The road back to Verdant Hollow felt longer than ever.
Reon gripped the controls of the RHINO transport, his eyes narrowed, focused, but his mind was storming. Mirage's warning echoed in his ears like a whisper:
> "The System is watching.
The Architect is waking."
And now—a spy in the dome.
He had opened his gates to the lost. Fed them. Sheltered them.
But trust… had a price.
And someone was already trying to sell him out.
---
[SYSTEM ALERT – 1 Hour Earlier]
> ⚠️ Unauthorized terminal access detected
Terminal ID: Garden Storage Unit 02
User: Refugee Tag #8 – Identity: Lena Korvi
Message Content (Encrypted):
"Kael away. Safehouse open. Resources mapped."
"Prepare extraction team. Nightfall window."
Status: Message sent
Location of Recipient: Unknown
VERA had tried to intercept it.
She was 3 seconds too late.
Now, someone was coming.
---
Arrival at the Dome – Sunset
The sky bled orange when Reon's vehicle crossed the hidden ridge into Verdant Hollow. The solar towers blinked to life as the dome opened its gates, recognizing his signal.
Inside, things looked… normal.
Refugees were washing fabric, fixing a broken drone shell, boiling water. Mina sat on a bench reading from her System-augmented screen, her golden aura glowing faintly.
But even she looked uneasy.
She ran up to him the second the transport stopped.
> "Reon," she said, tugging his arm. "Something feels… bad."
He knelt and held her hand. "You feel the signals?"
She nodded. "The walls are whispering."
---
The Interrogation – Lena's Truth
Lena Korvi was 27. Former data analyst. Her record showed she'd lost her family in the New Geneva Collapse. She had come to Verdant Hollow pale and half-starved.
Now, she sat in the infirmary room, flanked by two of Reon's repurposed security bots.
She looked afraid—but not surprised.
"You know what I did," she said quietly.
Reon didn't blink. "Why?"
She swallowed. "Because they took my brother. The Warlords of Ironroot. They told me if I didn't deliver coordinates, they'd send me what was left of him in a bag."
VERA confirmed: No lies detected.
Mina stood in the doorway, listening.
Reon stared at Lena. "You risked a dome of innocent people to save one."
"I was desperate," she whispered.
Reon's voice was low. "So was I… the day the world collapsed."
---
Decision Time
> SYSTEM CHOICE: What will you do with the traitor?
🔘 Banish Lena (Lose Refugee Morale)
🔘 Execute Lena (Trigger Trauma Event – Mina)
🔘 Detain and Monitor (Unlock Side Story)
🔘 Trust and Recruit as Inside Agent (High Risk / High Reward)
Mina tugged his sleeve. "She did wrong. But I think she's broken… not evil."
Reon made his choice.
> ✅ Detain and Monitor
Side Story Unlocked: "The Code She Carries"
Hidden Trait Detected: Lena Korvi – Passive System Signature
(UNKNOWN CONNECTION TO SYSTEM ORIGIN)
---
System Message – Mirage's Gift Awakens
Late that night, Reon inserted the Split Key Fragment Mirage had given him into the dome's core data console.
For a moment… nothing.
Then everything flickered.
Lights dimmed. Screens flashed.
VERA's voice glitched.
> "Split Key confirmed.
Opening Core Pathway: Verdant Hollow – Sub-Level -X
Warning: Presence Detected. Listening Entity Online."
Mina gasped from the upper balcony, her hands glowing again.
> "It's awake… something deep underground…"
Reon clenched his fists.
The System responded:
> [VOICE TRANSMISSION – UNKNOWN SOURCE]
"You shape this world with stolen numbers, child of ash.
But remember—what you build was meant to fall.
Your wealth is borrowed.
Your time is leased."
— The Architect
---
Reon's Status – New Trait Gained
> 🎖️ System Trait Acquired: "Awakened Host"
The Architect is now aware of your presence.
Enemies may be influenced by System "Corrections."
Risk and reward increase dramatically with each decision.
🔓 New Ability Unlocked:
🔸 System Trace (Passive)
Detects when nearby tech or people have embedded system links.
---
Closing Scene – The Night Before the Storm
Reon stood atop the dome's canopy, the stars above still faintly visible through the high-altitude smog.
Below, people moved like shadows. Survivors, not soldiers.
And beneath it all, in a hidden level just unlocked, something ancient waited.
He looked down at his hands.
Hands that once gripped fast food trays. Cut meat in kitchens. Held his sister's tiny fingers on cold nights when there was no heat.
Now they shaped the future.
Mina appeared beside him. "We're gonna fight more, aren't we?"
"Yeah," he said quietly.
"But this time," she whispered, "we won't be alone."
---
[End of Chapter 9]