"Offensive Bias," Jin-woo said. "Update me. How's the scan progressing across Coruscant?"
Offensive Bias replied immediately.
"Affirmative. Scan is currently 50% complete."
Jin-Woo blinked. "…What?"
He turned slightly, expression sharpening.
"You said—even with my mana, which is more than Morgan's—you'd need a full month. Now you're halfway done?"
Offensive Bias answered without pause.
"Correct. The twin beacons, placed in optimal vertical symmetry across planetary strata, are complimenting each other's signal. Supreme Executor's initial beacon positioning—though unintentional—created a harmonic field. Result: accelerated scan rate by a factor of six."
Morgan turned her head and smirked at Jin-Woo, playful mischief in her eyes.
She leaned close, narrowed her eyes, and stuck out her tongue.
"Bleeeehhh~ The mighty Shadow Monarch just got outdone in quality. Admit it."
Jin-Woo didn't flinch. He just reached out and pinched her cheek lightly.
Morgan yelped. "Ow—sorry! Sorry, I'm a good girl! I'm a good girl!"
Jin-woo let go, smirking faintly, and turned back toward the shifting sky.
Morgan rubbed her cheek, still pouting slightly. "Hmph… I am a good girl."
Jin-Woo let out a small chuckle, then turned his gaze back toward the sky above Coruscant, where the massive Rhongomyniad slowly rotated in place—hovering like a divine axis. Its pace was steady, controlled. Its shadow cast over clouds and city towers, undetected beneath the fake skies projected by Offensive Bias.
Then, the AI's voice echoed.
"Supreme Executor," Offensive Bias intoned, "I have detected a structural anomaly beneath Level 1000. Coordinates suggest a shrine of unknown origin."
Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed. "You're sure? The only confirmed Sith shrine is buried directly beneath the Jedi Temple."
"Affirmative," Offensive Bias replied. "This anomaly is different. It possesses shrine-like architecture but contains neither Sith nor Jedi-specific design signatures. Material composition is unfamiliar. Further analysis is required to determine its purpose or origin."
Jin-Woo exhaled slowly. His mind churned.
"Proceed with the scan. Focus priority on that structure. I'll wait."
"Affirmative," came the AI's response, already shifting data streams into high-efficiency pathways.
Jin-Woo exhaled slowly. His mind churned.
"Proceed with the scan. Focus priority on that structure. I'll wait."
Then he added, "Offensive Bias, shift your scanning progress to everything below Level 1000—include B'ankor Refuge where Morgan launched her Rhongomyniad. Also… give me a screen. I want to see what you're talking about."
"Affirmative," the AI replied.
A swirling shimmer of light formed beside them, materializing into a detailed holographic screen. It rotated in three dimensions, slowly zooming in on the planetary layers beneath Level 1000. The deeper it scanned, the worse the imagery became.
There were no vibrant lights or open plazas—just rusted steel, leaking power conduits, and the slumped remains of forgotten infrastructure. Dark, overgrown tunnels twisted like intestines beneath the city. Filth dripped from crumbling pipes. Waste choked ventilation systems. Non-sentient creatures—foul, crawling things like Cthon—wandered the ruins in silence. Most looked born from pollution and shadow. And among them, broken camps and skeletal frames of those long dead.
"Life signs… minimal," Offensive Bias reported. "Criminal elements present, though drastically reduced. This region is largely abandoned, considered a no-entry hazard. Scans confirm most active species are non-sentient, adapted to refuse and rot."
Morgan watched the feed grimly, her expression slowly darkening.
"If there was something called hell in my world," she said quietly, "which… I've never seen personally—then this would be the closest I've ever come to witnessing it. Lies built on top of each other. A city hiding its sins under its feet."
Her voice hardened with a crackle of emotion.
"Jin-Woo… what about these Jedi? Aren't they supposed to defend the innocent? The ones who can't raise their own swords?"
Jin-Woo's arms were folded as he stared at the rotating projection. His voice was dry, but honest.
"Yeah… they used to," he muttered. "Once. But now? Most of them have one foot in politics. They've forgotten what's buried beneath their own Temple. Forgotten the Sith shrines. Forgotten these people. They've become…"
His eyes narrowed. "…morons."
