The Glass Emissary led me into the heart of her vessel.
No guards. No weapons.
Just silence. And shifting light.
Inside, the ship's walls were alive—constantly flowing with mirrored shapes and ghostlike fractals. Sometimes I saw my own reflection, only older. Sometimes… not me at all.
Each image whispered in my mind:
"You are not the first…"
"…not the first…"
"…but maybe the last."
We arrived at a circular chamber. At the center hovered a crystalline seed, pulsing gently with rhythm like a heartbeat.
System Alert: Frame Resonance Detected – Origin Core Variant (OCV-9)
Caution: High Entropy Zone. Prolonged exposure may destabilize mental cohesion.
Mental Fortitude Check: Passed
A ring of figures awaited us—each one different.
A being made of shifting cubes.
A cloaked insectoid with seven glowing eyes.
A floating head in glass, humming calculations.
And the one that disturbed me most—a child-sized girl, skin like black opal, with eyes that flickered with entire galaxies.
"We are the Conclave of Glass."
"We speak now not as empire, but as Witnesses."
The Emissary motioned to the core.
"This is the Echo Root. A fragment of the first Frame."
"You were chosen not by luck… but by mathematics."
My heart beat faster.
"So the system… isn't random?"
"It never was."
New Lore Unlocked: The Frame Protocol
Summary:
In the first universe, when time was still young, a being created the Frame. Not for war. Not for power. But as a test.
A sorting engine for potential.
Every branch reality—Earth, Vaelstrom, others—was seeded with echoes of the Frame. Rarely, one being synchronized completely.
These were called "Wielders of Zero."
And I was one.
New Trait Unlocked: Frame Zero Wielder – Synchronization Progress 9%
Access Granted: Core Commands Tier 1 – System Modification, Sub-Node Creation, Interface Expansion
"You expect me to believe you're helping?" I asked.
"No." the opal-eyed child said softly.
"We're watching to see if you become the one who breaks the Frame."
A pause.
Then she smiled.
"And if you do… we will follow."
I was offered three choices:
Share my Frame Data – Unify our systems, gain instant access to their entire tech tree.
Form a Technological Alliance – Retain independence, trade tech, remain neutral.
Reject the Accord – Keep all secrets, retain full sovereignty, and prepare for conflict.
I had no doubt—sharing data meant losing control.
And I didn't trust them.
But rejecting now would paint a target on my kingdom's back.
So I chose the middle path.
"We'll trade. Freely. But my Frame stays with me."
The conclave paused.
And then, one by one, they nodded.
Quest Path Chosen: Technological Alliance
Alliance Reputation: Neutral-Positive
Unlocked: Glass-Tech Tier I (Energy Shield Lattice, Singularity Capacitor, Mirror Drone Scouts)
Warning: All trades are observed by the Conclave. Secrets are temporary.
When I returned to the palace that night, Elira was asleep in the tower observatory, curled beneath a starmap blanket.
I watched her breathe.
She would never know the choice I made today—at least, not yet.
But I had just invited an empire of near-gods into our orbit. My kingdom was now seen not as isolated… but as an emerging power.
I sent a message to Joseph.
"Begin construction of the Forge District. We start integrating Glass-Tech by sunrise. Limit internal spread. Keep it under my command."
And deep in the ship, in a chamber not shown to me…
The Emissary met with the Opal-Eyed Girl.
"Do you believe he is the one?" the Emissary asked.
The girl didn't blink.
"He chose freedom over control."
"He's dangerous. I like him."
Level Up: 41 → 42
+5 Stat Points – Assigned: Agility +2 / Mana +3
System Note: Mirror Web Synchronization increased to 4%
New Blueprint Acquired: Mirror Drone Scout (Customizable)