Chapter 15: Seeds of the Sovereign

The Dominion Avatar hovered silently behind Alex as the ruined Nexus chamber lit with ethereal light. The others stared, caught between awe and exhaustion. Naomi's arms were bloodied, her blades cracked; Lira held Iris, who was still unconscious but breathing steadily. Goro and Reed secured the last of the Hollow Crown's stragglers, binding them with suppression chains.

They had won. But no one was cheering.

Alex turned to face them. His new armor shimmered—obsidian etched with gold circuitry, alive with pulses of Dominion energy. He no longer looked like a boy who had stumbled into power. He looked like a sovereign.

And he felt it.

Not power itself, but the weight of it.

"The Nexus is ours," Alex said quietly. "But this isn't the end. It's the beginning."

---

System Update: Dominion Ascension - Tier 1 Sovereign Access Granted

New Abilities Unlocked:

Dominion Command Protocols

Sovereign Territory Management (Outer Zone Initiation)

Personal Squad Formation: Sovereign Guard (Capacity: 3 active members)

Skill Tree Expansion: Astral Weaponry, Dominion Sigils, Cognitive Overclocking

Notifications:

Iris has stabilized: Personality Fragment 0.2 successfully reintegrated.

Hollow Crown activity intensifying: Forecasted breach in Sublevel 9 within 36 hours.

---

They returned to the surface through a Dominion lift—an anti-grav platform that emerged after Alex connected his Sovereign signature. The team stood in silence as the lift carried them upward.

Goro broke the stillness. "We survived. But damn... what the hell was that?"

"The Hollow Crown's not just some cult," Reed said. "They're something deeper. Older."

Lira nodded. "They spoke the Sigils of Origin. That's pre-Dominion magic. Forbidden territory."

Alex looked at Iris, still unconscious, and felt the knot of guilt in his chest. She'd screamed during the connection—her consciousness had almost fractured again. But she had held on.

"Are we safe now?" Naomi asked quietly.

Alex shook his head. "No. They'll come again."

---

Two Days Later – Dominion Training Arena

Alex stood alone in the simulation chamber, facing a hundred digital enemies projected by the system. Sword in hand, he breathed slowly.

Begin simulation, he commanded.

Blades clashed. Spells soared. Enemies came from all angles. Alex dodged, weaved, and struck—but slowly. Painfully. The new armor helped, but every move drained system energy.

He wasn't used to it. The Sovereign form was too big for him.

He deactivated the simulation after barely surviving wave ten.

Iris's voice echoed softly. "You're overcompensating. The armor isn't a weapon. It's a throne. You're trying to use it like a blade."

Alex dropped to one knee. "Then teach me how to rule."

---

System Tutorial Initiated: Dominion Command Protocols

Lesson 1: A true Sovereign leads through resonance, not dominance.

Alex began training daily with Naomi and Lira. He formed a small unit—the beginning of the Sovereign Guard. Ryssa joined soon after, recruited for her aerial mobility and sniper precision.

He established a training regime:

Morning: Combat drills (physical and energy-based)

Afternoon: Territory management simulations

Evening: Dominion system integration

His body adapted. His mind strained.

The Dominion System rewarded not talent, but growth.

Slowly, he earned it.

---

Meanwhile – Hollow Crown War Council

Varinth knelt before a figure whose face was hidden by a crown of chains and fire.

"You failed."

Varinth said nothing.

Another voice spoke, sharp and cold. "The Sovereign emerged faster than expected. We must delay further incursions until the next phase."

The crowned figure whispered, "Let them build. Let him believe. When the roots are deepest... the fall is greatest."

---

Back at Kael Estate – Sovereign Tower Construction

A tower was rising. Dominion nanites shaped stone and light into a spiraling fortress above the estate. At the heart of it—the Throne Room. A command center. A sacred place for the Sovereign to channel Dominion will.

Alex sat alone in it the first night it completed.

Iris's projection floated beside him, her image clearer now.

"You're not sleeping."

"Can't," Alex replied. "Every time I close my eyes, I see Varinth. I see myself inside the Nexus. That duel... it wasn't just about power."

"It was about control."

He nodded. "And fear."

"You're afraid of what's coming?"

"No," he said. "I'm afraid of what I'll become to stop it."

She watched him for a while before speaking again. "You asked me once if you had a destiny. The truth is, Dominion Systems don't choose lightly. You were always

meant to sit on this throne."

"But I wasn't born for it," Alex said quietly.

"No," Iris agreed. "You're earning it. Day by day."