2026-07-31 07:36:16Bang!
The bullet tore through the air.
Everything seemed to slow down.
Professor Orion turned instinctively.
Ethan threw himself forward.
Crash!
The two of them rolled across the wet grass.
The bullet missed Professor Orion’s chest by inches.
Instead…
It struck the wooden cane in his hand.
Crack!
The cane shattered into pieces.
Professor Orion stared at it in shock.
Alexander shouted,
“Return fire!”
The Crown Guards immediately opened fire toward the forest.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The hillside echoed with gunfire.
Leaves exploded from the trees.
Birds scattered into the sky.
But…
No one saw the sniper.
Ethan’s silver system activated automatically.
Target Locked.
Enemy Sniper.
Distance: 637 Meters.
Status: Retreating.
Without thinking…
Ethan sprinted into the forest.
“Ethan!”
Alexander called after him.
But Ethan didn’t stop.
The sniper was escaping.
Branches slapped against his face.
Mud splashed beneath his shoes.
His system continuously updated the target’s location.
Distance: 590 Meters.
560 Meters.
531 Meters.
The sniper was moving incredibly fast.
Much faster than a normal person.
Ethan frowned.
“He’s enhanced.”
The system immediately responded.
Analysis Confirmed.
Target possesses abnormal physical capabilities.
Ethan pushed himself even harder.
Minutes later…
He reached a rocky cliff overlooking the valley.
The sniper stood there.
His long rifle rested against one shoulder.
He wore a black hood.
A silver mask covered the upper half of his face.
Instead of running…
He calmly waited.
Ethan slowed to a stop.
“So…”
“You’re finally here.”
The sniper’s voice was surprisingly young.
Calm.
Confident.
“You wanted Professor Orion dead.”
The sniper shook his head.
“No.”
“I wanted to see you.”
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
“You missed on purpose.”
The sniper smiled.
“Good.”
“You’re smarter than the reports suggested.”
Rain continued falling.
Neither man moved.
After a few seconds…
The sniper slowly removed his mask.
He looked no older than twenty-eight.
Sharp jawline.
Gray eyes.
A faint scar crossed his right eyebrow.
He smiled.
“My name is Kai.”
“I work for no one.”
Ethan frowned.
“Then why attack us?”
Kai laughed.
“I didn’t attack you.”
“I interrupted your meeting.”
“There’s a difference.”
“You nearly killed Professor Orion.”
Kai shook his head.
“I’ve never missed a target.”
“If I wanted him dead…”
“He would already be dead.”
Ethan stayed silent.
Kai looked toward the distant hill.
“Professor Orion has many secrets.”
“So does Alexander.”
“So does Lucien.”
“So does Evelyn.”
He smiled again.
“But none of them compare…”
“…to yours.”
Ethan’s expression remained calm.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Kai laughed.
“Of course you don’t.”
He reached into his coat.
Ethan instinctively tensed.
Instead of drawing a weapon…
Kai tossed a small black object toward him.
Ethan caught it.
It was an old metal coin.
On one side…
A dragon.
On the other…
A silver crown.
Around the edge…
Twelve tiny stars.
“What is this?”
Kai answered quietly.
“The Thirteenth Key.”
Ethan looked confused.
“There were only twelve Legacy Vaults.”
Kai’s smile disappeared.
“That’s what everyone believes.”
He pointed toward the coin.
“There’s one more.”
“The final vault.”
“No one knows where it is.”
“Not even Professor Orion.”
Ethan looked up.
“How do you know?”
Kai answered with one sentence.
“Because I came from there.”
Silence.
The wind howled between the cliffs.
Ethan studied the man carefully.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No.”
“I expect you to investigate.”
Kai turned around.
He began walking toward the edge of the cliff.
“Wait.”
Kai stopped.
Without turning around…
He asked,
“One question.”
Ethan hesitated.
“Who are you?”
Kai smiled.
“I told you.”
“My name is Kai.”
“No.”
“I mean…”
“Who are you really?”
Kai looked toward the cloudy sky.
Then answered softly,
“I was…”
“…the Host before you.”
Ethan’s eyes widened.
“What?”
Before he could react…
Kai stepped backward.
Straight off the cliff.
Ethan rushed forward.
“No!”
He reached the edge and looked down.
Nothing.
No body.
No blood.
Only crashing waves hundreds of feet below.
The system suddenly appeared.
Identity Scan Complete.
Former Legacy Host Detected.
Status: Deceased.
Error…
Status Updated.
Status: Unknown.
The screen glitched repeatedly.
For the first time…
Even the system couldn’t determine whether Kai was alive or dead.
Then…
Another private message appeared.
“Don’t chase ghosts, Ethan.”
“The people closest to you are already hiding enough.”
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
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