Offensive Bias's tone remained perfectly neutral. "Supreme Executor. Structure identified. Preliminary classification—shrine-class construct. Anomaly detected. Physical configuration shifts every ten seconds."
The holographic screen pulsed.
Morgan leaned closer. "What do you mean, shifting?"
Offensive Bias continued. "Observe."
The screen flickered. At first, the structure resembled a ruined temple—worn columns, cracked obsidian walls. Then, ten seconds later, its form shifted—becoming more like a Sith fortress with a twisted spire of jagged alloy. Then again—shimmering metal rippled like liquid, reshaping itself again and again.
But then—half a second. A flicker. A frame almost too fast for the eye.
Only Jin-Woo caught it.
The temple transformed—just for 0.5 seconds—into something else entirely. A gateway. Not mechanical, not architectural. Spatial. Dimensional. For the briefest heartbeat, it showed flashes: the red sands of Korriban, the trees of Tython…
And then— Darkness.
A pit. A cavern. Pulsating.
Jin-Woo's eyes sharpened. His body locked.
For 0.01 seconds, he saw her.
Abeloth.. A direct look back. From within that crack. Her eyes met his.
She was watching. And worse—she knew she was being watched.
But she couldn't breach the gate. Not yet. The portal was sealed, a screen rather than a doorway.
Offensive Bias broke the silence. "Supreme Executor. Your pulse and aura signature indicate heightened tension. Query: Are you under mental duress?"
Morgan, sensing something, stepped closer. Her voice dropped low.
"My husband… your expression. It's the same as the moment you stared down your nemesis during our first Queen's Walk." She placed a hand on his arm. "Is something wrong?"
Jin-Woo didn't respond immediately.
Morgan's fingers gripped Jin-Woo's arm tighter. His stillness unsettled her, but she said nothing more—for now.
Then Offensive Bias broke the quiet tension.
"Supreme Executor," the AI reported, "adjacent to the shifting structure is an object. Classification: ruined tome. Format—physical book."
Jin-Woo's brow furrowed slightly, his tone laced with skepticism. "A book? In a galaxy this deep into tech advancement?"
He exhaled softly. "That's rare. Almost extinct. Most knowledge is stored in datapads, holo-discs, neural chips… not bound paper."
Morgan raised an eyebrow. "Is it really that absurd? Where I come from, a book is sacred knowledge."
"Yeah," Jin-Woo replied without looking at her, "and out here it's borderline mythological."
He turned his gaze toward the screen again. "Offensive Bias, focus. Can you access any nearby droid, surveillance point, or floor mechanism? I want that book opened. Turn a page."
"Affirmative," Offensive Bias responded instantly.
On the display, a reprogrammed maintenance droid slithered across cracked stone toward the ancient tome. A thin mechanical arm extended. Delicately, it pried open the book's warped, scorched cover with a metallic hiss.
Dust scattered. The droid turned a page.
Jin-Woo leaned in slightly, his expression unreadable, eyes locked onto the glowing hologram as the droid slowly turned another brittle page of the book. The words, scrawled in faded ink and trembling script, flickered into clarity across the projection:
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
They screamed when the lights went out.
The walls melted, and time refused to move.
We were left here.
Buried under the bones of history.
They built upward and forgot us.
The upper citizen turned away.
But it watches still.
Through cracks in the floor and rusted steel.
Her. The Mother.
She listens.
Every ten seconds… she changes the door.
Every ten minutes… she reaches farther.
Every ten thousand years…
She remembers a name.
I do not know mine anymore.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Morgan's hand hovered over her mouth. Her voice came out low, almost reverent.
"This is… horrible. These people were abandoned. Trapped under a city that forgot them. But…" She hesitated. "Who is this Mother?"
Jin-Woo's voice was flat. Almost cold.
"The one i stared . For 0.01 seconds . ." He exhaled. "She is a threat to the entire galaxy—if im not there ."
He leaned forward again as another set of words emerged from the ruined page, burned in strange symbols and desperate emphasis:
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
He who walks the dark shall break the seal of Valley of the Dark Lords
She who holds the balance shall awaken the gates of vast Force-rich landscapes.
But all others—who stumble without fate, without worth—
Shall open the sky, and call forth the screaming star.
