The Syrup Citadel was getting crowded.
Aric leaned back in a floating chair, sipping pixel-coffee while Driplord practiced aerial flame tricks, narrowly avoiding incinerating the still-under-construction lava bathhouse.
Across the plains, ghostly outlines of buildings shimmered as blueprints processed and automated constructs hammered foundations with magical precision.
> "You've successfully built: Foundational Hub | Population Core | Resource Synthesizer"
Lysara stood beside him, arms crossed.
> "You realize you've spent more resources designing themed restaurants than on actual defense?"
"Wrong," Aric said, raising a finger. "The pancake wall is both defense and brunch."
> "God help this realm."
---
[System Alert – Major World Trigger Unlocked!]
Suddenly, the sky split open with divine light.
> Planet Genesis – Milestone Reached!
World Core Stability Level: 10%
Unlocking Realm Artifact: NEXUS TOWER
A beam of white energy shot into the sky from Aric's planet, connecting with the Dominion System's central code-stream.
Lysara's eyes widened.
> "The Nexus Tower… It's a cross-realm gateway. An ancient elevator between realms, locked since the original Architects vanished."
A massive tower erupted from the heart of his planet—shaped like a twisting spiral of glass and obsidian, with staircases floating in impossible directions.
> You are now eligible for Cross-Realm Exploration.
Unlocked: Dimensional Visitors | Trade Caravans | Tower Trials
Aric grinned.
> "So we're open for business?"
> "No. You're now visible to enemies across all active dominions."
"…Right. I love this system."
---
[Nexus Core – Player Message Boards]
As Aric's achievement went public, Nexus exploded.
Global Announcement:
> Player Aric Myles has Unlocked the Nexus Tower. Realm Class: Planet. First World-Core Milestone Achieved.
Chat channels flooded with noise:
> "WHO IS THIS GUY??" "Planet class? Already??" "I bet he paid-to-win." "I bet he IS the dev." "Banana Cult supports him. Holy Pancake Alliance confirmed."
---
[Shadow Realm – Null's First Move]
Far beyond the system's light, inside the Obsidian Field, a figure stirred.
Tattered robes, black circuitry bleeding from pale skin. No eyes. No mouth. Just a pulsing black hole where a face should be.
> "...The Planet Builder has emerged."
"System… denies my existence. But he saw me."
"I'll visit. Briefly."
A rift opened in the skies above Genesis.
---
[Back on Genesis – The Rift Appears]
Alarms blared. Lysara's eyes snapped to the sky.
> "Unauthorized portal! This isn't a system-approved visitor!"
Cracks formed above the Nexus Tower, spilling black static into the atmosphere. Then, without warning, a shadow descended—shapeless, silent.
Aric stood, hand hovering over the emergency interface.
Then the being spoke. No words. Just text printed directly into the sky.
> "DO YOU REMEMBER ME?"
Lysara's voice dropped to a whisper.
> "Aric... he's not from the system. He's a Null Entity. A being rejected by the Dominion Core. He shouldn't even be alive."
The figure hovered silently. Watching.
Then… it vanished.
No attack. No message. Just... gone.
Aric stood frozen.
"…Okay. So we're definitely not the only ones cheating the system."
Lysara muttered, "Correction: we're not the only ones noticed by it."
---
End of Chapter 4
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