Inside the monolithic structure, the air was thick with an alien energy that Kaelen couldn't comprehend. The walls were smooth, made of an unknown material that seemed to absorb the light. At the far end of the chamber, a massive altar-like platform stood, surrounded by strange, mechanical devices that hummed with power.
"This is wrong," Mira said, her voice trembling. "This is a prison."
Kaelen's eyes narrowed as he approached the platform. The symbols etched into the walls were familiar—they were the same as those he had seen on the Vigilant. This wasn't just an alien structure; it was a part of the same system. The same force that had been manipulating them from the start.
Suddenly, a figure appeared at the far end of the chamber. It was tall, cloaked in shadow, and its presence exuded an otherworldly power. The figure stepped forward, its face hidden beneath a dark hood.
"You've come," the figure said, its voice deep and resonant, like a thousand voices speaking in unison. "Just as I knew you would."
Kaelen stepped forward, his pulse racing. "Who are you?"
The figure raised its head, revealing a face—no, not a face, but a mask, an intricate design that seemed to shift and change before Kaelen's eyes.
"I am the Architect," the figure said. "I am the one who has been guiding you. The one who set this all in motion."