The horrifying truths unveiled by the Codex fragment and Kiran's fractured memories left them with a chilling clarity: the Great Eclipse was not just a date on a calendar; it was an execution date for humanity as they knew it. Neo-Eclipse wasn't just an organization; it was a cult, driven by a twisted vision of ascension through ancient, forbidden rituals meticulously outlined in the Eclipse Codex. Their ultimate goal: to shatter the Veil and usher in the Eldritch, transforming the world into their terrifying playground.
Elena, her journalistic instincts sharpened by existential dread, used the new information to pinpoint Neo-Eclipse's primary target. The Codex fragments detailed a "nexus point," a place where the Veil was inherently thinnest, amplified by certain geological and leyline energies. Cross-referencing this with Neo-Eclipse's property acquisitions, energy consumption patterns, and the location of the most intense black sand outbreaks, she found it: a vast, newly constructed research and "containment" facility hidden deep within the desolate, volcanic badlands of the "Sleeping Dragon Mountains," hundreds of miles from Neo-Veridia. This was where the final, planet-shaking ritual would occur, a grand altar for the Great Eclipse.
They needed allies. Kiran reached out to his few remaining contacts in the shadows – independent hackers, freelance "cleaners," and former black-market associates who operated outside traditional power structures. Most scoffed at the "magic" and "ancient entities" talk, but the evidence of Neo-Eclipse's terrifying reach and their aggressive expansion was undeniable. A few, veterans of the information war who respected Kiran's cold efficiency, agreed to help, offering intel, equipment, or diversions, but no direct combat. They were still just two people against a global conspiracy.
As they meticulously planned their infiltration, gathering what meager resources they could, a ghost from Kiran's past reappeared. A cryptic, untraceable message arrived, an old Foundation code. It was from Subject 09, a boy known only as "Echo," whose power allowed him to manipulate sound and vibrations. Unlike Lux, Echo had been a quiet, almost fearful child, but fiercely loyal to those he trusted. The message contained a single, critical piece of internal Neo-Eclipse intel: detailed blueprints of the Sleeping Dragon Mountains facility, including its weakest entry points and a hidden sub-level designated "Codex Containment." Echo was still alive. And he was still fighting, albeit in his own silent way. Was he an ally, or another trap?
The ominous silhouette of the Sleeping Dragon Mountains loomed on their digital maps, a dark promise of the coming confrontation. The Great Eclipse was only weeks away. Kiran looked at Elena, her face grim but resolute, and knew there was no turning back. The Eclipse Codex had led them here, to the precipice of a war for reality itself. They would either stop the ritual, or become just another footnote in the Eldritch's bloody history. The journey to the Dragon's maw began at dawn.