The lab was quiet. Too quiet. Machines hummed faintly, lights flickering from the surge earlier. Sparks from my gloves curled lazily in the air, reacting to something I couldn't fully see. My pulse throbbed in rhythm with the relic, and a faint smell of ozone tickled my nose.
Kael crouched beside me, eyes sharp. "You feel that?"
"Yeah… it's like… it's watching me," I muttered. Sparks zipped across my fingers, tiny arcs snapping with every heartbeat.
The technician didn't speak. His fingers flew over holo-panels, symbols tracing in midair like they had a mind of their own. Then the relic pulsed—harder, faster. A wave of energy shot out, shaking the lab. Lights flickered. Drones froze midair, drones outside the lab stuttered. Even neon signs across the street twitched.
I clenched my fists. My gloves reacted instantly, arcs of Aetherflow wrapping around my fingers like living threads. Panic hit for a second. What if I fry everything?
Kael's voice cut through the tension. "Something's out there. Not just here."
Across the city, rare conduits shivered. Some froze mid-step, others blinked as whispers echoed in their heads. Deep underground, a massive relic stirred. Not fully awake, but alive enough to notice.
The technician's fingers stilled. "It's… responding to her. Not just the suit. Her."
I swallowed hard. Conduit. One in ten thousand. And now the relic wasn't just reacting—it was guiding me.
A subtle thrum rippled through Aetherion itself. Streetlights flickered, holograms warped, neon vines twitched. Outside, a small delivery drone spun out of control, crashing into a neon billboard with a sharp spark. The pulse wasn't contained.
Kael leaned closer, voice tight. "This signal isn't just reaching out. It's choosing who feels it. And whatever's sleeping? It's waking."
I felt it in my chest again, a tingle that made my skin prickle. Sparks danced across my gloves in perfect sync with the pulse. My stomach knotted. What if I can't stop this?
The technician muttered to himself, voice tense. "If more conduits feel this… we're not ready."
Kael straightened, eyes hard. "Doesn't matter if we're ready. They'll come. And not all of them will be friendly."
Outside, somewhere in the shadows, a figure stirred. A hand lifted, eyes opening, sensing the pulse in their veins. A slow, deliberate smile spread across their face.
> "So… the conduit has finally appeared."
The lab lights flickered once more. Sparks stretched across my gloves, reaching farther than before. The relic pulsed, steady and insistent. And for the first time, I realized: this game isn't just starting—it's already bigger than us.