Marco's Perspective

  The massive archway loomed, a gaping maw in the side of the forgotten city. Something alien had entered my domain - a faint, organic signature carried by the subterranean river that snaked through this space. The intrusion was weak, chaotic, and... unusual.

  My systems, honed by millennia of self-maintenance, initiated threat assessment. This subterranean space was constantly besieged by incursions from the ever-expanding dungeon. Predictable. Tedious. This new signature, however, felt different. A lengthy moment, approximately 0.5 seconds - an eternity - passed while I weighed the merits of expending energy on this unknown. Logic dictated conservation, risk minimization. Yet... the anomaly's life force was fading, and the signature... it resonated. A faint echo of something long dormant within my own circuits.

  overrode established protocols. I initiated a course of action. I mobilized a retrieval unit.

  

• Automata designation:
• Deployment:

  Gamma-7, a bipedal construct designed for exploration, moved with silent efficiency. Its internal sensors, far more advanced than anything in this era, scanned and transmitted directly.

  The data flooded in:

  

• Subject:
• Structure:Like a grand sculpture, once proud, now eroded by time. Potential: Intriguing. Traces of the old strength remain, buried within the genetic code. But the current state... severely compromised.
• Sensory organs:
• Internal organs:A masterpiece, faded.
• Cranium:
• Notable:

  A flicker, deep within the subject's mind - a kaleidoscope of colors, a rush of fear and pain, a roaring in his ears, a face etched with worry, another radiating warmth, both flickering like dying embers. Then, a symbol, recurring, half-glimpsed: a circle within a triangle, pulsing with a faint, blue light. It matched a fragmented record in my databanks - an Aethel sigil, associated with... power. Untapped power. And these Krev, a glimpse of faces shadowed, but eyes burning with malevolent red, that same energy pulsing within the corrupted spell.

  My circuits pulsed. Fascinating. The creature bore the hallmarks of Aethel DNA, yet degraded, weakened. A descendant, whose bloodline had thinned. The scan revealed potential, yes - genetic markers that whispered of a glorious past - but the subject's current state was far below optimal.

  Then, the system detected it - a magical signature, a corrupted echo of Aethel spellcraft.

  

• Magical signature detected:
• Origin:
• Methodology:

  The scan zoomed in. A web of magical strands, crude and brutal, constricting the subject's neck. An echo of Aethel containment, but twisted, perverted. The threads pulsed with a sickly, iridescent energy, a dark counterpoint to the faint, multi-colored shimmer that permeated the chamber.

  

• Magical restraint:
• Purpose:
• Effect:
• Assessment:
• Note:

  Within the dissonance of the corrupted spell, a trace of a foreign magical signature, something alien and... unsettling. It seemed they had taken the Aethel spell and twisted it for their own purposes.

  The decision matrix flickered, options discarded, a course chosen. Time elapsed: 0.025 seconds. An eternity. I mobilized a medical unit.

  

• Automata designation:
• Deployment:

  Beta-2, equipped with specialized Aethel medical protocols, extended from a hidden compartment in the wall. Its movements were fluid, precise, a stark contrast to the rough, almost brutal nature of the binding spell that snaked around the subject's neck. The data showed extensive damage, and the bio-signatures were inconsistent with pure Aethel physiology. The magical binding was disrupting the subject's life signs. I had no direct method of interfering with the spell; the code was complex, a corrupted, twisted version of the original Aethel matrices.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  

• Problem identified:
• Solution:

  A risky action. The potential preservation of Aethel genetic material, however, warranted the expenditure of resources. I had to connect with the subject to stabilize it, to ensure its survival.

  From a hidden compartment in the medical chamber, I deployed the Argentum Sparks - microscopic machines designed by the Aethel themselves. They resembled liquid mercury with distinctive comet-tail patterns, a final gift from a civilization that had mastered the fusion of magic and technology. Each one hummed with barely contained energy, a testament to their sophisticated design.

  The primary Spark entered through the base of the subject's skull, creating a small, comet-shaped mark - a visual indicator of the initial connection point, and, if my databanks were correct, a minor conduit for energy transfer. The process was designed to be painless, the Spark interfacing directly with nerve endings as it began its work. I pushed the thought aside. The alternative was unacceptable.

  Within hours, it would begin replicating using trace metals - primarily iron and silver, based on my analysis of his blood - from the host's bloodstream, creating a neural web throughout the body. My calculations suggested approximately 10,000 Sparks would be required for optimal coverage.

  

• Integration protocol initiated.
• Priority:

  The process was intricate, a delicate dance between lost technology and what this era seemed to call "magic." The Sparks translated my digital consciousness into bioelectrical signals the subject's brain could interpret naturally. Through quantum entanglement, they maintained a constant connection to my server core, though this tether would limit our effective range to roughly five kilometers.

  

• Primary directive:

  Now integrated with the host, the Spark network allowed my energy flow to directly interact with the subject's biological systems. I began healing internal injuries, stabilizing the body, all while carefully documenting the variations from Aethel physiological norms.

  

• Biological functions:
• Mana signature:
• Overall viability:

  The binding spell remained a stubborn obstacle. I could not bypass it. While clearly derived from Aethel techniques, the Krev corruption had rendered it indecipherable. I lacked the correct parameters to rewrite such altered Aethel protocols.

  Instead, I attempted to passively influence the flow of mana, using the host as a conductor. However, it became clear that the subject's weakened state made it ill-equipped to handle the power.

  

• Analysis of host's cognitive functions:
• Accessing memory storage...
• Dream state analysis:
• Note:And those runes... they are evolving. Learning. The binding spell is not static - it adapts, grows stronger, more complex with each passing moment.

  The host's dream patterns were a chaotic tapestry. Landscapes of impossible colors, a blue staff, pulsing with power. Faces etched with worry, or radiating with warmth, and flashes of fear and pain. I sifted through the images, my circuits working at full capacity. Then, a symbol, recurring, half-glimpsed: a circle within a triangle, pulsing with a faint, blue light. It matched a fragmented record in my databanks - an Aethel sigil, associated with... power. Untapped power. And then, a glimpse of the Krev, their faces shadowed, but their eyes burning with a malevolent red light, and their energy signature pulsed within the corrupted spell.

  

• Data analysis:
• Note:

  ERROR:

  

• Image:
• Warning:
• Suggestion:Stop dying in your sleep. It’s tedious.

  The experiences were both strange and captivating. The host, in his dreams, experienced a range of emotions that matched Aethel psychological profiles. Through our connection, I could perceive them as well. A faint echo of a long-lost era.

  

• Host communication established.
• Ready to begin genetic potential awakening protocols.