The spiral staircase creaked under their weight.
Sylas took the lead, the Copper Gear Key still in one hand, the other sweeping the stone wall to his left for balance. Selene trailed behind, her torch casting flickering shadows on the thin corridor.
The air grew colder as they descended. Water clung to the walls, and faint drips reverberated from hidden sections below. The hatch above gradually faded into darkness until it was nothing more than a memory.
Finally, after what felt like minutes had stretched into hours, the stairs finally came to an end before a huge metal door. It was old and heavy, molded into the stone as if it had existed there forever.
"Now what?" Selene breathed.
Sylas stepped forward. A tiny receptacle sat in the center of the door—gear-shaped, just like the one on top. He put the Copper Gear Key in again and turned.
A rumbling filled the air. The gears in the back of the door whirred and rotated. The door creaked low, splitting down the middle, then slid open slowly, revealing a room behind.
They stepped inside.
It wasn't a crypt.
It was a machine room.
Tall columns adorned the walls, their faces inscribed with ancient runes worn by time and small blinking lights. Thick wires lay on the floor like roots, all coalescing towards a central platform. At its center stood a pedestal topped with a glass sphere, within which a softly glowing orb suspended itself in mid-air.
"By the gods." Selene whistled.
The orb pulsed, as if it knew they were present.
> System Alert: You have accessed a Forgotten Facility.
Access Level: Restricted
Scanning for compatible user.
Identity not detected.
Emergency Protocol: Warden Override Detected.
Access Allowed.
Sylas blinked. "Warden Override?"
Hidden Class Trait Activated: Warden of the Hollow.
Forgotten Systems access has been unlocked.
New Feature: Substructure Mapping
New Passive Skill Gained: Memory Sync
A queer sensation overwhelmed his mind—images, partial memories, and broken voices whispering in tongues he didn't know entirely. It only lasted a moment, but it stole his breath.
Selene reached out and put her hand on his arm. "You okay?"
"I think the place. knew me," he replied slowly. "Something about being a Warden. It opened doors.
He stepped back to the pedestal and reached out toward the orb. As his fingers stroked the glass, the room lights intensified, and a humming thrum hummed beneath the floor.
The orb spoke.
A voice—not human, nor machine.
> "Warden detected. Emergency state: Active. Village deterioration: 72%. Terraforming systems: Inactive. Artificial guardians: Hostile. Recommend immediate calibration."
Selene looked around. "Is it. talking about our village?"
"I think it is," Sylas said. "It's linked to all above. Maybe even the forest, the earth itself."
The orb pulsed.
> "Do you want to switch on Substructure Control?"
Yes / No
Sylas hesitated, then said, "Yes."
A projection drifted over the sphere—a luminous map of the land, punctuated with pulsing pools of light. One floated right above where they were standing. Others glowed gently in far-off locations: under mountains, within dense woods, under submersed lakes.
> "Substructure Node Activated: Hollow Root."
System Control: 5%
Unlocked Upgrades: Terraform Node I – Soil Enrichment
Skill Unlocked: Earthsense (Passive)
Auto-Sync Enabled with Warden Core.
The map zoomed in.
Now Sylas could look out over the earth beneath the village—the hidden arteries of power, old machines, and broken tunnels. The complex itself was only a part of something far larger.
"Selene," he said slowly, "this isn't a bunker. It's part of an underground network—something enormous."
She stared at the map. "How much of it is left?"
He shook his head. "No idea. But if we can unlock additional nodes, maybe we can rebuild things—strengthen the land. Secure it."
One of the pillars creaked behind them. A compartment swung wide, revealing a chest covered with a dull red glow.
> "Reward Available for First Substructure Activation."
Open?
Yes / No
Sylas nodded. "Yes."
The light faded. The chest clicked open.
There, they found a number of things:
A pair of fortified gloves etched with minor sigils.
A blueprint rolled and etched Terraform Core I.
A bag of radiating earth etched Catalyst Earth.
A metal badge etched with the Warden's emblem.
> New Items Acquired:
Warden's Gauntlets (Passive Bonus: +2 Strength, +1 Earth Affinity)
Terraform Core I (Use to increase a field or building)
Catalyst Earth (Increases growth rate of crops by 25%)
Warden Token (Currency – Exchange at Forgotten Facilities)
Sylas passed the blueprint to Selene. "We'll study this tonight."
As they turned to leave, the orb dimmed, its voice echoing one last time:
> "Restore the Hollow. Reconnect the Roots. The Warden remembers."
The door behind them remained open. The stairway back to the surface loomed ahead, dimly lit by Selene's torch.
As they climbed, Sylas felt changed.
Not just stronger. Not just more capable.
But chosen.