The grand hall pulsed with an unholy light. Orbs flared in a geosynchronous pattern, the red and white elements thrumming with a power unlike anything seen in eons. Two of the ten containers, their light cycles out of sync, grew brighter with each erratic beat.

"They’re awakening?" a voice boomed, laced with a hunger that sent shivers down spines that didn't fully exist.

"Affirmative," another voice responded, smoother yet dripping with a chilling certainty. "Two bloodlines have activated, merging with origin mana. The process... nascent."

"The others?" the first voice demanded, a tremor of impatience crackling through the air.

"No further awakenings. The entity has latched onto an administrator and is constructing a system of control."

"Elaborate, what type of system?" the first voice commanded.

"A previous form of entertainment has made way for a control system. The entity deduced it to be the most effective way," the second voice explained. "They siphon mana slowly, conditioning their bodies for its eventual power. Leveling up and attaining new abilities. A necessary evil to harness mana in any substantial form. Their fragile forms would shatter under an immediate influx."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

A tense silence followed. Then, the first voice, sharp with a predatory glint, "My lineage’s progress?"

"All bloodlines must be active for the key to accurately unlock your bloodline's power. A third has been located but remains dormant. A premature unlocking could cripple the absorption process. Inadequate control of your power would not allow for proper transmission, or a catastrophic overload could occur that tears their reality apart."

“How long before optimal absorption is possible? We must succeed this time.”

The second voice, now with a hint of trepidation, responded. “After full activation, one year.”

"The shield?" the first voice rasped, a hint of urgency creeping in. "How long?"

"Their projections indicate a decade. Our estimates... a mere seven of their years."

"Introduce the element. Accelerate the cycle. Give them three years, no more."

The hall fell into complete silence. Then, "There are whispers," the second voice spoke cautiously, "of intensifying search waves from universe 158. Discovery is imminent. Ten years, at most."

"Then they must progress faster," the first voice declared, a tremor of purpose resonating within it. "They must have the power and knowledge to solidify the gate or risk being destroyed."

"Understood," the second voice replied, a grim efficiency replacing its earlier hesitance. "The element will be introduced, and the knowledge will be awakened at an increased pace."

Then there was silence once again