Northline Sector was a dead zone.
Old industrial towers, half-melted from the Collapse.Concrete veins twisted with rust and silence.
Riven stood at the edge of the field, ARK's drone hovering over his shoulder.
"Signal's weak, but it's down there. Somewhere beneath Tower-6."
He checked the readings—field fluctuations, magnetic surges.Whatever was buried down there, it didn't want to be found.
Which made him want it even more.
The descent was rough.
Stairs turned to rubble.Then to ladders.Then to a crawl through metal that still smelled of fire.
Finally—he hit a sealed vault door. Bent inward. Blasted.
But beyond it? A room.
Circular.Smooth metal walls.
And in the center—a cube.
Floating. Humming.Covered in glowing hex runes that shimmered when he stepped closer.
ARK pinged him:
CAUTION: STRUCTURE IS NOT RECOGNIZED.UNKNOWN ALLOY. UNKNOWN LANGUAGE.PROBABLE AGE: PRE-CIVIL FRAME.
"Pre-civil? This thing's older than everything."
Riven reached out—
A shock hit his palm.
Vision blurred.
Then—images. Flashes.Blueprints in the air.Impossible machines.Structures that folded dimensions like paper.
He staggered back, gasping.
"What the hell was that?"
UNKNOWN. ARK said.BUT I SAVED EVERYTHING.
Riven took the cube.
Slid it into his pack.
And as he climbed out of that grave of a city, one thought burned:
"I'm not just rebuilding tech.I'm digging up a forgotten future."