2026-07-31 06:38:55The loud buzz of Ethan Cole’s alarm pulled him out of his sleep.
5:00 a.m.
He reached for his phone and turned it off before it could ring again. His room was small and old. The ceiling had water stains, and the fan above his bed made a loud creaking sound every time it turned.
He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes.
Another day.
Another sixteen hours of delivering food.
Another day of chasing money that was never enough.
His phone vibrated.
Loan Payment Due Today.
Ethan looked at the message for a few seconds before locking the screen.
“I’ll pay it somehow.”
He had been saying those same words for almost a year.
After washing his face, he put on his faded delivery uniform. The shirt had been washed so many times that its color had almost disappeared. His shoes were worn out, but buying a new pair wasn’t an option.
Every dollar mattered.
He picked up his helmet and walked outside.
The morning air was cold.
People were already rushing to work while he climbed onto his old delivery bike.
It took three tries before the engine finally started.
“Come on… don’t fail me today.”
The bike coughed before moving forward.
…
By ten o’clock, Ethan had already completed twelve deliveries.
His stomach growled.
He hadn’t eaten breakfast.
He stopped outside a convenience store and checked his wallet.
Twelve dollars.
He needed to make that money last until payday.
After thinking for a moment, he bought a bottle of water instead.
“That’s enough.”
As he was about to leave, his phone rang.
The screen lit up with a familiar name.
Chloe ❤️
A tired smile appeared on his face.
“Hey, babe.”
“Are you busy?” Chloe asked sweetly.
“Just working.”
“I saw a handbag online.”
“It looks so beautiful.”
Ethan already knew where the conversation was going.
“How much is it?”
“Oh, it’s not expensive.”
“Only one thousand eight hundred dollars.”
Ethan almost dropped the bottle in his hand.
“Eighteen hundred?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ll buy it for me, right?”
He forced a smile.
“I… I’ll try.”
“I knew you would.”
“You love me.”
“Of course.”
“You’re the best.”
She hung up without asking if he had eaten or how work was going.
Ethan stared at the black screen for a long time.
Then he smiled bitterly.
“I’ll find a way.”
He always did.
…
The rest of the day passed quickly.
Some customers ignored him.
Some shouted because their food arrived two minutes late.
One man even threw a drink at him because the fries weren’t hot enough.
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“Sorry?”
“You think sorry fixes everything?”
The customer slammed the door in his face.
Ethan quietly cleaned the soda from his uniform.
He didn’t complain.
He couldn’t afford to lose his job.
By evening, his legs felt like they were made of stone.
He had completed forty-six deliveries.
His phone buzzed again.
This time, it was a message from the jewelry store.
Your order is ready for pickup.
A genuine smile appeared on his face.
He had almost forgotten.
Today was their third anniversary.
He had spent six months saving for a ring.
It wasn’t big.
It wasn’t expensive.
But it was all he could afford.
He rode straight to the jewelry store.
The elderly owner recognized him immediately.
“Young man, you’re finally here.”
Ethan smiled.
“I’ve been looking forward to today.”
The old man handed him a small black box.
“I gave you a small discount.”
“I know you’ve worked hard for this.”
Ethan looked at the ring inside.
A simple silver band with a small diamond.
To many people, it wasn’t much.
To Ethan…
It was everything.
He carefully placed it inside his backpack.
“Thank you.”
“I hope she says yes.”
The old man smiled warmly.
“I hope so too.”
…
As Ethan walked outside, his phone rang again.
It was Chloe.
“Where are you?”
“I’m on my way.”
“Ryan invited some friends to Skyline Restaurant.”
“You should come.”
Ethan frowned.
“Ryan?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ve heard me mention him before.”
“He’s just a friend.”
Ethan didn’t like Ryan.
He had met him twice.
Both times, Ryan acted like Ethan didn’t exist.
Still…
He trusted Chloe.
“I’ll be there.”
“Good.”
“And Ethan…”
“Yes?”
“Don’t embarrass me.”
