Chapter 358: Threshold Signal

Monitoring one the outermost walls of the Vampire Realm picked up the signal three hours after dawn.

It did not come as an attack. There was little of the bursting force from an external enemy as Lucian’s reinforced wards (those set after Selene’s death) were threatened to open by whatever unseen entity had made the trip through the guarded borders in its search for the realm. Instead the outer layer of sensing ward crystals only marked a clean pattern of pulses that repeated every ninety seconds with clockwork regularity, sending the same complex, multi-layered impression with every pulse.

It was Heron who showed up first of the Origin Clan, standing silently before the projection crystal as it showed the pulse repeating over and over again in neat waves with no comments given to either of the patterns. Zane was right behind him, his coat half-off, red eyes narrowing as he took in the same information Heron had.

"That wasn’t a probe like the one before," Zane said after a moment. "The last few had tested weaknesses. This one is metronome. Something is announcing a schedule."

Anita’s ribbons of blood drifted in loose loops beside her as she joined them. "Or a countdown. Either way, it wants to be noticed."

Lucian entered last, shadows already thick enough around his boots to nearly swallow them whole. He watched the pulse for a long, quiet minute. "Lock the outer districts into second-level alert. Not enough for full battle readiness yet, though. Whatever this is, it isn’t doing its best job at breaking the place open as yet. That makes it far more dangerous than it would be otherwise," was his contribution before he gestured to the pattern. "What do you see?"

A tense silence as everyone took in the steady pulse. Far outside the Vampire Realm in the cold light of the enclave’s walls, the tall figure of layered white and pale gold waited before the growing orb. The suspended bodies of the old progenitors hung in their places, long authority still draining away in consistent, narrow lines. It had not moved in quite a while. Only now its interest was drawn to a second projection, one which showed the residual pulse from Selene’s death and the far more clear, unrestricted pattern of the hybrid she had allowed to exist just before dying.

"The late seed has gotten rid of a useful predator," the being noted mildly. "A nuisance to the schedule, perhaps, but an unfortunate necessity. Mother rarely said the stronger fruits didn’t show their strength against the more foolish tools we send out to the garden. The hybrid’s density is still rising, however, and at the present rate, he will prove to be a factor within Father’s needed restoration window before the originals were ever anticipated."

In the room another figure of pale geometric lines hovered nearby, patiently waiting for the taller being to finish speaking.

"Begin the secondary collection phase," the being ordered, finally. "The metronome’s pattern must hold the local powers’ attention to the outer walls as it did for the first three readings. As it did for the rest of them. While their focus is on what is coming, accelerate the siphon process on the remaining useful bodies still trapped within our garden. The orb needs more density before the threshold anchoring can begin, and do not engage the hybrid personally. Let him waste his time on the smaller issues created solely by your presence as he grows. All we need his to stay intact for is the final phase, so be certain that happens."

The construct flickered in agreement and disappeared. The big being turned around to stare at the orb once more. Inside the mixture of black and gold spun, the gathered weight of so many old generations condensed within it, its own density increasing. Damaris’ residual glow in gold was taking far longer than usual to drain away, but then so had the others. Lilith’s more shadowy aspects had mostly been gathered by then. The rest had nothing else to give.

"Shortly," the being said quietly to himself. "Father will have what he needs. The Loom will not fall, and everything else is a minor detail."

Back in the Origin Palace, the news of the repeating pulse had reached Lucifer before he was even fully finishing his own private reviews. He and Lucian watched the pattern scroll across the central projection table between them.

Lucifer gave it several cycles before he spoke. "It isn’t hiding. Either it wants our response to whatever is going to happen next or it wants us to miss something as it circles and watches."

Lucian’s shadows rolled forward. "Aeloria and Nyx both know already. They sensed the first pulse before the outer stations caught it. Nyx’s evaluation was brief - she has taken it for a pacing signal from something not bothered caring about moving forward quickly enough." He hesitated. "AEloria’s impressions on the matter were more along the lines of the timeline she just gave us is now shorter than any of her before estimations. She wants you at the first observational platform before the next cycle finishes."

Lucifer pushed himself upright. The residual heat left from the morning and the three women still upstairs was still just lingering at the edges of his senses, but it would no longer fight against the clear, definite pattern pulsing across the outer walls. The personal night was broken; the board had begun moving again on its own without him needing a moment to finish waking up before he had to leave it.

And somewhere outside, the orb still continued to grow as the hybrid finally stepped fully into the open and was allowed to know just what the next phase would be.

A/N

Thanks for reading this far, I know it’s mid, but this is the best I can do with the little time I have.

I Will try in the future to do more better when I have free time.

Once again thanks for reading.

Much love to you all.