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*Chapter Two: Signals in the Dark*
The Vault was quiet now—but it was not calm.
Fiona paced the central chamber, light from her glowing circuits casting a soft hue over the obsidian walls. She had sealed the rupture, but the energy signature left behind still clung to the air like static. The voice echoed in her memory:
> "The Monarchs must rise… or fall."
She didn't fear messages like that. She feared how *accurate* they might be.
Across the room, a spherical drone hovered into view. Its core blinked red, then blue, then steady white. "Surveillance sweep complete," it reported in a flat tone. "Dimensional breach confirmed. Reality integrity compromised across five layers. One monarch signature detected—classified as: Davian."
Fiona exhaled slowly. "Then it's true."
Davian had vanished centuries ago during the Fracture War—the last battle between monarchs before the realms were divided and sealed. He ruled over time and space, and when he disappeared, so did the timeline that explained why.
And now, he was active again.
"Prep the command skiff. Set coordinates for Sector 9—Unreal Territories."
The drone buzzed in confusion. "That sector is forbidden. It has not existed since—"
"I know," she snapped. "That's why I'm going."
She turned on her heel, cloak trailing behind her as she moved toward the launch chamber. The Unreal Territories were uncharted, abandoned, and broken during the war. But if monarch signatures were reactivating, that's where the truth would surface first.
As the bay doors opened, Fiona stepped aboard the sleek vessel she designed herself—*VANTA*, a ship forged with quantum drives and enchanted steel.
Lights flickered on. Systems booted.
She locked her gauntlet to the console, and with a low pulse of energy, they jumped.
Through space.
Through silence.
Through boundaries even time tried to forget.
—
In the distance, something stirred—something ancient.
In a place outside of time, *Davian* opened his eyes.
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Let me know if you want Chapter Three, or if you'd like to build one of the other monarchs' scenes next.
She reached for her console, opening a ripple gate to the *Archive of Monarchs*—a hidden database of all known monarch lineages and abilities. Her fingers moved with precision, bypassing protective enchantments and digital locks. She wasn't just accessing history. She was overriding it.
Files blinked open, revealing the last known energy signatures of multiple monarchs:
- *Davian*: confirmed active.
- *Elios* (Beasts): dormant.
- *Lilith* (shadow): untraceable.
- *Lyra* (Ice): sealed.
- *Solaria* (Light): fragmented.
- *Eight* (Control): locked.
- And herself: *Fiona, Monarch of MagicTech*—primary signal stabilizer.
Seven monarchs… eight if the rumors about a secret sovereign were true.
She didn't believe in rumors. But lately, they believed in her.
Suddenly, a second alert flared.
*Incoming signal — Origin: Unknown Realm*
Fiona stiffened. "Display it."
The image shimmered to life—distorted, but forming fast. A shadowed figure, face half-obscured by flame and glass, stared at her through the projection. The voice was faint, layered in static, but unmistakable.
> "The locks are breaking. The gates are waking. And *you*, Fiona, must choose."
The figure vanished before she could trace it.
For a moment, she stood still. Then her voice rang out sharply.