Chapter 13: The Veins of the Dominion
The morning following the activation of the first Dominion Ley Node was anything but calm. While the Kael estate remained shielded by the Sanctuary's growing influence, ripples of arcane energy had spread throughout the city. It wasn't just a pulse—it was a call. And those with the means to hear it began to move.
But Alex wasn't aware of that yet.
His focus remained within the foundation chamber, now dubbed The Arcane Vault. The vault had grown overnight, expanding with each completed task from the Dominion System.
[New Mission: The Veins of the Dominion - Phase Two]
Objective:
1. Locate and link three additional ley nodes.
2. Create a mana-conductive circuit between nodes.
3. Reactivate the Dominion Nexus Core (buried in unknown location).
Rewards:
Unlock Dominion Blueprints
Access Advanced Sovereign Class Tree
First Dominion Weapon: Embersteel Halberd
Warning:
Other Node Seekers Detected.
---
Alex met with the core team in the strategy room beneath the Kael estate. The Dominion cube projected a holographic topography of the surrounding regions, pulsing where ley nodes might lie dormant.
Naomi pinched her brow. "One in the sewers beneath Sector 11. Another... under the White Rose Academy? That's a nightmare."
"And the last?" Alex asked.
"Dead zone. Off-grid territory. Bandit-controlled."
He nodded slowly. "Then we split into three teams."
---
Team One: Sector 11 Sewers
Alex, Goro, and Iris descended into the city's forgotten underbelly. The stench of rot and mold clung to the walls, but what awaited them was worse: mutated beasts, once part of experiments to awaken synthetic mana circuits, now mindless guardians to the node.
Goro unleashed shockwaves that crumbled stone. Iris hacked the security remnants to reroute beasts away. Alex focused on protecting the node.
When he placed the Dominion Brand on the dormant node, a violent reaction rippled through the tunnel.
[Node 2 Stabilized] [Dominion Mana Circuit: 1/3 Active]
But they weren't alone. As they ascended the tunnel, they encountered another team—mercs wearing pale armor and carrying sigils not seen since the fall of the Dominion.
"Kael scum."
The leader, a rogue Sovereign Class wielder, engaged Alex directly. Their battle lit the dark with radiant flames and void pulses.
But Alex's newly evolved Dominion Brand overtook the intruder's corrupted flame, branding them with a mark of rejection.
[Unauthorized Sovereign Signature Neutralized]
---
Team Two: White Rose Academy
Lira and Naomi entered the Academy under aliases. White Rose was the elite school for psychic-wielders, dominated by the Council of Minds.
They were guided by clues from the Dominion cube, locating the node hidden beneath the central library, masked as a relic vault.
Naomi distracted the headmistress while Lira broke the protective glyph seal.
Unfortunately, the seal triggered a mental echo—a trap designed to pull the intruder into a memory loop.
Lira was trapped within an ancient Dominion war memory, reliving a siege she had never seen but somehow remembered. She fought her way through the illusion, drawing on half-formed techniques passed through Alex's link.
When she placed her hand on the node, it glowed blue instead of gold.
[Node 3 Stabilized — Psychic Variant] [Dominion Mana Circuit: 2/3 Active]
---
Team Three: Off-Grid Territory
Reed and a new ally, Ryssa—a gun-witch from the frontier—moved deep into the bandit-controlled dead zone.
The node here was buried beneath a fortress run by the Crimson Chain, a gang of augmented berserkers.
Reed negotiated their entry under false pretenses, using black market credentials. Ryssa planted sigils to slowly poison the node chamber's defenders.
They found the final node just before nightfall. Reed activated it, and the entire fortress shook.
[Node 4 Stabilized] [Dominion Mana Circuit: 3/3 Active] [Circuit Alignment Achieved]
---
Back at the Vault, Alex felt the surge.
[Mana Vein Circuit Complete — Synchronization Imminent]
The hologram above the Dominion cube shifted, revealing a hidden layer beneath the city's map.
A vault deep beneath the surface, marked as Dominion Nexus Core: Location Revealed.
Alex's breath caught.
They were close now.
But before they could move, Iris collapsed.
"Her consciousness is being pulled," Lira said, catching her.
Naomi stared at the Dominion Cube. "It's not pulling her... it's reclaiming her."
The cube projected a countdown.
[System Infiltration Detected — External Sovereign Protocol Engaged] [New Player Joined: The Hollow Crown]
Alex's mind reeled. The Dominion wasn't just a memory or legacy. It was still alive—in fragments. And someone else had access.
The race for control had officially begun.
But Alex didn't flinch. He looked to his team and said only one thing:
"We move at dawn."