Veyra clutched the data shard as she ran through the tunnel, her body still humming with the Echo of Power. Her breath came in steady but measured bursts, her mind racing as she processed what had just happened.
The Gene Lords were closer than she'd thought—those enforcers had been a scouting party, sent to track her movements. If they had reported back before she eliminated them, reinforcements would already be en route.
She needed to know what they knew, what they were planning. The data shard might hold the answers, but she had to find a safe place to access it.
The Sanctum of Echoes was her only refuge, but it was also a place of trials—she couldn't let her guard down. Even now, the tunnels felt alive, whispering with energies far older than the Gene Lords.
The ancient walls pulsed faintly, reacting to her presence, responding to the gene-seeds she carried. She kept running, her footfalls barely making a sound, her muscles tense with anticipation.
The tunnel widened, the air growing colder. A thin layer of mist curled along the ground, and the scent of something metallic tinged the air. Veyra's enhanced senses picked up a faint hum, different from the Sanctum's usual energy. It was rhythmic, pulsing—alive.
She followed it cautiously, every nerve on edge. The gene-seeds in her pack pulsed softly in response, guiding her forward.
The tunnel opened into a small chamber, its walls lined with ancient tech—consoles and screens, their surfaces covered in dust and the remnants of long-forgotten symbols. In the center stood a terminal, its screen flickering with a faint, unstable light. The entire room seemed to hum in recognition of her presence.
The resonance between the terminal and the gene-seeds was undeniable. This was where she could access the data shard.
She approached the terminal cautiously, her fingers tingling as she reached out. The machine was ancient, but it was still active. She inserted the data shard, and the screen flared to life, displaying a stream of encrypted data. Lines of code rushed across the screen, symbols shifting and rearranging faster than the human eye could follow.
Veyra's hands glowed as she placed them on the console, channeling the power of the gene-seeds. The glow spread through the terminal, sinking into the circuits, unlocking pathways long sealed. The encryption began to unravel, revealing the secrets hidden within the shard.
Her eyes widened as the decrypted data formed coherent text. The Gene Lords' plans—detailed, methodical, ruthless. They knew about the Sanctum of Echoes. More than that, they had been planning an assault, sending a larger force to retrieve the gene-seeds. But that wasn't the worst part. The data contained records of their experiments, of what they truly intended.
They weren't just after power; they wanted to harness the Void itself. They believed the gene-seeds could be the key to controlling it, to bending reality to their will, to making them gods.
Veyra's stomach twisted. She had underestimated them. This wasn't just a battle for survival—it was a race against annihilation. If they succeeded, they wouldn't just control the Sanctum. They would unleash something far worse.
She forced herself to keep reading. The data contained a map of the labyrinth, showing the Gene Lords' entry points. They were converging from multiple directions, spreading through the tunnels like a disease. The Sanctum's core wasn't just a target—it was the key to their victory. If they reached it first, it would be over.
Veyra inhaled sharply, burning the map into her memory. She had to move faster. The Sanctum was vast, its pathways ever-shifting. But she knew how to navigate them. She had spent years studying its depths, deciphering its secrets. If she took the right paths, she could reach the core before the Gene Lords did.
A sharp beep interrupted her thoughts. The terminal's glow flickered, then stabilized. A new message appeared on the screen, written in symbols even older than the Sanctum itself. The words rearranged themselves, forming a single warning:
"Intruders detected. Defensive protocols activated."
Veyra's breath caught. The chamber trembled as the walls began to shift. A distant rumble echoed through the tunnels. The Sanctum was fighting back.
Stone grinded against stone as hidden mechanisms activated. From the walls, ancient sentinels began to emerge—constructs of metal and energy, their forms humanoid but unmistakably artificial. Their eyes burned with cold, calculating light, scanning for intruders. Veyra knew better than to trust them. The Sanctum's defenses did not discriminate. If she lingered, she would be deemed an enemy.
She yanked the data shard from the terminal and bolted. The ground trembled beneath her feet as the chamber sealed itself behind her, locking the sentinels within. But the danger wasn't over. The echoes of the Sanctum's awakening would spread through the tunnels. The Gene Lords would notice.
Her mind raced as she ran, mapping the fastest route to the core. The Sanctum was alive now, its defenses engaged, but it would not be enough to stop the Gene Lords. They had technology of their own, weapons designed to counter ancient constructs.
Veyra had to reach the core first. She had to be stronger.
The Void loomed at the edges of her thoughts, watching, waiting. But she wasn't afraid. Not anymore.
She clenched the data shard in her fist. The Gene Lords were coming, but she would be ready. For them. For the Void. For whatever came next.