The Descent to the Core
The journey down started in silence.
Kael and Alyss stood on a round platform of black stone veined with gold. A quiet hum sounded as old glowing symbols lit up the edges, and the floor slowly sank. Crystal columns dropped past them like a descending elevator, but there were no machines—just magic geometry moving massive stone.
Alyss stood silently next to Kael, her hands clasped behind her back. She didn't need to ask where they were going. She recognized the design: this was the path to the heart of Elysion Prime.
The deeper they went, the thicker the magical energy, or mana, became. Kael felt it under his skin, pulsing with his own heartbeat. This wasn't just a control room. This was the Sovereign Nexus Chamber.
The platform stopped in a huge circular room. Dark stone, polished metal, and floating crystal screens waited in sleep mode. In the center was a single black stone stand—the Imperial Nexus Dais, the city's command brain.
Kael walked toward it. In the game, this area was just for looks. Now, it felt like the center of something truly alive.
Alyss walked right beside him, her steps perfect and her breathing controlled. Her eyes quickly darted to the stand.
"…My Lord." Her tone was careful, almost worshipful.
Kael lifted his hand and placed his palm on the surface of the dais.
The reaction was instant.
Rings of symbols flared around them, rotating slowly like a solar system made of bright, hot light. Gold energy climbed Kael's arm, his armor drinking the power like a thirsty vessel.
Kael took a sharp breath. This place knew him. He had main control. Not as a player, but as the sovereign.
Alyss drew a quiet breath. "…this is real." It was a whisper of fear she hadn't meant to let out.
Kael ignored her comment. He stared up at the spinning runic rings. If this was real, he should be able to see his own status. Everyone on this world, Ethernia, could see their status when they woke up.
He said the phrase aloud: "Status Window."
A sharp, mechanical chime answered him immediately. A panel of light—solid and three-dimensional, the color of hot gold—formed in front of him. Words burned onto the surface in cold, precise script.
[STATUS — KAEL DRAVEN]
Race: Ascended Human
Level: 1000
Class: Sovereign Lord
Titles: Crown of Valefar, High Sovereign of Elysion Prime, System-Blessed
Key Traits:
Absolute Dominion (Your rule is law in your territory)
Imperial Soul Anchor (You cannot be killed while your Empire stands)
Reality Stabilization Core (Your will can change local magic fields)
Kael stared. Some lines were not in the game. "Reality Stabilization Core,""Imperial Soul Anchor." These were not just game bonuses. They were deep, physical truths about his new existence.
Alyss watched him quietly. "May I ask to see my own status, my Lord?" she asked, formal and still uncertain if she was truly allowed.
Kael took a breath. "Yes. You may."
Her golden eyes blinked once, and she spoke the trigger clearly: "Status Window."
The air rippled. A second gold system-panel formed in front of her. Her face did not change, but Kael saw a tiny widening in her eyes as she saw herself as real data, not a fake character.
[STATUS — ALYSS VENERA]
Title: The Silent Thorn
Position: Head Maid of Valefar Imperium
Race: Half-Elf
Level: 500
Class: Royal Adjutant
Background:
Former master assassin known as "The Crimson Veil."
Spared by Kael Draven and bound to his Court.
Signature Skills:
Shadow Servitude (Command Royal Maids through magic)
Crimson Mirage (Create after-images for attacks)
Blood Contract (Control or kill targets via blood drop)
Alyss gasped—only for one heartbeat—then her calm returned.
"…I truly exist," she whispered. It was the first time Kael had heard such raw emotion from her.
He turned from the windows. "This world made us real." He stepped back to the Imperial Dais.
"Alyss," he commanded, "project Empire Interface."
She nodded and placed her hand next to his on the dais.
The Sovereign Nexus fully woke up. Gold symbols locked into place, rotating precisely. A complete system interface—not just personal status—but the Empire System bloomed in the air.
[SOVEREIGN NEXUS — IMPERIAL OVERVIEW]
Empire Name: Valefar Imperium
Population: 500,000 (Sleeping)
Awakened Population: 2
Imperial Authority Rating: 0.7%
Total Territory Nodes Controlled: 1 (Capital Only)
Empire Functions: ALL LOCKED (Army, Generals, Expansion, Resources)
REASON: Empire Exists In Isolation]
Kael's eyes narrowed. Isolation.
The Nexus continued, cold and exact:
[UNLOCK CONDITION:
At least 1 External Territory Node must be claimed.
A Village / Town / City outside Elysion Prime must submit, kneel, or fall.
Upon claiming first Territory Node:
General Awakening becomes possible (1 General)
Army Awakening becomes possible (1,000 Troops Unit)]
Alyss read it silently. Then she spoke a dangerous sentence, but with perfect control. "…So the Imperium cannot breathe until it conquers."
Kael looked at her, his voice low. "That is the price."
The system flared again:
[TERRITORY OBJECTIVE SET]
Nearest viable settlement: unknown
World Map: Undiscovered
First priority: SCOUT REGION
Second priority: CLAIM TARGET ]
Kael asked, "Can you generate a partial world render?"
"Sovereign," the Nexus replied instantly, "no map data exists."
Kael understood. New world. Blank map. Zero information. He had to send scouts. He had to walk unknown land. He had to conquer before he could wake his own army.
His voice was like iron. "Then we start with reconnaissance. We learn who lives beyond the dome."
Alyss bowed. "As you command."
Kael turned toward the rising platform. "Alyss. We need to scout. The regular servant maids won't be enough. We need blades. We need stealth. We need speed."
Alyss's eyes sharpened. "…Those requirements can only be met by the Royal Maid Elite or the Generals."
Kael looked back at the locked Empire Overview. All sleeping. And the world was moving outside.
He breathed once, steadying himself. "We don't wake them yet. We will find the nearest settlement ourselves first."
Alyss nodded, accepting the logic. "Yes, my Lord."
They stepped onto the platform. It rose, carrying them back toward the living city above.
As they went up, Kael looked down at the Sovereign Nexus Chamber. It was a heart waiting for blood. This reality demanded tribute. Elysion Prime was not enough.
Kael would need land. People. Loyalty. Control.
His voice was quiet, but the mountain seemed to shake as if the world itself heard him: "We build an empire here." He lifted his hand. A faint golden light wrapped around his fingers. "And then—we wake the monsters who built it."
The platform returned to the Throne Hall.
This sets the stage for Kael and Alyss to take on their first mission together, combining Kael's authority with Alyss's combat skills