“Then I’ll decide.”His voice was quiet.“But I’ll decide as Ethan.”For several seconds, nothing happened.Then—BOOM.The entire laboratory trembled.Ethan’s eyes narrowed.Dust fell from the ceiling.The twelve symbols beneath the floor suddenly became brighter.One.Two.Three.Then all twelve.A deep humming sound filled the chamber.Ethan slowly turned around.The crystal device that had played Harry’s recording was floating in the air.Its surface cracked.A thin black line appeared across its center.Then—CRACK.The crystal shattered.But instead of falling to the ground, the fragments remained suspended.They began forming a circle.Ethan took a step backward.“What now…?”The fragments rotated faster.A strange pressure descended upon the laboratory.It wasn’t killing intent.It wasn’t Storm resonance.It was something older.Something that made even Ethan’s instincts scream.Then a voice echoed through the chamber.Not Harry’s.Not Malikar’s.Not Cael’s.Something else.“C

The words echoed through the laboratory.“Now…”The black eye beneath the floor narrowed.“…let us see what you truly are.”Silence.Then—THUMP.The entire laboratory went dark.Every light vanished.The golden-armored soldiers froze.Even the Storm resonance inside Ethan’s body disappeared.For one terrifying second—there was nothing.No sound.No light.No energy.Nothing.Then Ethan heard a voice.Not from the creature.Not from the hooded figure.From inside his own mind.“Run.”Ethan’s eyes narrowed.It was his own voice.“Run.”Again.“Run!”His instincts screamed.Ethan immediately moved.BOOM!The ground where he had been standing exploded.A massive black claw burst through the floor.It was enormous.Far too large to belong to any human-shaped creature.Ethan twisted in midair and landed several meters away.The claw slammed into the stone.CRASH!The entire chamber shook.Ethan stared at it.“That thing…”The hooded figure appeared beside him.“Don’t fight it.”Ethan look

“Now you understand.”Ethan turned toward it.“What?”The black eye opened wider.“Cael controlled the Storm.”A pause.“You control the rules.”Ethan’s expression changed.The creature continued.“That is why you were created.”The laboratory became silent.“You were never meant to become another Cael.”The twelve Keys began rotating around Ethan.“You were created to become something even Cael could not become.”Ethan’s heart pounded.“What?”The creature smiled.“An existence capable of rewriting the system itself.”Ethan stared.Then—a notification appeared inside his vision.NEW AUTHORITY DETECTED.Ethan’s eyes widened.AUTHORITY: [UNNAMED]CONDITION FOR ACTIVATION:CHOOSE YOUR OWN RULE.Ethan remained motionless.The words slowly disappeared.Then another message appeared.WARNING.THE FIRST WILL IS ATTEMPTING TO ESTABLISH A CONTRACT.Ethan looked toward the enormous eye.The creature smiled.“Choose.”The laboratory fell silent.“You may accept my contract…”The black eye glow

Ethan stared at the final message.ORIGIN SUBJECT: LILLIAN FROST.For several seconds, he couldn’t move.Lillian.The woman standing above him.The woman he had trusted.The woman who had fought beside him.The woman who was apparently connected to Cael’s original bloodline.And now—The Origin.Ethan slowly raised his head.“Lillian…”She stepped through the opening in the ceiling.Her white coat moved with the wind.She landed silently.The soldiers immediately backed away.Even the golden-armored commander stopped smiling.Lillian looked around the ruined laboratory.Her silver eyes passed over the twelve Keys.Then—They stopped on Ethan.“I told you to step away from them.”Ethan tightened his grip.“No.”Lillian’s expression didn’t change.“You should listen to me.”“I’ve spent enough of my life listening to people who refuse to tell me the truth.”Silence.The hooded figure suddenly stepped between them.“Lillian.”Her eyes shifted toward him.For the first time, her expression

Now he understood why the choice existed.The First Origin had reached the same moment.And she had stopped.The First Will stepped forward.“YOU WILL DO THE SAME.”Ethan slowly smiled.“No.”The creature’s eyes narrowed.“I won’t.”The golden-armored commander suddenly charged again.Ethan turned.Their weapons collided.This time, Ethan didn’t move backward.He pushed forward.The commander struggled to hold him.“You don’t know what you’re doing!”“Maybe.”Ethan’s eyes began glowing.“But neither do you.”A burst of power erupted from his body.The commander was thrown across the room.He landed hard.His sword slid from his hand.The soldiers immediately froze.Ethan walked toward him.The commander tried to stand.Ethan placed his weapon against his throat.“Tell me.”The commander stared at him.“Tell you what?”“Why are you so afraid of my choice?”The commander remained silent.Ethan pressed the weapon closer.“Talk.”The commander finally laughed.“You really want to know?”“