The moment the engines of Sector Zero engaged the Rift coordinates, space itself began to warp. Not bend, not curve—but ripple—like fabric trembling under invisible winds. It was unlike any jump they'd experienced before.
Lan gripped the console, sweat forming on her brow despite the chill. "The laws of physics are… fluctuating."
Nam stood firm, eyes locked on the evolving star map. "This isn't just a different part of the galaxy. It's a different state of reality."
As the ship breached the first layer of the Rift, a sudden silence fell. Not a lack of sound—but a silence that seemed to devour thoughts, emotions, time.
Then light exploded.
Not white, not colored—but multidimensional. Symbols spiraled in every direction, forming fleeting shapes that imprinted themselves into their minds. Lan gasped as one glyph hovered in front of her—a shape that felt like it had always been waiting for her to see it.
And then… darkness.
Sector Zero re-emerged into what looked like space—but different. The stars here pulsed, alive. The void felt denser, almost aware. And directly in front of them: a colossal construct, floating silently in orbit around a black dwarf star. It resembled a temple—if a temple had been built by logic, music, and mathematics instead of stone.
Lan stared in awe. "Is it… abandoned?"
"No," Nam said. "It's listening."
The construct responded. A transmission in perfect silence—flashing images, emotions, pieces of memory. Not words, but meaning. It was a trial, a key, a challenge.
To proceed, they had to be understood.
Lan touched the new interface that had formed mid-air. As she interacted with it, a glowing sphere emerged, scanning her. Her memories, fears, triumphs—all poured into it. It didn't judge. It simply… accepted.
Then it turned to Nam.
But instead of scanning, it unfolded into a mirror. And within that mirror, Nam didn't see his reflection—he saw his choices. Every betrayal, every alliance, every lie, every truth. The moments he chose silence. The times he acted. The paths he refused to walk.
And one image lingered longer than the rest: G-Delta 7, pulsing in rhythm with his heart.
"I understand now," Nam whispered. "It was never just a signal. It was a seed. We were the soil."
The construct pulsed in approval.
Then the first door opened.
Not physically, but perceptually. Suddenly, they saw it—the pathway between realms. A bridge made of dark matter and light memory. A gate to the True System—the origin point of the Reclaimer Protocol.
Behind them, Sector Zero's power surged. The ship had bonded with the Rift. There was no going back.
Lan looked at Nam, eyes wide. "Are we ready?"
Nam's voice was steady. "No. But it doesn't matter. We have to go."
Together, they stepped forward.
And the universe opened its second eye.