The Sovereign Veil Chapter 2: Chapter 2: I’m Not Happy With the Moon

Read chapter 2 of The Sovereign Veil by GodEmperor on NovelPedia.

Inside the ancient, monolithic hall, the deafening silence pressed against my eardrums. I was completely alone. The air felt desolate, heavy with the metallic tang of ozone and old blood. "Where the hell is this? High immersion VR?" I muttered, forcing my heart rate to steady. I had the memories of this era's technology; hyper realistic virtual spaces weren't out of the question. Curiosity overriding my survival instincts, I pushed open the heavy bronze doors and stepped out of the meeting room. My vision expanded instantly. I had stepped into an unimaginably vast, circular plaza. The ancient hall I’d just exited was merely one of countless structures bordering the perimeter. I tilted my head back. The dome of the plaza stretched infinitely upward, losing itself in the dark expanse above. In the absolute center of the plaza stood a colossal, monolithic tree. It pierced the heavens, its unfathomable width wreathed in a swirling, five colored Aether mist. The plaza was otherwise entirely deserted. [Codename 'The Primordial' (Tier 7) has entered the Sovereign Veil local hub.] A mechanical, dispassionate voice echoed directly into my cerebral cortex. "Right. It’s an interface prompt. Definitely some kind of black market VR," I said, a cynical smile tugging at my lips. Wait. My eyes caught movement. Near the base of the colossal tree stood a pale, blonde operative. He was dressed in the sleek, militarized tactical gear favored by the Neo European Alliance. As I focused on him, a holographic HUD snapped into existence above his head. [Codename: Initiate Star Official] [Level: Tier 0, Candidate Member] [Mission Completion: 7/20] The strange thing was, the Initiate didn't even twitch when I approached. He kept staring up at the colossal tree, entirely oblivious to my existence. "Hey, buddy," I called out, waving a hand. The operative blinked, violently rubbing his eyes. When his gaze finally locked onto me, his expression fractured from mild confusion into sheer, unadulterated terror. He dropped to one knee so fast I thought he'd snapped a tendon. "Your... Your Excellency!" he stammered, his military discipline evaporating. "I apologize! It's my first time seeing 'The Sovereign' in the flesh. I I'm overwhelmed." An NPC? Or a player with an incredibly dramatic roleplay setting? From his perspective, I later realized, I didn't look like an eighteen year old high school student. I was towering, wreathed in primordial chaos, radiating an oppressive, ancient gravity. Worse, unlike other members, I lacked a visible codename. To him, I was a ghost in the machine an entity so high up the food chain that if I hadn't spoken, we wouldn't have even existed in the same dimensional plane. "Are you the tutorial guide?" I asked smoothly. "Uh..." The Initiate choked on his own spit, his mind racing before he opted for terrified honesty. "Reporting to The Sovereign, I was just browsing the Aether tier armory through the World Tree, but my points are insufficient. I accepted a Tier 0 assignment to grind currency. I am still trying to earn my full membership." Armory? Assignments? Grinding currency? I was increasingly convinced this was a hyper advanced geopolitical war simulator, and the black gold brand on my arm was a neural login key. "Let me take a look," I said, stepping past him toward the colossal tree. The moment I approached, a cascading series of golden interfaces bloomed in the air. I mentally selected the Mission System. [Ding! Esteemed 'The Primordial,' you are an apex authority within the Sovereign Veil. You possess the clearance to issue official mandates to operatives across the Multiverse.] [Currently Available: One (1) Tier 1 Mission Authorization.] "Operatives across the Multiverse? Talk about overselling your server capacity," I muttered, shaking my head. [Sovereign Veil operatives are embedded throughout the Main Universe, possessing immense geopolitical and destructive influence. If you encounter any inconveniences, you m