The days that followed the sealing of the Heartstone's antechamber were filled with a tense, watchful silence. Havenwood was a village on edge, the memory of the battle fresh, the knowledge of the Blight generator beneath their feet a constant, gnawing worry. Kenji, now recognized not just as a strange outsider but as Havenwood's unlikely "Architect," worked tirelessly.
His first priority was Phase 1 of the "Havenwood Protocol": Active Monitoring & Enhanced Containment. He needed better eyes on the ancient device.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[SAI - System Log/Project Update: APEWS Upgrade]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PROJECT: APEWS ('Earthworm Network') - Version 2.0 Development
ENHANCEMENTS:
- Increased Sensor Depth: Calibrating DAS units for stable readings up to
15 meters subterranean.
- Signature Differentiation: Refining algorithms to distinguish between
Heartstone's pure Aether, device's corrupted
output, and natural Aetheric fluctuations.
- Anomaly Detection Protocol: Implementing routines to flag unusual energy
spikes or new Blight entity generation from
the device.
USER AETHER STATUS: 88/100 Units.
SAI LEVEL: 2.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He spent long hours in the old storehouse, meticulously recalibrating his existing sensors and "compiling" new ones with enhanced capabilities. Lyra, surprisingly, proved invaluable. Her natural sensitivity to Aether allowed her to "feel" subtle shifts that Kenji's interface was still learning to quantify, providing him with invaluable feedback for tuning his sensors.
"This one feels… colder, Kenji," she'd say, pointing to a sensor mote he was working on. "Like a winter shadow, not like the deep earth."
Kenji would then adjust the Aetheric frequencies within the sensor, his SAI displaying the complex wave patterns. "Okay, Lyra, how about now?"
"Warmer… more like still water."
Slowly, painstakingly, he upgraded the "Earthworm Network." He also began designing a low-cost, continuous Aetheric warding script to place around the sealed antechamber, a kind of try-catch block for Aetheric leaks.
Meanwhile, Elara delved into Havenwood's oldest, most fragile records – scrolls of dried animal hide and thinly pressed bark. She searched for any mention of the "Whispering Sickness," any clue about the nature of the device or how previous generations might have unknowingly contended with its influence.
Martha focused on Havenwood's physical defenses, organizing the villagers into work parties to repair the palisade, dig secondary defensive trenches, and set up a more rigorous watch schedule. The loss of life had hit the small community hard, and every remaining pair of hands was precious.
One evening, as Kenji was reviewing the APEWS data feed from the newly deployed v2.0 sensors around the communal hall, an alert pinged.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[SAI - System Log/APEWS v2.0 - ALERT!]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOCATION: Sub-Level Sensor Array (Perimeter of Heartstone Antechamber)
DETECTION: Minor, rhythmic Aetheric pulse from Ancient Device.
- Frequency: Approx. 1 pulse per 30 minutes.
- Intensity: Low, but highly structured.
- Nature: Matches previously identified 'Blight Generation Pattern - Standby Mode'.
SYSTEM ANALYSIS: Device appears to be in a low-power, 'idle' state,
possibly regenerating or awaiting a trigger. No active
Blight entity generation detected currently.
The reinforcing wards are holding, minimal Aetheric leakage.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It's not completely dormant," Kenji murmured to Elara and Martha, who had joined him in his makeshift command center in the storehouse. "It's pulsing. Like a computer in sleep mode, still drawing a trickle of power, ready to wake up."
"Can you tell what might 'wake it'?" Martha asked, her hand instinctively near her axe.
"Not yet," Kenji admitted. "It could be a build-up of ambient Blight Aether, a signal from another Blight source like the Brood Mother, or even a fluctuation in the Heartstone's output if our wards aren't perfect." He zoomed in on the Aetheric signature of the pulse. "But each pulse... it's like a data packet. If I can capture enough of them, analyze their structure..."
His path was clear. He had to become a cryptographer of corrupted Aether.