Cherreads

Chapter 17 - Chapter 1: Shattered Signal

Part 17 – The Door of Drift

Location: Drift Tribe Caverns – Glitch Core

Inside the tribe's inner sanctum, Korrin led Arshan and Rayn into a sealed chamber and revealed an ancient relic.

This wasn't any ordinary object —

It was a floating glitch orb that bent the rules of the DAO system.

Korrin:

"This Glitch Relic... it predates the creation of the DAO system.

It holds an energy that's even older than the DAO itself."

Arshan reached his hand toward the orb —

His DAO nerves began to vibrate.

A light pulse ran beneath the ground.

Rayn (eyes wide):

"Bro… you synced with it!"

Korrin:

"Your connection seems to be from before the Drift even existed…"

Zyana's Signal – Hidden Gate Reveal

Suddenly, Zyana's whisper grew clearer.

Her voice echoed with a strange clarity:

Zyana:

"Arshan… behind the glitch panel on the north wall… there's a hidden gate.

After the DAO tampered with the zone, Drift created an alternate access point.

Through that path… you can witness its true source."

Arshan activated the relic —

And from the glitch patterns on the wall, an ancient gate began to form.

It wasn't round, nor square —

But an organic interface built from DAO symbols, constantly shifting and glowing.

Rayn:

"So this is it… the truth that lies within the Drift."

---

Scene Cut – DAO Council Malfunction

Location: High-Table Command Core

Marik's inserted malware had finally reached the DAO mainframe.

Suddenly —

DAO civilian records began to corrupt.

The security walls of Zones 5D, 3A, and 9C crashed.

DAO's visual map began to distort in real-time.

Officer:

"Sir, multiple DAO nodes are failing!"

Rika:

"This isn't an external attack… this is an internal breach!"

Meanwhile, Marik silently walked out of the control room —

A faint smirk on his face.

And on his hidden comm device, a message blinked:

> "Phase 2: DAO disruption activated.

Phase 3: Awaken Them."

---

Final Scene – The Enemies of the Drift Begin to Stir…

Somewhere far in the dead side of Kryonexus,

Inside an old, abandoned DAO prison,

something moved within the glitch-sealed coffins.

A dark whisper echoed:

Voice (dark, whispering):

"They tried to bury the Drift…

Now we rise from the DAO's own grave."

---

End of Part 17

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