The walls of Military Headquarters stood under the morning sky. Soldiers marched through the front gates as military vehicles moved in disciplined formation.To the world, it was just the nation's command center, while to Arthur it was where several secrets had been buried.He stood silently beside Asher, his eyes lingering on the massive granite building. "I never thought we'd come back for this."Lucas looked up at the heavily guarded entrance. "Where's the Archive, Arthur?"Arthur gave a bitter smile. "Officially? It doesn't exist."Nathan's eyes gleamed with impatience. "And unofficially?"Arthur slowly pointed beneath the building. Several floors underground."Lucas let out a low whistle. Then let's go."Arthur shook his head. "It's not that simple."Arthur said that because of three steel security doors in the military, biometric scanners with armed guards, and independent surveillance."

No one moved or dared to interrupt. Asher's fingers were e, lightly on the leather journal. Several years of unanswered questions and silenceNow, the silence was finally breaking; he slowly turned the first page.The handwriting was neat, strong. Every stroke had the discipline of a soldier.At the top of the page, Ethan had written, "If you're reading this, then I failed to return home."The words struck everyone present with force.Asher continued reading.“If your first question is whether I loved you, son.”He paused as his breathing slowed before reading the next line aloud.“Then you haven't been paying attention.”Arthur quietly closed his eyes; Samuel smiled through moist eyes; Lucas looked away, while Nathan lowered his head.Not because the words were difficult to understand, but because they weren't. They were exactly what Ethan would have said with honesty.Asher turned th

Asher looked at the final sentence on the page once more and mused, ‘He knew that I would come here.’Lucas inquired in anticipation. "Commander, what are you thinking?"Asher slowly closed the journal and looked toward Samuel. I'm thinking maybe my father wasn't writing only to me."Everyone stared at him.Curiosity moved Nathan's lips. "What do you mean?"Asher held up the journal. "He was writing for whoever might read this before I did."The possibility washed over their faces. Arthur slowly nodded. "That said, every word served two purposes."Samuel beamed and chimed in. "Ethan doesn't waste ink."Serena reached for the journal. "May I?"Asher handed it to her, and she gently examined each page under a portable forensic light.Several minutes passed, and her expression slowly changed. "That's impossible."Lucas stepped closer. "What?"She pointed toward the final page. "T

The elevator doors closed with a heavy metallic thud.No one spoke.The machinery groaned to life, and instead of displaying floor numbers, a small screen above the door showed:[Level One Verified]Lucas' eyes bulged for a while. "That's strange."A few seconds later, the screen lit up again: Level Two Verified.Nathan folded his arms. "Those aren't floors."Another soft chime echoed: Level Three Verified Arthur looked toward Samuel. "I've never seen a security system like this."Samuel replied, "Neither had most people."The elevator continued moving, and suddenly Asher tilted his head, and Lucas noticed immediately."What is it, Commander?"Asher placed one hand against the wall while closing his eyes. "The vibration changed."Nathan nudged his neck. "What does that mean?"Asher mouthed. "We're no longer moving straight down."Arthur looked confu

The photograph of young Ethan and young Victor Lang in military uniform was still there.Lucas looked from the photograph to Victor. "You really knew Commander Ethan?"Victor's eyes remained fixed on the picture; his voice was calm. "We survived things together that most people never should."Arthur folded his arms. "They trusted each other."Noah Graves slowly shook his head. “I would say they trusted each other with something far greater than their lives."The aura of those words echoed in their heads. Victor slowly walked deeper into the Hall of Records; his footsteps echoed softly across the floor.He stopped before Ethan's empty frame. For several moments, he just stood there. Then he smiled. "It's been several years."Noah walked beside him. "You finally came back."Victor nodded. "I promised Ethan that I wouldn't return."Lucas’ brow furrowed. "Why didn't you?"Victor looked toward Asher