his arms.
"Ahhh… seems that wasn't enough sleep."
After rubbing his eyes, he checked the screen. Seeing the installation proceeding smoothly, he nodded, yawned, and reached for the device he had prepared for transferring his mental knowledge. He placed it on his head, then began inputting commands on the touch panel before him. Crossing his arms, he leaned back, calming his mind while simultaneously solving calculations and problems in his head. Time passed quickly, and after three and a half hours, the system installation was complete.
[L.Y.R.A. system active. Please attach to your wrist for integration.]
Upon seeing the notification, Soran swiftly checked all systems and confirmed everything was functioning correctly. He exhaled in relief, entered several more codes, and transferred the copied portion of his memory into the watch, then redirected the live data stream directly into it.
[Transfer progress: 64%]
Soran began waiting patiently, pondering what to have for dinner.
"Maybe I should go eat some meat with Omar… I certainly wouldn't say no to a nice rack of lamb."
Just as he was indulging in pleasant thoughts, the screens suddenly turned red and an alarm siren blared. In huge letters, the following warning filled the displays:
[WARNING: RIFT FRACTURE DETECTED.]
Soran froze in shock and immediately tapped the screen, but at the same time countless messages began to pour in.
[WARNING: RIFT FRACTURE DETECTED.]
[WARNING: RIFT FRACTURE DETECTED.]
[WARNING: RIFT FRACTURE DETECTED.]
...
[WARNING: RIFT FRACTURE DETECTED.]
[WARNING: RIFT FRACTURE DETECTED.]
Seeing hundreds of notifications arriving simultaneously, Soran sprang to his feet, his eyes wide open in sheer disbelief.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"
His fingers flew across the interface as he desperately tried to assess the situation.
[Region: Sector B6 — Multiple rift fractures detected!
Rift Grades: E, D, D+, B, B+
Time until rupture: 1 hour 37 minutes]
[Region: Sector T7 — Multiple rift fractures detected!
Rift Grades: D, C, B+, A, A+
Time until rupture: 3 hours 20 minutes]
...
[Priority Alert! Multiple fractures detected in Star City!
Rift Grades: E, E+, C, C+, D, D+, S
Time until rupture: 1 hour 40 minutes]
[Priority Alert! Multiple fractures detected in Crescent City!
Rift Grades: B, A, A+, S
Time until rupture: 2 hours 33 minutes]
With every new notification, Soran's shock deepened. He had calculated the possibility of multiple fractures before… but never this many at the same time. Worse still, the alerts showed no sign of stopping—they had already surpassed the thousands.
As he evaluated the data, a grim realization struck him.
'Not just Turanya… this is happening in Azera as well—and in the surrounding kingdoms.'
Soran opened a planetary map and used satellite signals to measure rift energy traces across Nevarion.
'NO… IT'S HAPPENING ACROSS THE ENTIRE PLANET!'
For the first time since the tragedy, Soran completely lost his composure and shouted at the screen.
"CONTACT THE ENTIRE ALLIANCE COUNCIL IMMEDIATELY! EMERGENCY CODE ALERT—DO NOT ALLOW ANY BLOCKS OR REJECTIONS!"
The system responded to the voice command, and dozens of faces appeared on the massive screen. Some were sitting at home, some sipping tea, others in the middle of training. Several high-ranking officials looked tense, having just received reports from warning centers. The two emperors and their heirs appeared at the center of the screen.
The Emperors of Turanya and Azera frowned gravely. The others followed suit—Soran's panic alone was enough to convince them that this was far more serious than a standard emergency alert.
The Emperor of Turanya spoke calmly, yet with unmistakable authority.
"What happened, Soran?"
Soran explained urgently, his fingers moving like a storm.
"EMERGENCY SITUATION! PLANET-WIDE DIMENSIONAL ANOMALIES HAVE BEEN DETECTED! CURRENT DATA SHOWS OVER EIGHT THOUSAND RIFT FRACTURES OF ALL GRADES! MY LORD, THE NUMBERS ARE STILL RISING!"
Every person on the screen—man or woman—immediately stopped what they were doing and stood up, issuing commands to those around them as they moved toward their assigned posts, never taking their eyes off the screen.
Fully aware of the gravity of the situation, the Emperor of Azera spoke carefully.
"Are you certain, Soran?"
At that exact moment, communication devices across the screen began to ring. Panicked aides rushed into several rooms to deliver urgent updates. Despite the chaos, the two emperors remained calm and began issuing rapid orders. The attendants acknowledged them with sharp nods and hurried off.
Left alone in his chamber, the Emperor of Azera began donning his battle armor as he spoke.
"How much time do we have?"
Soran replied immediately.
"I'm sending everyone the time limits for their respective regions."
As the Emperor of Azera reviewed the incoming data, he muttered a quiet curse before barking out commands.
"Mobilize the entire military! Evacuate all non-combat civilians to shelters immediately and activate military doctrine! We need every single person capable of fighting! Female militias will coordinate evacuations with elite units! Deploy all mechs, troops, warships—everything we have! I don't want a single weapon left idle in the hangars!"
The military leaders saluted in unison and answered loudly as they rushed toward their posts.
"AS YOU COMMAND!"
The Emperor of Turanya continued.
"Notify all Awakened and deploy them to the most critical zones! Ensure they receive full support! I authorize the use of all weapons—banned or experimental—excluding nuclear and biological arms! Secure supply routes, maintenance points, and hospitals! Underground city protocol is now active! Evacuate all civilians underground! Remember—your top priority is protecting civilians!"
Both empires had long prepared for such contingencies due to constant rifts and territories lost to monsters. Underground shelters and entire subterranean cities had been constructed, their defenses specifically designed to withstand monstrous threats. Cities, military fortresses, and bases were protected by cutting-edge barrier technologies designed by Soran himself—strong enough to repel monsters. Yet rifts remained an unsolved enigma. The only known method was to eliminate every creature inside and wait for them to close.
The Alliance General Yavuz, a hardened man in his late forties with scars marking countless battles, spoke firmly.
"My lords, we must focus on urban areas and activate the shield generators. At the very least, we can prevent surrounding monsters from entering. If we can hold the cities, we'll have a chance to counterattack. We cannot retreat entirely underground."
The Emperor of Azera nodded in agreement.
"General Yavuz is right. We must especially protect agricultural regions. If this is happening across all of Nevarion, humanity is facing a fight for survival."
After the Emperor of Turanya nodded, he spoke solemnly.
"May our campaign be blessed, and may our martyrdom be glorious."
Everyone on the screen repeated the words in unison.
"May our campaign be blessed, and may our martyrdom be glorious."
The Emperor of Turanya looked at the Emperor of Azera.
"Take care of yourself, brother. Don't die before me."
Wearing his specialized combat armor, the Emperor of Azera chuckled, sealed his helmet, and spoke in a robotic voice.
"I return the same words to you, brother."
He cut the connection and moved to command his forces. Still connected, the Emperor of Turanya turned to his heir.
"I trust you, my son. Right now, you are the strongest individual across both empires. If anything happens to me, you must take command."
The black-haired, brown-eyed Crown Prince replied resolutely.
"I will not fail your trust. Take care, Father."
The connections began to close as everyone rushed to their posts. This was a true crisis, and mass mobilization alone would not solve it—there was no single enemy. Some would fight flying monsters, others ground-based beasts, ghosts, undead, synthetic horrors, or mechanical abominations. The sheer variety was terrifying.
The Emperor of Turanya addressed Soran one last time.
"Soran, come to the palace immediately! We must discuss countermeasures!"
Soran nodded.
"I'll be there shortly—I just need to run a quick calculation!"