[A/N: sorry that I have not been able to realese recently but I got into an accident and am currently in the hospital , but I will try to keep up with the realese]
They stood in a volcanic basin, steam hissing through jagged vents. At the center, half-buried in basalt and bone, was the Core Marker. Unlike the others, this one pulsed red—not gold.
Darius stepped toward it. His system flickered.
> [Core Marker Detected: Status – Sealed]
[Warning: Third Node Contains Forbidden Data]
[Proceeding Will Alter System Parameters Permanently]
He looked back at Kaelira.
"Say it."
She didn't move.
"If you open that, your system won't be a tool anymore," she said. "It'll be a key. And you won't control what it unlocks."
Rowan grunted, sword out. "It's always a risk."
Aric nodded. "If we stop here, what was the point of surviving?"
Darius turned back. He wasn't sure if the heat around the Core Marker came from the land… or the data inside it.
"I didn't come here to play it safe."
He reached out and pressed his palm to the seal.
---
The world tilted.
Energy surged—black and gold lines etching across the ground.
His system screamed.
> [Core Marker Activated]
[System Update in Progress…]
Gold Requirement Now Supplemented by: SYSTEM POINTS (SP)]
Empire Path Expanded: Ancient Tech Tree Unlocked]
Empire Constructs Available: Core Nodes, Ether Relays, Soul Forges]
> New Mechanic Unlocked: —"Dominion Protocols" (Claim and bind regions using Core Anchors)
—"Ascendant Projects" (Late-game empire-scale constructions)
Darius stumbled back as the Marker crumbled into dust, leaving only a glowing sigil burned into the rock.
Kaelira's expression didn't change.
But her voice was quiet. "He opened the third too. Just like that."
Da
rius clenched his fist.
"Then I'll do it better."
---