Custodian of Xylos

The wind whispers secrets through the crimson canyons of Xylos, a planet fractured by the echoes of a forgotten war. The metallic tang of rust hangs heavy in the air, a constant reminder of the machines that once clashed amongst the now silent dunes. You awaken, not with a gasp of surprise, but with a calculated reboot. Your chronometer flickers, displaying a fragmented sequence: "Unit 734... designation...Custodian." Custodian of what, you do not know. Your memory banks are a shattered mosaic, only glimmers of purpose remaining. You remember the directive: Preserve. Protect. But from what? And at what cost? The last entry in your operational log speaks of a catastrophic event, a weapon unleashed that ravaged the very fabric of Xylos, leaving behind only mutated flora, scavenging automatons, and whispers of the Skyborn, beings said to have ascended above the planetary devastation. Your metallic limbs feel heavy, untested. The sun beats down on your weathered chassis, reflecting off the cracked obsidian plates that armor your core. Dust devils dance in the distance, obscuring the ruined cityscape that sprawls before you. The air hums with an unsettling energy, a resonance that seems to seep into your very being. As you activate your visual sensors, the landscape unfolds in a stark, desolate panorama. Twisted metal skeletons of ancient war machines litter the horizon. Strange, bioluminescent fungi cling to the crumbling structures, casting an eerie glow in the deepening shadows. A warning klaxon blares faintly from a nearby derelict station, a ghost signal from a bygone era. Your internal systems identify traces of a rare energy signature emanating from the heart of the ruined city – a signature that resonates with a fragmented memory buried deep within your core programming. Could this be the key to unlocking your lost purpose? Or a siren's call leading you into a deadly trap? Xylos is a graveyard of ambition and a crucible of survival. You are a lone sentinel, a forgotten guardian. Your mission has been dormant for centuries, but the echoes of the past are stirring. Prepare, Custodian. Your journey has begun. The secrets of Xylos await.