Chapter 55: The March of Solmara

The foundry trembled beneath their feet as the sentinels awoke, their ancient frames groaning as pistons fired, gears clicked, and servos whirred. Sparks flared from their reinforced joints as decades of dust and rust were burned away, revealing the glowing runes of activation that pulsed across their armored bodies.

Elias stared, his breath slow and measured, watching as one by one, the once-dormant war machines stood upright, their eyes flickering from dull red to bright gold. The air thrummed with raw, untamed power.

Reinhardt let out a low whistle. "Well. This is either the best idea we've ever had or the absolute worst."

Lira gripped the hilt of her daggers, her stance tense. "You do have control over them, right?"

Kierian, standing before the central command console, studied the pulsing runes as he placed a steady hand against the glowing surface. The control matrix responded to his presence, recognizing the bloodline signature imprinted in his very being.

"They were designed to obey the Vanguard," he said, voice calm but heavy. "And I was one of them."

The lead sentinel, towering over them by at least ten feet, stepped forward, its movement slow but deliberate. Metal plating shifted seamlessly, joints flexing as it tested its long-forgotten body. The emblem of the Obsidian Vanguard gleamed across its chest.

Its head tilted slightly before it lowered onto one knee, the ground quaking beneath its weight.

"Awaiting orders," it intoned, voice deep and resonant, as if the fortress itself had spoken.

The remaining sentinels followed suit, each one kneeling before the gathered warriors of House Null.

Elias exhaled slowly, a mixture of awe and raw determination settling in his bones. "Then let's give them one."

Cecilia smirked. "Now this is what I signed up for."

Marco, still adjusting the final calibrations on his disruptor prototype, muttered, "Am I the only one who's worried this will make us an even bigger target?"

"We're already a target," Elias shot back. "Now we're just making sure they know exactly who they're dealing with."

Ivy, still watching the perimeter, finally spoke. "If we're doing this, we need to move now. I can feel it—something's out there. Watching."

Elias nodded, stepping closer to the lead sentinel, placing a gloved hand against the cold metal of its chest plate. The machine's runes flared, syncing with his gauntlet's interface as it accepted his command authority.

"Activate patrol mode," Elias ordered. "I want a perimeter around Solmara. Full scan for hostiles. Any movement within five hundred meters—alert me immediately."

"Command acknowledged," the sentinel rumbled.

The machines rose as one, their golden optics scanning the ruins. Then, without hesitation, they moved. Massive footsteps echoed through the halls, mechanical warriors marching toward the outer walls, their heavy bodies shifting with an eerie grace.

Reinhardt crossed his arms. "Okay, I take back what I said. This is definitely the best idea we've ever had."

Lira scoffed. "Unless they draw every enemy in a hundred-mile radius straight to us."

Elias didn't respond. His mind was already working through the next phase. The sentinels were a temporary deterrent, but he knew Aldric hadn't been lying—the Primordial Lords were coming.

They weren't just fighting against time anymore. They were fighting against inevitability.

Kierian watched the sentinels move into position, his expression unreadable. "You've just done something the Academy never dared to attempt. Solmara isn't just a relic anymore. It's a stronghold."

Elias turned to him, the gears in his mind already turning toward the next step.

"Then let's make it one that can't be broken."