Days later, reports of strange sightings began to trickle in from the far corners of the wasteland. Survivors whispered of massive machines rising from the earth, their colossal forms moving slowly but relentlessly toward the scattered human settlements. At first, no one believed the tales—ghost stories from those who had lost their minds in the wasteland's chaos.

But the rumors soon became undeniable.

Ryzen stood on a ridge overlooking the ruins of what had once been a settlement. Smoke rose in thick columns from the destroyed buildings, and in the distance, he saw them—massive war machines, hulking silhouettes of destruction, marching in unison. The Leviathans.

"They're bigger than I thought," Kael said, standing beside him. His voice carried a note of awe, mixed with fear. "How are we supposed to stop those?"

Ryzen tightened his grip on Sundrake. The blade responded, its crimson glow intensifying as if eager to face the coming threat. "We'll find a way."

Lyra hurried up to the ridge, breathless, a tablet in her hand. "I've deciphered part of Raegon's data. These machines—they aren't just mindless weapons. Someone's controlling them from the outside. They're part of an old-world defense system, but whoever's pulling the strings has twisted them into something else."

Kael looked skeptical. "And you're saying that we just need to find whoever is controlling them and shut them down?"

Lyra shook her head, her expression grim. "It's not that simple. These machines are linked to something much larger—something buried deep underground. If we don't stop it soon, they'll keep coming, and nothing in the wasteland will be able to stand against them."

Ryzen's mind raced as he listened. This was it—the shadow that had been looming over them ever since the Necropolis. The Leviathans weren't just weapons; they were the harbingers of something far worse.

"We'll need to hit them at their source," Ryzen said. "If these machines are part of a larger system, we'll have to destroy it before it activates whatever is controlling them."