The rooms became more unusual the further I descended. One door opened into a chamber bathed in a strange, ethereal light. Floating orbs of energy drifted lazily through the air, pulsing with a soft, rhythmic glow. Each orb seemed to contain its own miniature world—tiny landscapes, oceans, and cities, all encapsulated within these spheres.
I approached one of the orbs, fascinated by the detail inside. It was as if entire civilizations had been trapped within these floating constructs. "What are these?"
[World Fragments,] Varan explained. [Pieces of alternate or artificial realities, compressed into a manageable form. Whoever—or whatever—created this vault was powerful enough to manipulate space and time itself.]
I reached out, brushing my fingers against the surface of one orb. Immediately, a rush of images flooded my mind—cities falling into ruin, mountains rising from the earth, entire oceans shifting under the pull of an unseen hand. I staggered back, instinctively.
[Be careful, sir. These fragments are unstable. Too much interaction could pull you into their reality, though they can't trap you indefinitely.]
"Right," I muttered, shaking off the lingering images. "Store them all, just in case."
With a gentle hum, the orbs vanished, safely tucked away.
The final room I entered was the most unsettling. It was dark, with only a faint glow emanating from a far corner. As I approached, I saw the source of the light—a large, intricately carved chest. Unlike the others, this one was bound in chains, each link engraved with runes that pulsed with a soft red light.
"Varan... what is this?" I asked, a sense of dread settling over me.
[This is a Sealed Chest. Whatever is inside was considered too dangerous to leave unguarded. The runes are ancient—likely placed to prevent anyone from opening it.]
I knelt beside the chest, tracing the runes with my fingers. The magic pulsed steadily beneath the surface. "Do we open it?"
[That decision is yours, sir, but we advise extreme caution. The contents could be of great danger, or great value—perhaps both.]
I hesitated, the weight of the decision pressing down on me. This chest had been locked away for a reason, and yet, the need to know was almost unbearable.
Finally, I stood and took a step back. "We leave it closed," I decided. "For now, store it."
[Wise choice, sir. However, there are two more rooms.]
"Two?" I asked, confused.
[One of them is especially appealing—it appears to be their main trove of knowledge, and it is massive.]
"Lead the way."
There was a door within the room, and beyond it, a library so vast it was nearly blinding.
[This should be enough for us to understand the origins and history of this world. We will store these within 'Vaal'dir Varan' rather than the pocket you created.]
"Of course." I watched as the books emptied from the shelves at an astonishing pace, and Varan began processing the information. I could feel the knowledge being vaguely shared with me. "Now, let's see that final room."
[Storage completed.]
Ignoring Varan, I was in shock at what lay before me. "What is all this...?" The sight was baffling, leaving me momentarily speechless.
"Automatons, sentries, golems... and what's in these canisters? They look like... humans?" I stared, overwhelmed, until I noticed something familiar. A trait that only one race possesses. It troubled me deeply.
Even though much of my memory was lost or sealed, I still remembered this race. The alchemical veins, the geometric scarring—there was no doubt. "Homunculi!" [Homunculi!]
I stepped back, gripping a spear and pointing it at the nearest glass container filled with liquid, where a homunculus floated. 'Huh? Where did I get a spear?'
[You wield Vaal'dir Varan, Titan,] Varan replied. "So, you can transform into a weapon... But why are there homunculi—my goodness... there are dozens of them!"
There was a reason this race was feared, and why I had ensured their memory was preserved within my mind and in Varan's library. The homunculi possessed three distinct abilities, some having one, others two, and a rare few wielding all three.
The first of these abilities was Time Stop. Homunculi with this power could freeze time, allowing them to move freely for a few brief moments while everything around them remained suspended. To an outsider, the effect was instantaneous—one moment, you were facing your enemy, and the next, they had moved, struck, or vanished.
This power was terrifying for both its tactical advantage and the sheer helplessness it inflicted on their enemies. Few things inspired more dread than facing an opponent who could freeze time, leaving you defenseless.
The second ability, was Causality, made them nearly impossible to destroy. Their bodies harbored a hidden core—a vessel for their consciousness. As long as this core remained intact, they could regenerate from almost any injury. Limbs would regrow, and wounds that would kill others would heal in time.
Or that was what most believed. In truth, they adjust reality ever so slightly that they were never injured to begin with, that was the actual truth behind this ability.
Even if their body was destroyed, they could transfer their essence to nearby corpses, assuming the form of another being, sometimes even a different species. This made them seem invincible, constantly returning to the fight no matter how many times they were struck down.
Finally, there was Reality Collapse, a power so rare and destructive that it could only be possessed by the most powerful homunculi. With this ability, they could distort reality itself, warping space and creating chaotic anomalies that defied the laws of nature. They could tear open rifts, trapping people and objects in a distorted space where physics no longer applied.
These three abilities—Time Stop, Unkillable Regeneration, and Reality Collapse—were why homunculi were so feared, at least from wherever it was I came from.
"Why are they here?" I asked, my voice emotionless, confusion seeping through. "Why are there dozens of them here?"
[That we cannot say, but...] Varan's voice faltered briefly. [This vault seems designed for containment. Their presence must have been intentional, though whether for study, creation, or suppression, we do not know.]
I took a deep breath, steadying my wild thoughts. If they were contained, that was a relief—but it also meant one thing: they were too dangerous to be free.
My eyes narrowed at the nearest container. "Whoever created this vault... knew exactly what they were dealing with."
[Indeed, sir. But it's unclear who or what locked them away, or whether they were created and simply never unleashed.]
Suddenly, the dim lighting in the vault flickered, and a faint hum filled the air—a mechanical sound that grew louder, more ominous. The liquid in the canisters began to bubble. One of the homunculi twitched, its eyes fluttering open.
"No." My breath caught in my throat.
[It seems the containment has been compromised.]
"What?" I spun on my heel, searching for an exit. "How?"
[We are not entirely sure...] Varan's voice trailed off, clearly still analyzing the situation. [The vault's systems may have been dormant or failing. Our arrival might have triggered something. Or...]
The homunculi in the containers were stirring now, their bodies twitching against the restraints. One container cracked audibly, and the homunculus inside slowly opened its glowing eyes, locking its gaze onto mine.
[Titan, we need to leave. Now.]
"Have they been bound to anyone? Or programmed yet?"
[Not yet, Titan.]
"How long until they fully awaken?"
[Under 40 seconds.]
"Can you insert one command into their subconscious before they wake? Using the knowledge from their library combined with ours?"
Realization dawned on Varan. [A loyalty command... We believe we can! But you will need to remain stationary.]
"You're wasting time, Varan," I barked in frustration. "Do it!"
[Bypassing runic scripts...]
[Erasing all pre-existing contradictory commands...]
[Regulating aggression levels... Inserting loyalty and subservience command...]
Several moments passed in silence. I waited—not in fear or despair, but in an overwhelming sense of calm. My mind was at ease, and so was my heart. But the eerie stillness hung heavily in the air, speaking volumes.
The seconds ticked away, yet I held an unfounded belief that Varan would complete the task in time, despite not fully understanding what Varan, in her entirety, truly was.
By now, most containers were nearly drained; it was only a matter of time until they—Crash! I looked to my right. One of the Homunculi had broken out of its containment, forcefully, but lay immobile on the ground.
Even then, fear was nonexistent. Even as it got back up and began taking slow, deliberate steps toward me—clearly aiming for me. Even as more broke free from their confinement, limping toward me one step at a time, it felt as though an eternity was passing.
By now, some of them were only a few steps away. But it was done. Varan's voice pierced through the silence:
[Insertion complete; Executing!]