The moment the third Core burned out, the air changed.
The jungle went silent. Not scared—empty.
Aric spun. "Where did the birds go?"
Rowan had his blade out already. "They ran."
Kaelira's eyes narrowed. "We need to move. Now."
They didn't get the chance.
The sky pulsed. Once. A low vibration ran through the ground. Then came the sound—not a roar, not a screech, but a deep hum. Like a thousand gears turning under the earth.
> [Warning: Unknown Class-9 Entity Approaching]
[Designation: THE WATCHER]
[Threat Level: UNCALCULATED]
Darius didn't hesitate. "Run."
They moved.
Down the ridge, through the steam fields, dodging molten cracks in the stone. Behind them, the humming grew sharper, faster, like an engine about to blow.
Then—
It landed.
Not from the sky. From nothing.
A shadow bled into the air like an infection. Two burning glyphs hovered in place of eyes. It had no face. No voice. But the hum now spoke one word:
> "INHERITOR."
Kaelira froze mid-step.
"That's not supposed to exist."
The creature moved without moving—shifting instantly across the ridge. Its limbs were long, digitless, flexible like broken architecture.
It reached for Darius.
Rowan intercepted with a yell. His blade met the limb—and shattered.
Aric rammed his shield into its side. It didn't flinch.
Kaelira raised her hand, muttered something under her breath—and fired a bolt of corrupted system energy straight into its core.
The creature blinked.
It didn't scream.
It just stared.
Then it turned—and vanished into the jungle.
Not retreating.
Studying.
---
They collapsed hours later in another valley, breathing hard, weapons ready, but nothing followed.
Darius pulled up his interface.
> [Entity Scanned: Partial]
[THE WATCHER – Function: Observation, Evaluation, Execution]
[Linked to: Forgotten Protocols]
Kaelira sat beside the fire, head low.
"Y
ou just made the list," she said.
Darius nodded.
"Good. Let them come."
---