Having passed the Test of Subjective Weight, the Hanging Archives of Thoth opened. The floating data tablets arranged themselves into a holographic display, showing the Atlanteans' secret history of the Convergence.
Elara and Lira absorbed the data while Thorne and Sira stood guard.
The Fourth Easter Egg (The Void Serpent): The archives confirmed the Dragon-God's existence as a physical entity, referred to as The Void Serpent. The Serpent's body had been banished to the outermost Realm 9 (The Deep Void), but its consciousness was fractured and sealed across the Aetherforge's Nine Realms—with the greatest part anchored in the Abyss (Realm 3).
Elara found a terrifying entry: "The Serpent's greatest fear is the Orbital Alignment Proof. If the Nine Realms align perfectly, the Cage becomes a Singularity Engine, pulling the Serpent's physical form from the Deep Void into the heart of the Aetherforge."
"The Helix's endgame isn't just to keep the Serpent caged; it's to align the Realms," Elara realized, clutching the data. "They want to use the Aetherforge as a weapon—a way to permanently unmake the Serpent's physical form."
Then, Lira found a recent entry log—a covert communication from the Helix.
"Elara, look at this. A plot to destabilize a crucial layer," Lira pointed to a flickering script. "A special operation is being launched in Realm 6: The String Layer. They're sending a team of Architect Enforcers to destroy the String Core."
"Realm 6: The String Layer," Atlas confirmed. "Governed by Topology and Dimensional Splicing. The String Core is the primary mathematical node for inter-realm travel, maintaining the structural integrity of the Aetherforge's orbital alignment."
Elara's mind raced: "If the Helix destroys the String Core, they don't break the Aetherforge; they freeze its alignment. They are making Realm 6 a predictable point in the orbital map, ensuring the realms can be forcibly aligned into a weapon."
The goal was clear: they had to reach Realm 6 and protect the String Core. But first, Orrin needed his stable gravitational field.
"Orrin, the archives are clear. We have enough Gravitas Proofs here for your stable environment. Run the Temporal Splicing Proof now. I need your true body coordinates."
"Affirmative, Reckoner. Initiating proof now. This will generate a massive gravitational variance spike as my dimensional signature is fixed," Orrin warned.
"Do it," Elara ordered. "We need the coordinates, and we need to jump immediately. I'll use the Gravimetric Phase Shift to mask the spike."