Location: Subterranean Chamber Beneath Kilimani
The Sentinel slowly rose from the sarcophagus, its body releasing bursts of static energy as ancient mechanisms reawakened. The monolith behind it responded in kind, pulsing rhythmically with each motion, casting ripples of light across the cavern walls.
Nora instinctively moved closer to Damien, her fingers brushing against the pistol holstered at her hip. But she didn't draw it—not yet. The air was tense, charged with something more ancient than fear.
The Sentinel's voice, neither masculine nor feminine, echoed from within its obsidian frame.
"Your bloodline summoned me. Your will has unlocked the seal. What is your command?"
Damien didn't flinch. "I don't even know what you are."
"I am Dominion's Final Guard. Programmed for protection… and judgment. I answer only to the heir."
"I'm no heir," Damien said sharply. "I'm just a man who's trying to stop a war."
The Sentinel tilted its head. "You were born of the union between two bloodlines—Dominion and the Forgotten Flame. You are not just a man. You are the keystone."
Nora's breath hitched. "Damien, it knows about your parents. It knows about mine."
The machine turned its gaze to her, analyzing. "You carry the Mark of Sothira. The Healer's Seal. You are the protector of balance."
Damien's jaw clenched. "Enough riddles. What's coming? Why are you awake now?"
The Sentinel raised its arm and pointed toward the ceiling. "A convergence is near. The enemies of your blood gather at the corners of this world. One seeks resurrection. Another seeks control. The last… seeks to burn it all to ash."
Suddenly, the ground rumbled again.
Peter's voice came through the radio, panic evident. "We've got incoming. Two choppers and heat signatures—military-grade. They found you!"
Nora looked to Damien. "We need to leave."
But the Sentinel stepped forward. "Then I will escort the heir."
Before they could speak further, the monolith began to collapse inward, revealing a tunnel behind it—lined with glowing veins of energy.
Damien didn't wait. He grabbed Nora's hand. "We'll figure out what this thing is later. Right now, we run."
The three—man, woman, and machine—vanished into the tunnel just as explosions rocked the chamber behind them.
But as they ran, Damien knew one truth burned brighter than the rest:
They had awakened something older than empires.
And now, the world would never be the same.