After the last transport ship ascended into the sky, a silence filled with hope returned to the Solendel command center.
Karess walked over and clapped Zen on the shoulder, his eyes sparkling through the mask he wore. "Alright... finally time to build that new toy you thought up."
Zen turned to look at his best friend and smiled. "So impatient... You think just a few of us can finish that giant gate?"
Zaria walked up to stand beside them. "Karess is partly right... but not all the personnel went back," she explained. "There are about 30 skilled engineers and technicians who chose to stay here to help with our project. They're just as excited about this new technology as we are."
Zaria's words were true. Ever since Zen had proposed the 'Runic Gate' concept, he had sent an advance team to survey and begin laying the foundation. On the vast plain several kilometers from the command center, a massive construction site had now taken shape. The remaining personnel were working alongside Aegis Industries' construction robots to lay the foundation for a colossal metal structure, large enough for a medium-sized spacecraft to pass through entirely.
In the main command center, Team Solendel was brainstorming intensely.
"The main structural design is complete," Karess said as his hands skillfully molded a holographic model of the gate. "But the problem is the power source... We'll need a massive amount of Resonexium Dust to create a core stable enough to open a dimension that far."
"I've already asked the Aegis exploration team to search for new ore deposits," Zaria replied through the thought-waves connected by Sora. "But in the meantime..."
Before she could finish, the soft yet powerful voice of Sora came from the main communication system. "What about me? You can use me as the power source. The energy I can generate is enough to power this planet for several million years."
Everyone in the room was stunned into silence for a moment, before Dr. Aris's eyes widened. "Of course! The energy released during the Genesis Event... it was enough to awaken the powers of nearly 200 people!"
The worry about a power source vanished instantly... they had completely overlooked the greatest power source that had been with them all along.
With that settled, their collaboration proceeded smoothly... Zen provided the vision and understanding of the runes, Zaria translated it into the equations of physics, Karess turned everything into a tangible engineering blueprint, and Sora... she became the crucial heart that helped analyze every design, calculate the energy transfer, and even assist in creating the most complex and minute nano-components to lighten Karess's load... The creation of the greatest structure in history had begun.
On Planet Aerysia, the capital megalopolis...
The transport ships from Aegis Industries had safely returned the first group of "ambassadors" to their home world. The atmosphere of being reunited with their families was filled with tears of joy.
And in just a few days, a skyscraper in the heart of the city, an asset of Aegis Industries, was completely transformed. A massive holographic sign appeared at its peak... "SOLENDEL CORPORATION."
The first wave of the advertising campaign had begun throughout the metropolis. It wasn't an ad that boasted of supernatural powers, but one that was simple and relatable...
An image of a university student using the Sora System to summarize a complex textbook into an easy-to-understand diagram... An image of a chef using Sora to analyze and propose new recipes from the ingredients before him... An image of a traveler using Sora to translate the language of an alien tourist in real-time...
Every ad ended with the same line: "Sora System: Your Second Soul. Your thought partner... in every moment of your life."
The public response was overwhelming. People were intrigued by a technology that would make their lives more convenient, and Solendel's service centers were flooded with those wanting to "upgrade" their lives.
But one night, in a small bar in the city's entertainment district...
"So you came back, and with that high-tech toy on your head, huh, Marcus," one of Marcus's old friends taunted, his voice thick with jealousy. (Marcus was the Solendel employee who had previously tested at Power Rank: G). "Heard the pay is good... guess you've forgotten all about your old friends."
"It's not like that," Marcus tried to explain. "This thing... it's the future... It's better than you guys think."
"The future? Or a toy for the rich to control people like us!" The argument started to heat up.
Anger began to smolder in Marcus's heart. He didn't want to hurt anyone; he just wanted his friend to stop insulting the one thing he had come to believe in...
"You don't understand!" he stood up, shouting back as he raised a hand to point accusingly at his friend.
In that split second... fueled by a surge of pure emotion... the power he could never quite control answered his will...
FWOOOSH!!!
A gout of brilliant orange flame erupted from his palm! It wasn't just a threatening spark, but a small, powerful fireball! It shot past his friend's face by a hair's breadth and slammed directly into the wooden table behind him!
CRACK! BOOM!
The entire table burst into flames in an instant!
Screams of terror ripped through the bar... everyone turned to stare at Marcus as one... In their eyes, there was no awe... only...
...stark, naked fear.
Marcus stood frozen, his body rigid. He stared at his own palm, from which wisps of smoke still curled... then at the inferno that was once a table...
"I... I didn't mean to..."
He whispered the words... but no one heard him... because right now... every eye that fell upon him...
...saw only a 'demon' who could wield fire.