The road to Velmark was no road at all.
Twisted roots clawed through the earth like the fingers of buried giants, and the trees leaned inward as if eavesdropping. Sunlight struggled to pierce the canopy overhead, filtering down in fractured shards. Aerin led with practiced steps, her shortblade drawn, while Leo walked behind her, the silence between them less awkward than it was anticipatory.
Something waited ahead. They both felt it.
> "Distance to Signal Source: 13.2 kilometers."
"Status: Dormant Sentinel Reactivation Signature Detected."
"Origin Correlation: High. Proceed with caution."
Leo scanned the horizon through the veil of shifting leaves. "It's strange," he murmured. "The system's not calling it corrupted. It's calling it... dormant."
Aerin glanced back at him. "Constructs like Sentinels weren't born. They were built—tied directly to ancient soul-tech. Some say they answered only to the Hollow Court. Others…" Her voice trailed off.
"Others say they answered to something older," Leo finished.
She gave a quiet nod.
The air thickened as they pressed deeper into the woods. Shadows moved just slightly too long. The trees began to bend into unnatural arches. Ahead, rising from the heart of a forgotten basin, lay Velmark.
Once a bastion of soul-engineering and system-infused architecture, the ruins now slept beneath a net of creeping moss and shattered crystal pylons. Buildings spiraled skyward, their broken spires curving like the ribs of some fallen beast.
Leo felt it before he saw it.
A pull.
As if his resonance was answering a question he hadn't asked.
> "Resonance Feedback Detected."
"Anchored Core has initiated Passive Sync with Local Node."
"Establishing link... please stand by."
The world shimmered—and a voice cracked the air like a thunderclap.
> "—Anchored Identity Confirmed."
"Sentinel #017: Kaldris Protocol Rebooting."
"Host Authority Required. Awaiting Contact."
From the base of a shattered obelisk, stone split and fell away. Dust spiraled upward as if reversing time itself. And then, the Sentinel emerged.
Nine feet tall, plated in age-worn soulmetal, its body bore runes that shimmered with slow golden pulses. Its face was a mask—no eyes, no mouth, only a flat surface etched with constellations that shifted like tide patterns. Across its chest, the symbol of a star surrounded by thorns glowed faintly.
Leo stepped forward.
"I'm Leo Draemis," he said, his voice steady. "Anchored at 100% resonance. I woke you."
A pause. The sentinel tilted its head—not in hostility, but as if recognizing a melody long-forgotten.
> "Acknowledged. Echo Signature: Verified."
"Designation Updated: Veil-Sleeper – Leo Draemis.
Rank: Anchor-Bearer."
"Kaldris, Bound Sentinel of the Twelfth Echo Vault, responds."
Aerin's mouth parted. "It... recognizes you."
"I don't even recognize me," Leo muttered.
> "Historical Access Permitted.
Partial data retrieval available.
Query: Shall I initiate Legacy Transfer?"
Leo blinked. "What does that mean?"
The Sentinel raised one palm. A golden glyph formed—a wheel of twelve spokes, spinning slowly.
> "Legacy Transfer: A memory-bond of your origin-faction's knowledge, encrypted through soul-recognition.
Warning: Accepting Legacy may reveal classified truths and overwrite current understanding of the Veil War."
Aerin looked at him sharply. "Leo, that's not a system reward. That's ancient knowledge. It could change everything."
Leo exhaled slowly. The sigil on his chest pulsed once in affirmation.
"I didn't come all this way to stop just before the truth."
He reached forward.
The glyph spun faster—shards of light breaking free. They spiraled around his wrist, forming runes that etched into his forearm like molten script.
> "Legacy Transfer Accepted."
"Partial Memory Unsealed: The Sundering of the Veil."
And then—
It hit him like lightning.
A vision: Leo standing atop a broken skybridge, hundreds of warriors beneath him bearing the same star-sigil across their armor. Above, a colossal rift in the sky tore open—revealing an ocean of eyes, a watching presence so vast it devoured light. He had shouted something. Issued a command. And then—
Nothing.
Darkness.
Silence.
---
He stumbled back, gasping.
Aerin caught his arm. "Leo—what did you see?"
"I... I was there," he said, breath shallow. "At the first rupture. I wasn't just a victim of this world. I was a soldier in the war that broke it."
The Sentinel lowered its arm. Its voice softened—somehow tinged with reverence.
> "You are not merely a product of this age.
You are one of its architects.
And the Veil remembers you."
---
> New Trait Unlocked: Architect's Insight – Passive
Effect: When interacting with ancient systems, gain enhanced access options and reduced soul corruption buildup.
Bonus: Unlocks hidden functions in Sentinel-class constructs.
> New Companion Access: Sentinel Kaldris – Rank A Support Construct
Skills: Shield Matrix, Echo Displacement, System Repair
Note: Functions only in Sync Radius of Anchor-Bearer.
---
As the vision faded and the glyphs cooled on his skin, Leo stood taller. The truth of his past had begun to unfurl, not as burden—but as blueprint.
He looked to Aerin. "We're not alone in this anymore."
She gave a tight smile. "No. And we're not forgotten, either."
High above, the sky throbbed with quiet power.
And somewhere far beyond the stars, something ancient blinked... and began to move.