Location: The Scarab Engine – Hollow Core
The chamber glowed with soft, white light.
Mike stood in the center of the Scarab's ancient gears, his arms relaxed at his sides, his breathing steady. The White Lotus continued to glow on his skin, illuminating the glyphs that had once sung in violence.
Sarah stood nearby, tears in her eyes, whispering:
"You did it…"
But then—
The light dimmed.
Not faded.
Bent.
As if something heavier than light itself had entered the chamber.
The walls groaned.
The Scarab itself let out a metallic sigh, as if dreading what approached.
Zaki barked—once, sharply—then backed away, tail low.
And from the darkness above the chamber, something began to descend.
No stairs.
No wings.
No need.
He simply floated down.
Clothed in flowing black and gold.
Skin obsidian and marked with glowing inscriptions that crawled across him like live ink.
No face—only a mask: long, narrow, like the burial mask of a forgotten king.
But from behind it… eyes burned.
Red, like molten gods.
He touched the ground without a sound.
The High Priest.
The Voice of the Red Lotus.
The first of the False Pharaohs.
The Judge of the Scarab.
He looked at Mike.
"You are not meant to bloom," he said. His voice was like earthquakes pressed into language.
Mike didn't move. "I didn't ask to."
"That seed was buried.
Meant to rot.
You stole from the tomb of endings."
Sarah stepped forward. "He didn't steal anything. You built this to feed on the dead. He chose life."
The High Priest slowly turned his mask toward her.
"Life… is a privilege.
And privileges must be earned."
He turned back to Mike.
"You would end the cycle.
And then what?
Let the world rot in mercy?"
Mike raised his voice now. Strong. Resonant.
"No.
I'd let it choose for itself."
A deep, pulsing silence followed.
Then—
The High Priest extended his hand.
The chamber bent inward.
Stone cracked.
The Scarab Engine began to shift, gears turning slowly, waking up for war.
"You were given one chance to surrender," the Priest said.
"Now you will see why men called us gods."
Suddenly—everything exploded in motion.
The High Priest raised both arms—black flames spiraling from the Scarab's core.
Mike was blasted backward, barely shielding himself with the Lotus light.
Zaki lunged—defending his humans with no fear.
Adam screamed as the ground split—white and red energy clashing like titans.
The Hollow was no longer hiding.
It was becoming a battlefield.