Chapter 6: The Architect's Legacy
The heavy door groaned on hinges that hadn't moved in three centuries. As the pressure stabilized, Zen stepped through the threshold, his multi-wrench held low, glowing with a soft defensive blue. Behind him, Grim and the other dwarves hovered at the entrance, their breath hitching in the sudden chill.
The room was not a vault or a tomb. It was a Sanctuary of Knowledge.
Towering shelves made of white, non-corrosive alloy lined the walls, stretching up into the shadows of a vaulted ceiling. But there were no paper books here. Instead, thousands of crystalline cylinders sat in slots, pulsing with a faint, rhythmic amber light—Data Crystals. At the center of the room stood a circular pedestal with a glass surface, cracked but still functional.
[New Location Discovered: The Forbidden Archive of the First Era]
[System Link Established... Downloading Directory...]
Zen walked to the central pedestal. As his hand brushed the surface, the room hummed to life. Holographic displays erupted into the air, showing complex blueprints, planetary maps, and DNA sequences that were far beyond the current "magic" used by the Holy Empire.
"This... this isn't magic," Zen whispered, his eyes widening as he scanned the data. "This is high-level bio-engineering and particle physics."
Grim stepped closer, staring at a floating image of a human heart intertwined with crystalline structures. "Lad, what is this? It looks like a curse."
"No, Grim. It's a diagnosis," Zen replied.
He found a file labeled "Project: Origin Core – Successor Selection." As he opened it, a recorded voice filled the room—calm, cold, and hauntingly similar to his own.
"To my descendants who find this: The world will tell you that the 'Light' is a gift from the gods. They lie. The Light is a parasite—a high-energy mana-leech that feeds on the souls of the living to maintain the empire's golden towers. Those born with 'Dimmed Mana' are not cursed. They are the only ones whose bodies have rejected the parasite. We are not weak; we are 'Pure.'"
Zen felt a cold shiver run down his spine. The "dimmed mana" that had gotten him exiled wasn't a defect—it was a biological immunity. The Holy Empire wasn't a land of holy grace; it was a giant feeding ground, and the Royal Family were the primary hosts.
[Critical Information Acquired: The Truth of the Holy Mana]
[Objective Updated: System Evolution]
The screen flickered, showing a schematic of Zen's own body. The system began to overlay the "Forbidden Tech" onto his current biological data.
"The reason your mana is 'dimmed' is because your body is designed for a different fuel source," the recorded voice continued. "You cannot use the parasite's light. You must use the 'True Essence' of the planet—the raw energy of the Abyss."
[Blueprint Unlocked: The Heart of the Abyss (Tier 2 Core)]
[Feature: Energy Conversion - Converts raw environmental mana into 'Pure Tech-Energy']
[Required: 1 High-Grade Mana Core, 20 Units Refined Copper, 1 Archive Data Chip]
"Zen, look!" Grim pointed to a corner of the room.
A hidden compartment slid open, revealing a specialized assembly kit and a pristine Data Chip etched with gold. This was the missing piece Zen needed to evolve his system from Tier 1 to Tier 2.
But as Zen reached for the chip, the room's alarm system suddenly wailed. A red light bathed the library.
[Warning: Unauthorized Access Detected by Empire Central Link]
[Status: Tracking Signal Sent to the Surface]
Zen's heart hammered against his ribs. By accessing this archive, he had tripped a "silent alarm" that had been dormant for three hundred years. Somewhere, miles above them in the golden palace, the High Priests and Crown Prince Hakon now knew that someone had entered the Forbidden Archive.
"They're coming, aren't they?" Grim asked, his hand tightening on his pickaxe.
"Not yet. It will take them time to navigate the Abyss," Zen said, his eyes turning cold and sharp. He grabbed the Data Chip and slammed it into his multi-wrench. "But they know I'm alive. The time for hiding is over."
[System Evolution Commencing...]
[New Skills Unlocked: Nanite Construction, Advanced Surveillance, Heavy Artillery]
Zen turned to his small crew. "Grim, we need to move the furnace. We're moving deeper into the lower levels. If they want to find me, they'll have to crawl through a fortress that science built and magic forgot."
As they began to pack the equipment, Zen took one last look at the holographic image of his "cursed" heart. He wasn't just an architect anymore. He was the cure for a sick world, and he was going to build a city that would tear the parasites from their thrones.
[Settlement Status: Relocating...]
[Current Level: 5]
[New Goal: Build the 'Sentinel Gate' to seal the Abyss.]