25. Programmed for loyalty to Xtreme.

Lyra-9 experienced the consequences of human fanaticism, which transformed games into rituals. She had read in the Earth Dome records a warning that the Creators would judge those who manipulated their experiments.

In the West, Kayle-13, another cyborg prince, walked among submerged arenas built in the ocean depths by the Heart of Eryndor. Obsidian caverns illuminated by alien bioluminescence formed underwater coliseums with corroded metal domes that withstood the pressure of the abyss.  decorated with glyphs of the Creators connected the arenas, where warriors faced brutal challenges, such as combat against amphibious automatons armed with energy blades, crossing corridors flooded with scarce oxygen, and dueling on platforms that shook with currents. Altars made of seashells and bones flanked the arenas and were dedicated to Heart, the Lord of the Deep.