Selthia had dropped it as a casual, arrogant piece of trivia in the middle of a deathmatch, and Ren had simply filed it away to survive.
Now, the horrifying, awe-inspiring puzzle pieces violently snapped together.
The ancient brain had willingly handed him the classified data, while completely locking Luna out. The supercomputer recognized his signature. It acknowledged him as an apex entity possessing some kind of administrator privileges, a being allowed to bypass the rigid, multi-crystal requirements it aggressively demanded from every ordinary human.
It was the exact same loophole Selthia possessed. It was the exact same authority that had allowed him to command the ruins' doors to open without having to be crystalized.
"There is a way to fill all seven of these crystals," Ren said slowly. His voice was hushed. "Without sacrificing anyone..."
Luna's eyes went wide. The breath hitched in her throat.
"What?"
