The physical labor of setting up the underground farm exhausted my body, but my mind was restless. That night, I descended into the Base Core chamber.
The sphere was floating in its usual spot, but ever since I had used the Lord's ash to repair it, it had been... different. It pulsed with a rhythm that didn't match the hum of the machinery. It matched a heartbeat.
My heartbeat.
I placed my hand on the smooth surface. "System, run a diagnostic on the Core matrix."
[DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE]
[STATUS: OPTIMAL]
[SYNCHRONIZATION RATE: 85%]
"Synchronization? I didn't authorize that."
[PASSIVE EFFECT: PROLONGED EXPOSURE AND HIGH-STRESS LINK EVENTS]
I frowned. The screen flickered, and suddenly I wasn't looking at a menu anymore. My vision blurred, and the grey stone walls of the chamber dissolved into infinite white.
I was standing in a void. In front of me stood a tree.
It was colossal, its roots weaving through star systems, its branches piercing nebulas. It was made of pure data and light.
You have done well, Host, a voice said. It didn't come from the tree; it came from everywhere. It sounded like the rustling of a billion leaves.
"Who are you?" I demanded, my voice sounding small in the vastness. "Are you the System?"
I am the Seed, the voice replied. The System is merely the tool used to plant me. You are the Gardener.
"The Lord called me that too. What does it mean?"
It means you are not merely a survivor, the voice echoed. The Mist is not a plague, Evelyn. It is a bridge. The universe is... sick. Fractured. The Mist is the immune response. It destroys the weak so the strong can rebuild.
"That's a convenient way to justify mass murder," I spat.
It is the way of evolution, the Seed said, unperturbed. You removed the cancer—the Lord. You proved that this reality is viable. But the trial is not over.
The tree shuddered. A vision appeared in the air—planets colliding, skies tearing open, armies of entities made of shadow pouring through rifts.
The Convergence is coming, the Seed warned. In one year, the barriers between worlds will dissolve. The doors you open with your System will no longer be under your control. They will be open floodgates.
My stomach dropped. "Floodgates for what?"
Everything. Other Systems. Other Hosts. Entities that devour worlds. You have one cycle to prepare. You must cultivate your territory. You must grow strong enough to hold the line.
The vision faded, leaving me gasping on the floor of the chamber, sweat soaking my clothes.
[GLOBAL EVENT DETECTED: THE CONVERGENCE]
[T-MINUS: 365 DAYS]
[OBJECTIVE: SECURE TERRITORY AND ESTABLISH DOMINANCE]
One year.
I had spent the last three months fighting for my life. Now I had one year to prepare for the end of the world... again. But this time, I knew the rules. This time, I had a seed of my own.