The heat of the desert had begun to fade.
Inside the Desert Spire, the air was cooler now, filtered through system-modified vents that pulsed with faint blue light. Liam stood at the central chamber's edge, gazing out over the dunes through a fractured window. The sun was rising again, casting gold and crimson streaks across the horizon. Behind him, the system map hovered, flickering with new data.
Zone 15 was secure. For now.
He could feel the bond with Aisha settling into place... not gentle, not easy, but firm. She was loyal... and still dangerous.
> [System Update] Desert Spire: Fortified Beast Control Skill: Active New Command Unlocked: Summon Tamed Entities (Limit 2) Expansion Node Detected: Subterranean Vault – Access Locked
A vault. Liam frowned, reaching out to touch the flickering icon on the system map. The spire wasn't just a fortress. It was hiding something.
"That vault... you know what it is?" he asked.
Aisha stood behind him, arms crossed, wearing light desert leathers. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes... those strange, luminous purple eyes... gleamed with curiosity.
"I never opened it," she said. "The system denied me access. Said I lacked the bond authority. Looks like you don't."
Liam nodded. "Then we open it together."
She approached, close enough that her scent, sand and spice, filled his senses. "I told you before, Overlord... I don't bow. I stand beside you."
Their eyes locked, heat rising between them... not the desert's heat, but something else. Tension. Promise.
Before he could respond, the chamber door opened.
Rena entered, followed by Elyra and Kaelithra. All three carried weapons, freshly cleaned, eyes sharp.
"Perimeter's secure," Rena said. "Stormclaw patrols report no movement. Horde's pulling back for now."
Kaelithra eyed Aisha, then Liam. "So... we going to go in this vault, or are we just enjoying the view?"
Elyra smirked. "I vote we find out what secrets our new queen was hiding."
Aisha rolled her eyes but said nothing. Liam turned to the system interface and confirmed the directive.
> [System Command] Spire Vault Access: Granted Initiating Descent Protocol...
The floor beneath them shifted. A staircase spiraled downward, lit by system runes embedded in the stone. Without hesitation, Liam led the way, his wives flanking him, weapons ready.
---
The vault was deeper than expected.
Walls of metal and stone stretched around them, the air cool and dry. At the center of the chamber, a massive console flickered to life, surrounded by suspended cages... each empty now, but once used to hold something alive.
Aisha's voice was quiet. "This is where the system brought the first beasts. The ones I couldn't tame. They died here."
Liam approached the console, the system already flooding him with data.
> [System Alert] Data Cache Discovered – Fragmented Logs Origin: Pre-Collapse Warlord Directive Syncing...
Text filled his mind. Snippets of commands. Notes from someone before him. Another Overlord... or someone trying to be.
"These aren't from me," Liam murmured. "Someone else used this zone. Before."
Rena frowned. "You're saying there were others?"
Aisha nodded. "I told you. This system... it's not just yours. It's old. It finds new hosts when the old ones fall."
Kaelithra stepped closer, eyes narrowed. "Then whoever was here before... they failed."
Liam clenched his fists. "And I won't."
A soft sound echoed through the vault. Movement.
Naia appeared from the shadows, her expression tense. "We have a problem. The next zone's already active. And someone's in it. Not Horde. Not beasts. System users."
> [System Alert] Zone 16: Activated Foreign Overlord Signature Detected Conflict Trial: Pending Time to Convergence: 22 Hours
Liam's jaw tightened. Another Overlord. Another threat.
He turned to his wives. "We move at dusk. Full strength. I want to know who's challenging my claim."
Aisha smiled faintly. "Good. I'd hate for this bond to get boring."
Tension flared again... a challenge in her voice, mirrored in the glances between his wives. Kaelithra stepped closer to Liam, her hand brushing his arm.
"Don't forget," she murmured, "we still have unfinished business."
Elyra smirked. "We all do."
> [System Notice] Bond Synergy: Rising Loyalty Sync: 93% Recovery Mode Ending: 6 Hours Remaining
Liam stood taller.
Zone 16 waited. And so did his next challenge.
The Desert Spire no longer belonged to Aisha.
It was Liam's now.
The system's runes carved into the stone walls pulsed with low, golden light as Liam descended the central chamber stairs. The air was thick with heat and dust, and the echo of his boots against ancient metal rang through the narrow halls. Behind him, Kaelithra followed silently, her steps lighter, but her presence constant.
"You're tense," she said, eyes gleaming.
Liam nodded. "Something feels wrong. This spire... it's too quiet."
They reached the main control chamber... once a server room, now stripped and hollow. In its center, a raised dais hummed with power, glowing with system light. Aisha waited there, one hand resting on her hip, the other trailing a finger across the dais' control panel.
"Found something," she said without looking back. "A vault. Sealed. Buried beneath the spire's core. System locked."
Liam joined her, the system interface blooming before him.
> [System Update] Hidden Vault: Detected Status: Sealed / Locked Authorization Required: Overlord Bond Access (Minimum Sync 90%) Warning: Vault Contains Restricted Relics Option: Override Attempt
Kaelithra whistled low. "Vaults aren't standard. Before the collapse."
Aisha stepped closer to Liam, heat rolling off her skin. "Could be weapons. Or tech. Maybe something the system wants hidden. Either way... it's yours to open."
He focused, the system responding to his command. The spire rumbled.
> [Override Engaged] Vault Lock: Disengaging... Status: Open
A stone wall near the base of the chamber slid open, revealing a narrow passage. Liam entered first, torch in hand, the light revealing a chamber carved in precise angles...
metal walls, untouched by time. At its center stood a pedestal. Upon it... a sphere, black as obsidian, pulsing with faint, internal light.
> [System Alert] Relic Detected: Core Fragment Warning: Unknown Effects – Hazard Level High Relic Class: ??? Bond Requirement: Active Wives Present – Sync Boost Needed
Liam reached out... but stopped.
Kaelithra touched his arm. "It wants us all here. The bond. It's feeding off it."
Aisha stepped beside them, eyes narrowed. "Then summon them. Let's see what this relic does."
---
By nightfall, the chamber was full.
Elyra, Rena, Nysera, Naia, Vexa, Kaelith, Kaelithra, Ice Queen, Sarya, Sylvara,Kaelyn and Aisha... all gathered in a circle around the relic. Liam stood at the center, the bond's pull electric, the air thick with heat and tension.
Rena leaned in close. "You feel that? It's pulling us... together."
Liam nodded, sweat beading on his brow. "The bond's syncing."
> [System Update] Harem Sync: Peak Level Relic Compatibility: Confirmed Relic Effect: Territory Scan Unlocked / Zone Map Revealed New Zone Detected: Zone 16 – Skyhold Ruins Danger Rating: SSS+ Foreign Overlord Presence: Confirmed
The room pulsed with light. A map unfolded in Liam's mind... new, vast, dangerous.
Elyra stepped forward. "Skyhold's active? That's beyond known territory."
Nysera's eyes narrowed. "And someone's already there. Another Overlord."
Liam clenched his fists. "Then we move. Tomorrow."
Aisha smirked, stepping close, her hand on his chest. "And tonight?"
Kaelithra pressed in from the other side. "You owe us. We followed. We fought."
Elyra's lips brushed his ear. "You lead. But you're ours."
> [System Alert] Full Bond Activation: Confirmed Recovery Mode Extended Overlord Vitality: Restored 100% Next Raid: Delayed – 24 Hours
Liam let the tension fall.
Tonight, the Spire was his.
And tomorrow, Skyhold would follow.