Far beneath the Great Reception Hall, in the silent, damp vaults of the Inner Archive, the air smelled of ancient sulfur and ozone. Hundreds of bronze-bound tax ledgers were stacked upon the stone shelves; but at the center of the chamber stood the True Core—a trembling black obsidian monolith engraved with glowing red and silver rune circuits.
This was the underground node of the imperial network; the central junction governing every guardian, gate mechanism, and authentication sequence throughout Elyaran.
Tair leaned heavily upon his wooden staff, his right support brace locked against the cold stones. His unresponsive right arm hung helplessly beneath his wool tunic, while his single left eye, covered in thick red veins from severe neural strain, remained fixed upon the obsidian surface.
Core System: ASTRA
CORE SYSTEM DETECTED: Astra-Weave Node
SECURITY LEVEL: High-ruler bloodline required
NEURAL COST: 35%