The call ended.
Ethan stood there quietly.
Those three words stayed in his mind.
Don’t embarrass me.
He looked down at his delivery uniform.
It was stained from a whole day’s work.
He wanted to go home and change.
But Chloe hated waiting.
“I’ll go like this.”
“She won’t mind.”
After all…
She loved him.
Didn’t she?
…
Half an hour later, Ethan arrived at Skyline Restaurant.
Luxury cars filled the parking lot.
Men in expensive suits walked through the entrance.
Women wore elegant dresses and sparkling jewelry.
Ethan suddenly felt out of place.
He looked at his worn shoes.
Then at the ring inside his backpack.
He smiled.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I’m here for Chloe.”
He walked inside.
Several people turned to look at him.
Some frowned at his uniform.
A waiter approached him.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Chloe Harris.”
The waiter checked a tablet.
“Private Room 307.”
“Third floor.”
“Thank you.”
Ethan took a deep breath and climbed the stairs.
With every step, his heart beat faster.
Tonight…
He would ask the woman he loved to marry him.
He imagined her smiling.
He imagined putting the ring on her finger.
He imagined the small house they would one day buy together.
He imagined a future.
A happy one.
When he reached Room 307, the door wasn’t fully closed.
Laughter came from inside.
Then he heard a man’s voice.
“A delivery rider?”
“You’ve got terrible taste, Chloe.”
Everyone laughed.
Then…
Chloe laughed too.
“Oh, don’t worry.”
“It won’t be for much longer.”
Ethan stopped walking.
His smile slowly disappeared.
His hand tightened around the ring box inside his backpack.
A strange feeling rose in his chest.
He stepped closer to the door.
Ryan’s voice sounded again.
“So…”
“When are you dumping him?”
Chloe laughed without hesitation.
“Tonight.”
Ethan’s heart skipped a beat.
He stood frozen outside the room.
His fingers slowly reached for the door handle.
He pushed it open…
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 109: Legacy Reawakened
The blue screen flickered.It was unstable.Unlike the flawless interface Ethan had relied on throughout his journey, this one was fractured.Tiny cracks spread across its edges as though the system itself had suffered tremendous damage.The familiar mechanical voice spoke again.It was weaker than Ethan remembered.Yet…He smiled.After everything that had happened…It still sounded like home.Legacy System…Emergency Restoration… 7% Complete…Warning… Core functions unavailable…Reason… Legacy sacrificed during the Final Convergence…Ethan’s heart pounded.“So…”“You survived.”The screen remained silent for a moment.Then…A new sentence appeared.Correction…This unit did not survive.This unit… was remembered.The words struck him harder than any attack ever could.Remembered.Not rebuilt.Not repaired.Remembered.The blue screen slowly continued.Human belief…Shared memories…Legacy fragments carried within countless lives…Emergency reconstruction successful.Ethan finally un
Chapter 108: The Sky Breaker
The crack spread across the blue sky.It didn’t happen all at once.Thin fractures crawled outward like veins across glass, stretching from one horizon to the other.Each new crack released a faint silver light.The peaceful meadow beneath Ethan’s feet trembled.Birds that had been singing moments before suddenly took flight.The gentle breeze vanished.An unnatural silence swallowed the world.Ren’s small hand instinctively reached for Ethan’s.His fingers were trembling.“They found us.”Ethan looked down.“Who?”Ren swallowed.“The ones who don’t want us remembered.”Another deafening roar echoed overhead.This time…It was closer.The sky shattered a little more.Chunks of blue light drifted downward before dissolving into countless glowing particles.Ethan had seen worlds collapse before.He had watched stars disappear.Yet…There was something uniquely terrifying about watching the sky itself come apart.Not because it looked destructive.Because it looked…Wrong.Like reality w
Chapter 107: The First Face
