They descended into silence.
No hum of machinery. No flicker of interface. Just the dull, pressing weight of stone and the slow, measured sound of boots tapping against ancient steps.
Ren led, one palm raised. A small ember floated above it, shedding light with a warmth that felt more real than anything else in this forgotten place. His breathing had steadied, though every step made his pulse throb louder.
He could feel something now.
Not just presence—but depth.
This wasn't a dungeon.
This was a memory, carved into stone.
At the bottom, the staircase gave way to a chamber unlike any other they'd seen. It was massive—vaulted ceilings stretching so far above that even flame couldn't touch them. Carvings laced the walls in intricate spirals, depicting figures like giants, each holding flames, shadows, leaves, or storms in their hands.
"Seeders," Ilis whispered. "Or at least, the First."
Kael stepped to one wall, eyes narrowed. "No... not Seeders."
He pointed.
One of the carvings showed a figure with five heads, each turned to a different sky. Another held a cube filled with stars. Another wept black fire.
"These aren't just Seeders," he said. "These are the architects."
"The ones who built the Seed System," Meka finished.
Ren turned to the center of the chamber.
A pedestal stood alone.
No symbols. No lights. Just a perfect, seamless sphere resting atop it—like glass but layered with storms inside. As they neared, the system interface sparked back to life.
Architect Memory Node Detected
Verification in Progress…
Seeder ID: Verified
Veraseed Imprint: Ember Root
Permission Level: Provisional Tier-1
Do you wish to access the Root Archive?
Ren nodded.
Confirmed.
Initializing Memory Thread...
The sphere pulsed once—then light flared in all directions. Not like the warmth of his ember, or the harsh gleam of system interfaces. This was ancient. Organic. A mental echo that wrapped around them all.
They were no longer in the chamber.
They stood in a vision.
A forest that shimmered with energy, trees the size of cities, roots like rivers. And there, in the sky, floated a tower—no, five towers—linked by bridges of raw elemental current.
A voice, neither male nor female, echoed all around them.
"We created the Seeds to outlast us. To pass on fragments of what we learned—not as knowledge, but as growth. Each branch a mirror of one part of us."
They watched as great beings formed systems in the sky. Not by typing or building—but by pouring emotion, memory, self into crystalline cores.
The vision shifted.
"But every root must be grounded. Every Seed must pass through fire, darkness, silence... and choice."
They saw destruction.
Seeds corrupted. Users twisted. Systems bent to domination rather than evolution.
Then silence.
And finally, the voice again.
"If you've reached this, you are a successor. But you are not the only one. Five Towers were built. Five Trials remain. The hand must become whole again."
Ren gritted his teeth. "Trials?"
The memory shimmered.
A map appeared—five towers across a world, each marked with a different glyph.
"The Ember Tower tests Will.
The Verdant Tower tests Renewal.
The Veil Tower tests Truth.
The Storm Tower tests Choice.
The Hollow Tower tests Sacrifice."
Ilis whispered, "This was never about power."
Kael muttered, "It's about alignment. About becoming something worthy of what comes next."
Meka stared at the glyph marked Hollow Tower. Her lips tightened. "And if we fail?"
The vision answered.
"Then the world forgets. The seeds rot. And the next cycle waits… another thousand years."
The light faded.
They stood once again in the chamber. The sphere was cracked now, a thin line running through its center.
Its memory exhausted.
Ren stepped away slowly, thoughts racing.
"The towers are alive. Not just tests. They're like pieces of the original mind that made this system."
Ilis nodded. "And to grow… we have to reach them all."
"Five towers," Kael said. "And one already nearly collapsed."
Meka raised her head. "Then we don't have time."
Ren agreed. But still, something bothered him.
He opened the system.
Current Branch: Ember Root
Veraseed Sync: 94%
System Path: Awakened
Main Questline: TRIAL OF THE HAND – 1/5 COMPLETED
Next Objective: Reach the Verdant Tower
Ren stared at the words.
Something had been set in motion the moment he accepted the seed.
Now it was alive.
And it would keep growing, one trial at a time.