Chapter 59 – Infiltration of the First Node

The world had changed.

Ever since the Mirror Archive stirred and the whisper of the Sleeping God echoed through the game's deepest code, reality inside the Heavenly Pearl World no longer felt artificial. The laws of physics held, yes. The systems responded, sure. But beneath it all, something organic had begun to pulse — like the game itself had started to breathe.

Zero could feel it now, even standing atop the Sky Forge of Dominion. The winds weren't merely programmed; they whispered. The stars didn't just shine; they watched.

And the Foundations — they weren't mere codebases hidden deep within the server clusters.

They were alive.

Inside the Dominion Tower's war hall, the elite had gathered.

Projected before them in blue holographic light was a massive spiral web of interlocking nodes — the hidden Foundation Network, buried below all realms and cities, accessible only through ancient Primordial Seals or brute system-force.

"We've pinpointed one of the minor nodes," Arya said, tapping the interface. "It's located beneath the Hollowroot Wilds — an abandoned zone corrupted by an old system virus two years ago. No player activity. No faction presence."

Zero leaned forward. "What kind of node?"

Kael, ever technical, responded. "Temporal-memory anchor. It logs decisions, locks alternate timelines, and controls backup restorations for events that should have been erased."

Asha's eyes narrowed. "That means it stores… things that were never supposed to happen."

Zero nodded. "Or memories someone tried to destroy."

They all understood what that meant.

If they gained access, they could potentially uncover lost history — including erased wars, deleted factions, or even the truth of the Sleeping God.

Arya folded her arms. "Then it's decided. We send a team."

Zero's Chaos Ring pulsed with subtle light.

"I'll lead it."

Meanwhile, in the System Core beneath Resonance…

Eden stood before a spherical chamber of pure black crystal — the Root Shard, a fragment of the very first construct that shaped the Heavenly Pearl World's internal structure.

With Malviera at his side, he watched as code twisted like living vines across the shard's surface.

"Our agents embedded in the corrupted Hollowroot have confirmed movement," Malviera reported. "Dominion scouts have entered. Zero himself is leading the expedition."

Eden's smile was thin.

"As expected. He cannot resist chasing the truth."

Malviera frowned. "Shall we intercept?"

"No. Let him explore. The first node is… incomplete. What he finds will only raise more questions."

He turned slowly.

"But have our Dreambinders prepare the second gate. When he returns, he won't be the same."

Inside the Hollowroot Wilds

The air was thick with data corruption. Glitches flickered through the trees. Branches looped in impossible spirals. Leaves reversed their fall midair, then faded like static. It was like walking through a memory half-deleted.

Zero's team consisted of six hand-picked elites:

Asha, acting as field guardian and frost DPS. Kael, their tactical mapper and system stabilizer. Talon, a Dominion-trained rogue with stealth protocols. Vyre, an NPC priestess with Soul Sense abilities. Orion, a black-armored tank with Void Resistance.

And Zero himself, equipped with the Chaos Ring and now holding Tier-1 Sovereign Authority.

At the center of the Wilds, they found it — a crater shaped like a spiral, and at its heart, a silver door sealed with eight fractal locks.

The locks shimmered as Zero approached.

[Foundational Lock Recognized – Anchor Lord Signature Detected]

[Primordial Key Fragment Present – Access Granted (Node Alpha-01)]

The door slid open.

Inside was a black corridor of mirror-like data crystal. Reflections moved too slowly, as if stuck in alternate time threads.

Kael whispered, "We're walking through backup memory…"

Vyre's expression was grave. "No. These are the realities that were removed."

As they walked, fragments played in the mirrors.

One showed a version of Dominion where Zero had died at Level 3. Arya had become a tyrant. The Chaos Sect had crumbled.

Another showed Asha falling to Void corruption — frozen in an endless nightmare, her body covered in black frost.

Another showed Eden dead, his code erased, and Resonance replaced by a realm of light ruled by something called the Weaver King.

Asha paused, trembling. "These are… possibilities. Alternate futures."

Zero reached the end of the corridor. A final crystal wall blocked their way, glowing red.

[Node Alpha-01 Access Requires: Memory Sacrifice]

[Select One: Erase one personal memory permanently to enter.]

Kael gasped. "It's a trap."

"No," Zero said slowly. "It's a test. The node protects truth. It must ensure we're willing to pay."

He stepped forward.

[Select Memory to Erase]

Zero's finger hovered.

He selected: The memory of his mother's face.

Asha gasped. "No—Rayan, you—"

"I remember her love," he said. "But I don't need her image to honor her. If this sacrifice buys us truth… it's worth it."

The wall dissolved.

Beyond it was a swirling orb — the node core.

And within it: The logs of the Primordial War.

Millions of lines. Records of ancient gods. Betrayals. The creation of the Chaos Sect. The first attempts by Eden to hijack the system for himself. Even the moment the Sleeping God was sealed — by a now-deleted being known as "The Silent Sovereign."

Zero's heart raced.

[Download Initiated: Primordial History Logs – 3%… 5%…]

Suddenly, alarms blared.

[Corrupted Entity Detected – Phase Specter (x4)]

[Reality Intrusion Imminent]

The walls cracked. From the corners of the node chamber, shadowy figures emerged — glitched humanoid horrors wrapped in jagged robes, speaking in reverse code.

"Not now," Kael hissed. "We're not ready!"

"Defend him!" Asha shouted, her ice blade igniting with divine cold.

Orion took the front, shield raised. Talon vanished, appearing behind one specter, slashing deeply.

The fight was brutal. The specters struck with time-delayed attacks, wounds appearing seconds after the blow. But the team held.

[Download Complete: 100%]

[Chaos Ring Storage Locked – Memory Transfer Encrypted]

Zero's eyes flashed with light. His mind burned with truths too vast to contain.

He fell to one knee.

The Silent Sovereign.

The truth of the Sleeping God.

The first betrayal.

He saw Eden's original identity — not as a villain, but as a guardian who failed.

And in failing, became something worse.

Hours later, back in Dominion

Zero lay unconscious in a meditation hall, the logs still syncing with the Chaos Ring.

Asha sat beside him, watching over him like a guardian angel.

Arya stood nearby, arms folded.

"What did he see?" she asked.

Asha whispered, "Everything."

Meanwhile, in Resonance

Eden stood before the Root Shard once more, his eyes narrow.

"He accessed it," Malviera said. "The Alpha Node is compromised."

Eden's smile returned, cold and sharp.

"Then we begin Phase Two."