Every step echoed inside Ethan’s helmet.Crunch.Crunch.Crunch.The lunar dust compressed beneath his boots as he followed the countless footprints stretching toward the enormous black doorway.Mission Control remained connected through his communicator.“Ethan, your oxygen levels are stable.”“Heart rate elevated, but within acceptable limits.”Dr. Brooks’ calm voice filled the silence.Professor Orion spoke next.“Distance to the structure: four hundred meters.”“Proceed carefully.”“I will.”Ethan answered.He never took his eyes off the doorway.The closer he came…The larger it became.From orbit it had looked massive.Standing beneath it…It was overwhelming.It rose into the endless darkness above him like a mountain carved from midnight.Its surface reflected nothing.Not sunlight.Not stars.Not even Ethan himself.It was as though the doorway refused to acknowledge reality.Back on Earth…Sophia stood inside Mission Control.Her hands remained folded tightly together.She h
Chapter 106: The Man Who Walked Through Silence
By sunrise…Ethan had made his decision.He would go.Not because he trusted the beings beyond the black doorway.Not because he believed they meant no harm.But because he had seen something in the message that no one else seemed willing to acknowledge.They had asked.Twice.First…May we speak?Then…One may come.An enemy didn’t ask permission.An enemy simply invaded.Whatever waited beyond that door…It wanted to be heard.Whether that was a blessing or a trap…Only one way existed to find out.The launch facility came alive before dawn.Floodlights illuminated the enormous launch pad while engineers hurried around the silver shuttle.Unlike the bulky spacecraft used during the early years of space exploration…This one had been built after the Seven Days.Human technology had advanced dramatically with knowledge recovered from the Architects.Its engines were cleaner.Its shields stronger.Its navigation system could cross the distance between Earth and the Moon in less than th
Chapter 105: The Invitation
No one celebrated.Although the footprints had stopped appearing…Although the black doorway had remained closed…Not a single person inside Mission Control believed the danger had passed.If anything…The silence felt heavier.It was the silence of two strangers looking at one another across a great distance.Waiting.Wondering who would speak next.Dr. Elena Brooks stood beside the communications console, replaying Ethan’s transmission.“My name is Ethan.”“You asked if you could speak.”“You can.”She listened to it three more times before finally muting the speakers.“I’ve worked in aerospace for seventeen years.”She slowly shook her head.“I spent my entire career preparing for first contact.”She smiled weakly.“I never imagined it would begin with… permission.”Professor Orion nodded.“Neither did I.”Hours passed.The black doorway did not move.The Moon remained quiet.Scientists continued monitoring every satellite, every telescope, and every sensor aimed toward the far sid
Chapter 104: Beyond the Black Door
The three knocks echoed through Mission Control.Slow.Steady.Deliberate.Every person in the room froze.No one spoke.No one breathed.The sound wasn’t coming from the speakers anymore.It seemed to resonate through the walls themselves.Three knocks…Yet it felt as though something enormous had struck the fabric of reality.Then…Silence.Emergency lights flickered back to life.Rows of monitors rebooted one after another.Technicians hurried to their stations.“Power is returning!”“I’m reconnecting to the lunar station!”“Signal stabilizing!”Dr. Elena Brooks leaned over one of the consoles.“Get me visual confirmation.”The largest monitor flashed.Static filled the screen.Then the image cleared.Everyone stared.The giant black doorway still stood on the Moon’s far side.Exactly where it had been before.Silent.Motionless.Almost…Innocent.Kai slowly let out the breath he had been holding.“I hate doors.”Lyra looked at him.“You hate everything.”“I especially hate mysteri
You may also like
Becoming A Trillionaire After Divorce
Esther Writes75.2K viewsRise Of The Student Billionaire
Dragon Sly234.7K viewsThe Hidden Successor In Disguise
SHIROE80.4K viewsThe Billionaire's Revenge
Hare Ra83.6K viewsThe Boy Who Hated Sound
Ayomide Ima39 viewsRise of the Rejected Son-in-Law
visk 157 viewsThe Chairman They Threw Away
Enikinz 257 viewsREBORN WITH A REVENGE SYSTEM
Costa Bill152 views