The Mother waits.
Above all, beneath all.
Not to be worshipped… but to be heard.
And she, the one forgotten, shall rise again.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Morgan's breath caught in her throat. "This is scary," she whispered. "Truly. And you're saying… this isn't just some legend?"
Jin-Woo's eyes remained locked on the shifting glyphs and decaying text. Then, without looking away, he spoke.
"Offensive Bias. Which floor is that structure located?"
Offensive Bias answered without delay. "It is located on Level 43.5 of Coruscant. Not officially listed—it exists as a phantom floor between Levels 43 and 44. Likely hidden for thousands of years."
Jin-Woo's expression didn't change, but his thoughts sharpened. Same as where Luke Skywalker or lost tribe of sith decided to engage Abeloth… at 43.5 ABY. Huh. Figures.
"Transport me," Jin-Woo said, eyes narrowing. "Right now. I want to see it up close."
"Preparing your Proto-Ur Didact Exoframe ar—"
"No need," Jin-Woo cut him off. "Transport me now."
Without further protest, slipspace fractured the air and swallowed him whole.
In an instant, Jin-Woo reappeared—his boots touching corroded ferrocrete, the scent of rust and ancient rot stinging the air. His aura was already split—50% sealed to maintain his anchor across galaxies, limiting his full Shadow Monarch presence. But it didn't matter.
He moved forward.
The structure in the dark pulsed like something alive. Shifting. Warped. But then—when he was only five meters away—it stopped changing.
Instead… it formed a gateway. A screen. And on the other side of that screen—Abeloth's cave.
There she was. Abeloth. A twisted goddess of hunger, chaos, and false family.
She stared at him. And Jin-Woo—he stared right back.
If I had 100 percent of my power, he thought, this would be easy. But now… might be a little fun.
Abeloth tilted her head slowly, unnerved. Her presence pressed against the edge of the gateway—but didn't cross. Couldn't cross. For the first time, she saw something unfamiliar.
A man cloaked in more than just darkness. Something layered beneath.
Two powers. Fused. Balanced. Unnatural.
And his primary essence wasn't the Force. It was something older. Deeper. Shadow itself.
She tried to speak—but no sound came out.
Jin-Woo simply raised a hand. And made a talking-puppet motion with his fingers. Then…He flipped her off with a middle finger.
Jin-Woo's vision flickered.
A familiar chime echoed silently through his mind.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
[Notification: Event Quest Activated]
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Quest Title: The Yinchorri Uprising (33 BBY)
Type: Event Quest – Third Anchor Selection
Description:
The galaxy spirals. The uprising of the Yinchorri offers a unique rift of opportunity—one that can forge a new Anchor. But beware: the outcome is absolute. Choose your path with intention, for it will shape the future of your realm and all anchors to come.
Available Choices:
Choice 1 – Difficulty: Easy
Objective: Intervene in the Yinchorri Uprising on Coruscant and stabilize the political chaos.
Effect: The Gateway to Korriban shall be opened and make your third anchor there.
Reward: Unknown.
Penalty: Selecting this option will permanently doom your Fourth Anchor to corruption.
An easy path… that poisons what lies ahead.
Choice 2 – Difficulty: Insane
Objective: Find a method to transport yourself to Tython, the birthplace of Jedi balance. Overcome all barriers, claim it as your Third Anchor.
Effect: Tython becomes the Third Anchor.
Reward: Unknown.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Note: Upon success, Korriban's coordinates and Gateway access will be imprinted directly into your mind. You will gain the rewards of the easy path—without the penalty.
A trial by will, not force. Success yields duality. Failure invites extinction.
Penalty for Inaction:
– Abeloth's Planet will breach dimensional barriers.
– It will manifest above Coruscant's atmosphere.
– The Level 42.5 structure will destabilize.
Reminder:
Choosing the easy path (Korriban) grants its reward, but hardens your pathway to make the Fourth Anchor, and Tython will be locked forever.
Choosing the insane path (Tython) will reward both Tython and Korriban's gateway access, without any anchor penalty.
........................…..
Jin-Woo's expression didn't move—but a small flick of tension built near the corner of his eye.
Looks like this is a Daybit-level job, he thought dryly.