Chapter Two: Whispers of the Cold Core
The air within the passage opened by the Aetheric Resonator was cold and stagnant, carrying the scent of ancient dust and dormant metal. Tian Heng walked cautiously, the resonator in his hand pulsing with faint light to guide him. The tunnel wasn't long, and it soon opened up into a larger space.
It was a massive, circular hall, drenched in semi-darkness. The walls were polished with a strange black material that absorbed light, and there were no windows or any natural light sources. In the center of the hall stood a platform made from the same material, upon which what seemed to be a complex control panel or some kind of altar sat, glowing with thin lines of faint blue light, flickering intermittently. This was undoubtedly the heart of the "Origin Vault."
Tian Heng felt the cold of the place seep into his bones, but his mind was racing, analyzing and assessing. This place... it was ancient, powerful, yet barely functioning.
He approached the central platform. As he drew near, the blue lines flickered slightly brighter, and the Aetheric Resonator in his hand began to vibrate noticeably. He placed the resonator into a circular cavity in the center of the platform, one that seemed perfectly designed for it.
At the moment of contact, the entire hall flashed with ghostly blue light for a single second before returning to semi-darkness. But now, there was a floating screen of blue light hovering above the platform, displaying symbols and data in an ancient language Tian Heng didn't understand, yet the meaning flowed directly into his mind, just like before.
[Integration with the Core: Tian Heng (low affinity user). System Status: Energy at 3.7%. Emergency reserves active. Estimated remaining operational time: 17 minutes before full system shutdown. Active basic functions: Limited life support (air circulation), minimal lighting, basic environmental analysis. Critical requirement: Immediate input of raw aetheric energy.]
Seventeen minutes! Tian Heng gripped the edge of the platform, feeling its cold seep into his fingers. Full shutdown? What did that mean? Would the air stop? Would he be trapped here in this dark tomb? He didn't have time to panic.
"Aether," he muttered. He had heard the word before, but the new information flooding from the core gave him a basic understanding. Aether was the life energy, the fundamental force that permeated everything in Alloria, and it was the fuel the Vault ran on. And he, Tian Heng, could barely feel it—"Aether-sensitive," the lowest possible level. He had no idea how to "input" it into the core.
"How?" he asked aloud, almost staring at the light screen.
As if in response to his question, the data shifted. A simplified map of the area directly surrounding the core of the Vault appeared. A flashing point showed up, located within one of the side walls of the hall.
[Aetheric leak detected from a nearby natural vein. Level: Very low. Instructions: Use the Aetheric Resonator to direct the flow of aether towards the core's primary energy receptors.]
A natural aetheric vein? So, aether existed outside of the Vault, not just within it. Tian Heng dashed toward the indicated point on the wall, the Aetheric Resonator still in his hand after pulling it from the platform.
When he reached the indicated spot, he saw nothing but the smooth black wall. But when he focused, using the new sensitivity the resonator had granted him, he felt it. A faint tingling sensation, like a barely perceptible breeze, coming from behind the wall. This was the aether.
He raised the resonator and followed the instructions that appeared in his mind. He tried to focus his will, imagining pulling that faint sensation, that invisible current, and directing it toward the central platform where the "energy receptors" should be.
It was harder than he expected. His mind was scattered, and his body was tired and hungry. The sensation of the aether was so weak, as though he were trying to catch smoke with his fingers. Frustration began to rise, but the countdown flashing in his peripheral vision (12 minutes remaining) forced him to continue.
"Focus," he commanded himself firmly. "Nothing else matters now."
He closed his eyes, blocking out everything else—the cold, the hunger, the fear. The only thing in the universe was him, the resonator, and that tingling sensation. He began to breathe slowly and deeply, imagining the resonator as a beacon pulling light, and that light was the aether. Slowly, very slowly, he began to feel a response. The sensation was no longer just a tingle; it became a very faint flow, moving with a rhythm under his will and the resonator's guidance.
He directed it toward the central platform. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a faint blue light flickered from the base of the platform and stabilized. The number on the light screen in his mind shifted: Energy at 3.8%. Estimated time: 25 minutes.
It wasn't much, but it was something. He had succeeded. He had halted the countdown to certain death, even if just temporarily.
Tian Heng opened his eyes and suddenly felt exhaustion wash over him. He dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. He had passed his first test, but that success revealed to him the immense challenge ahead. He was far too weak, and the Vault was constantly hungry for energy. For this place to survive, and for him to survive, he would have to grow stronger. He would need to learn to harvest aether more efficiently and develop this Vault into something self-sustaining.
He sat there for a few moments in the cold silence of the hall, the faint hum of the barely stable core being the only sound. For the first time in his short, harsh life, he wasn't desperate. He was tired, hungry, and facing a task that seemed impossible, but he had something he hadn't had before: a purpose, and a tool to achieve it. He looked at the Aetheric Resonator in his hand, then at the faintly glowing central platform.
"Survive. Stabilize. Grow." He repeated the words in his mind.