He emerged from the depths of the conduit, his form flickering with residual static. The air above ground felt strangely lighter, though the mist still clung to the edges of the landscape like old breath.
The system returned fully, this time with a sharper, more clinical tone:
System Stability: Regained
Integration Level: 87%
Recommendation: Pursue Remaining Energy Nodes
He summoned the stone map. Three glowing nodes pulsed gently in the overlay. He chose the western point—the closest.
For the first time, he was not reacting. He was choosing.
---
The terrain shifted. Jagged black rocks emerged from the ground like broken teeth. A faint, metallic scent floated in the air. Wisps of smoke drifted between cracks, and every few steps, he felt small zaps through his form.
Static.
He reached out. The charge was there, suspended—untouched, waiting.
He absorbed it in pulses.
Static Energy Absorbed: +8 QP
Electricity in this place wasn't hostile—it was latent, stored like forgotten breath. He continued forward.
---
Half-buried in basalt, an arch of carved stone jutted out from the ground—faintly glowing, circular, and engraved with symbols of spirals and pulses.
The system identified it:
Structure Type: Pulse Gate
Status: Dormant
Activation Requirement: Tri-Energy Input
He stepped closer. On the stone floor, three slots carved in concentric order:
(Electric)
(Thermal)
(Kinetic)
A puzzle, not a lock.
---
He surveyed the environment, then his internal reserves. He began the process:
Thermal Input:
He drew heat from the crystal trap and funneled it through a heat stone, sparking a small thermal current.
Kinetic Input:
He found a loose stone slab on a slope, rolled it down a curved ramp, letting gravity do the work. A tremor beneath his feet confirmed kinetic registration.
Electrical Input:
He discharged the static energy he had gathered into a focusing point, creating a brief arc that lit the air blue.
Each energy flowed to its respective input… but nothing happened.
He tried again. Still nothing.
The system offered:
> "Synchronization window exceeded. Energy inputs desynchronized."
Frustration rose. Then—realization. He needed to control flow manually.
He extended Micro-Motion Threads, linking the three conduits. Now he could sense the delay, the slowness, the premature surge.
He adjusted. Aligned. Released.
All three streams surged together.
---
The arch lit up. Lines of pale energy shot around the ring, forming a halo of shimmering light.
A gate opened. Not a teleportation hole, but an entrance—like a membrane stretching between realms.
The system confirmed:
Sub-Environment Accessed: Temporal Storage Layer
Potential Energy Reservoir Detected
Inside the gate: a quiet landscape, crystalline, slow-moving, like time had softened.
He stepped inside.
---
It wasn't just a passage. It could be… base.
He placed the crystal trap. Drove a thermal rod into the ground to harness ambient warmth. Stored excess energy in an external node.
Anchor Point Established
Energy Buffer Created: 100 QP Max
Quick Return Option: Enabled
He stood beneath the arch. Light pulsed slowly around him.
His eyes—if he had them—would have narrowed.
> "The more I understand this world… the more it feels like I was meant to be here."
The pulse responded. Once. Soft. Inviting.
---