"Don’t fear, little one. I will not let you break." She muttered in a tone only she could hear.
"You who were created from my own genetic sequence. A perfect template refined to carry the ■■■ ■■■■■■. If this experiment succeeds, I will finally crack the code to go..."
Before she could complete her sentence, a commotion erupted. An alarm went off. Screens started turning crimson, and a holographic console activated on its own.
"W-What’s going on?" The researchers panicked.
Just then, a figure materialised. The image on the projection was a middle aged man with silver hair that looked strangely like liquid steel instead of natural grey. Their eyes glowed teal, and there were numerous glowing geometric markings on their body.
The figure looked extremely strange. However, the strangest part about them would be their embroidered robe fused with armoured plates. It gave off a futuristic and medieval atmosphere at the same time.
The man’s strangeness aside, he carried himself with an arrogant posture that demanded respect, and the researchers here bowed their heads towards him.
As for Reinhardt, he was surprised once again. If the first time was because of the woman who looked suspiciously like the Queen, then this time it was because of the man projected in the hologram.
That said, unlike the Queen, the man did not look familiar. In fact, Reinhardt could confidently say that he had never seen this man in his life before. Then why was he shocked?
It was because of the insignia the man had on his clothes. A symbol resembling a sun with seven intersecting blades.
That emblem... he knew it. It was the mark of Kael’Rhydon, the Old God of Radiant Dominion, the Sovereign of Light and Judgment.
A deity long worshipped by paladins and holy knights for his doctrines of purity and destruction. In fact, the old Reinhardt’s benediction was also related to that god, and he received many trials from the altar connected to him.
Suddenly seeing the symbol of one of the Seven Gods here, it was only natural for him to be surprised.
Once the man appeared in the projection, all the researchers instantly bowed their heads.
"Tsk, why are you contacting me at this critical juncture, Bishop Royce?" Minerva asked curtly. In terms of rank, they were both the same.
The man in the hologram, who was referred to as Bishop Royce, smirked. Superiority was oozing from his expression.
"From your foul mood, it looks like you haven’t made much progress in your research. Tell me, how is your project, the Synthesis Evolution, doing?"
"Hmph, are you looking down on me? My project has already entered the 72% harmonisation stage. The soul weave is possible." Minerva snorted, remaining unfazed.
"Yeah... Yeah, you and the other four keep insisting that your own research is the key. But none of you are able to achieve any success yet. Isn’t it time you all accept that my way is the only correct path to the goal we all share?"
"Your ’Cybernetic Ascension’?" Minerva scoffed. "No, thank you. I don’t have any interest in merging flesh with machines and codes."
"It’s a pity you still insist on such... organic methods." Royce chuckled. The next second, though, his face turned serious. "Anyways, the reason why I called you here is to let you know there has been a breach."
At those words, the chamber fell silent. All the researchers looked rattled and visibly sweating.
"The Federation has caught the scent of our research. A spy infiltrated the outer laboratories. The information has already reached their High Council."
Minerva’s eyes narrowed. However, the bad news didn’t stop coming.
"The Seven Gods are enraged. A punitive force is being assembled right now. It appears that the High Council has forsaken us. You’d better hurry up with your Synthesis Evolution project or face annihilation. Good luck."
With that, the projection flickered, and the console switched off.
The place had descended into silence, and observing them all from the corner was Reinhardt.
His brows were locked together as he slowly tried to piece all the information together. From what he could tell, the dream was set back in the ancient times, a period that was now known as the Era of the Gods.
A woman who looked like Minerva, the fetus, twin souls, the Seven Gods, Federation... there was a lot to take in at once. And most of all, all of this was somehow related to the Queen.
Reinhardt didn’t know why, but he had this realisation: he was only at the very beginning of the truth. There was more.
Just like he predicted, the memory around him melted the next second, and his ghost like body was hurled towards the next piece of truth.
This time, Reinhardt found himself standing ankle deep in soft soil. Huge trees pushed their roots through shattered stone, and vines swallowed collapsed towers. Everywhere he looked, he saw ruins that was overrun by wildlife.
That said, looking at the place around him, his eyes narrowed. This scene... he was quite familiar with it. Or rather, he had been in places that looked just like this a few times already during his expeditions.
Ancient civilisation reclaimed by wilderness. Quiet, lonely.
There was no doubt; this was a labyrinth that was created by the Arcanists during the height of development. To be more exact, this place was the...
"... Shelter..." Reinhardt murmured.
And as if to confirm it, a group of figures phased through him. Their apparel was quite familiar to him. Knights clad in armour, or you could say people from the current era. Their crests and the motif they had on their armour were unfamiliar to Reinhardt.
The order moved with discipline, forming tight formation lines as they navigated the overgrown ruins.
As this was a Shelter class Labyrinth, the type built by the Second Arcanists as defensive sanctuaries meant to preserve humanity when the demons nearly wiped them out, it was filled with dangers and protective mechanisms that triggered the moment they stepped in.