2026-09-04 11:03:17Chapter 10 — The Vale Family Archive
Rain hammered against the windows of Ethan Vale’s penthouse.
He stood before the glass, staring at the city below.
Millions of lights illuminated the streets, but Ethan barely noticed them.
His mind was somewhere else.
Eighteen years ago.
The system had identified him as a potential host when he was only seven.
That meant his father had known.
Perhaps even before Ethan understood what his family truly was.
His phone vibrated.
Adrian.
Ethan answered.
“Did you find anything?”
“I found the location of the archive.”
Ethan straightened.
“Where?”
“The old Vale estate.”
Ethan frowned.
“That place was sold years ago.”
“Officially.”
A pause followed.
“Unofficially, the property was never transferred.”
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
“Who owns it?”
“Your family.”
Ethan immediately grabbed his jacket.
“Send me the address.”
“I already did.”
His phone vibrated again.
Ethan checked the message.
VALE ESTATE — NORTH RIDGE
He stared at the address.
He remembered the place.
Barely.
When he was seven, his father had taken him there once.
Daniel had told him never to enter one particular room.
At the time, Ethan thought it was simply a father's warning.
Now he wondered why.
The Vale estate stood behind a massive iron gate surrounded by overgrown trees.
The building looked abandoned.
Broken windows.
Dust-covered walls.
A garden that had been swallowed by weeds.
Ethan stepped out of the car.
Adrian followed.
“You're sure nobody has been here?”
“According to the records, nobody has lived here for eighteen years.”
Ethan looked at the mansion.
“That's exactly when things started going wrong.”
They entered through the front door.
The wooden floor creaked beneath their feet.
Dust covered almost everything.
Old portraits lined the walls.
Ethan stopped.
One portrait caught his attention.
It showed his father standing beside a woman Ethan didn't recognize.
She looked remarkably young.
“Who's she?”
Adrian approached.
“I don't know.”
Ethan activated Financial Insight.
Nothing.
Then Truth Scan.
Nothing.
The system didn't recognize her.
That bothered him.
He continued down the hallway.
At the end stood a large wooden door.
Ethan stopped.
He remembered it.
A memory flashed through his mind.
His father's voice.
Never open this door, Ethan.
He reached for the handle.
Adrian stopped him.
“Maybe we should think first.”
Ethan looked at him.
“My father left clues for me.”
“And traps.”
“Then I'll deal with the traps.”
He opened the door.
Nothing happened.
Inside was a small library.
Hundreds of books covered the walls.
A large desk stood in the center.
Ethan walked toward it.
There was an old metal box on the desk.
No lock.
No keyhole.
Just a small panel.
The system activated.
[BLOODLINE AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED.]
Ethan placed his hand against the panel.
A faint light scanned his palm.
IDENTITY CONFIRMED.
VALE BLOODLINE: VERIFIED.
The box opened.
Inside were three objects.
A photograph.
A small black notebook.
And a sealed envelope.
Ethan picked up the photograph first.
His heart stopped.
It showed his father.
But Daniel was much younger.
Standing beside him were Victor Cross, Marcus Hale, Evelyn Cross…
and the same unknown man from the old photograph.
Ethan turned the picture over.
A handwritten message appeared.
Four entered. Only one was supposed to survive.
Adrian stared at the words.
“What does that mean?”
“I don't know.”
Ethan opened the notebook.
The first page contained a single sentence.
PROJECT OMEGA WAS NEVER ABOUT MONEY.
The next page contained diagrams.
Symbols.
Numbers.
Names.
Then Ethan saw something that made his stomach tighten.
His own name.
ETHAN VALE — POTENTIAL HOST
Below it was a date.
APRIL 17, 2009.
Ethan slowly turned another page.
AGE: 7
COMPATIBILITY: 97%
SYSTEM RESPONSE: POSITIVE
Adrian stepped closer.
“You were tested.”
Ethan shook his head.
“I don't remember.”
“Your memory was altered too?”
“No.”
Ethan stared at the notebook.
“I remember that year.”
His voice became quieter.
“But not this.”
A folded document fell from between the pages.
Ethan picked it up.
It was a medical report.
His name was printed at the top.
But the doctor's name had been removed.
The report contained only one clear sentence:
Subject must never be informed about the system until activation.
Ethan's hands tightened around the paper.
“So they knew.”
Adrian looked at him.
“Your father knew.”
“Everyone knew.”
A sound suddenly came from outside.
The front door slammed.
Both men turned.
Adrian lowered his voice.
“Someone's here.”
Footsteps echoed through the mansion.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Ethan quickly placed the notebook inside his jacket.
“Take the envelope.”
Adrian grabbed it.
The footsteps stopped.
Silence.
Then a man's voice came from the hallway.
“Ethan.”
Ethan froze.
He knew that voice.
Marcus Hale.
Adrian looked at him.
“Why would Marcus come here?”
Ethan didn't answer.
The library door slowly opened.
Marcus stood there.
His expression was calm.
Too calm.
“You've been asking the wrong questions,” Marcus said.
Ethan stared at him.
“Where is my father?”
Marcus smiled faintly.
“You really are Daniel's son.”
“What did you do to him?”
“I didn't take Daniel.”
“Then who did?”
Marcus's smile disappeared.
“The same person who is watching you now.”
Ethan's system suddenly activated.
[TRUTH SCAN AVAILABLE]
Ethan focused on Marcus.
Subject: Marcus Hale
Statement: “I didn't take Daniel.”
Result: TRUE
Ethan's eyes widened.
Marcus wasn't lying.
Then who had taken Daniel?
Marcus looked toward Adrian.
“You shouldn't have brought him.”
Adrian frowned.
“Brought me where?”
Marcus stared at him.
“You still don't remember.”
Adrian's expression hardened.
“Remember what?”
Marcus stepped backward.
“Ask your father.”
Ethan moved forward.
“Victor knows?”
Marcus didn't answer.
Instead, he pulled a small device from his pocket and pressed a button.
The lights in the mansion went out.
“Marcus!”
Ethan heard the front door slam.
He activated Night Vision.
The hallway was empty.
Marcus was gone.
Adrian rushed toward the entrance.
“He escaped.”
Ethan looked down.
Something was lying on the floor.
A small silver card.
He picked it up.
There was only one word engraved on it.
OMEGA.
The system immediately responded.
[NEW ITEM DETECTED]
PROJECT OMEGA ACCESS CARD
Purpose: Restricted Facility Access
Location: Unknown
Then another message appeared.
[NEW MISSION]
Find the original Project Omega facility.
Time Limit: 72 Hours
Reward: $20,000,000
Ethan stared at the screen.
Twenty million dollars.
But this time, the money didn't excite him.
The answer did.
He looked at Adrian.
“Your father knows where the facility is.”
Adrian nodded slowly.
“And Marcus knows something about me.”
Ethan looked toward the dark hallway.
“And someone else is still watching us.”
He closed his hand around the Omega card.
The mystery was no longer about his father's disappearance.
It was about why Ethan Vale had been chosen before he even knew the system existed.
And somewhere in the city, Victor Cross received a phone call.
“Sir,” a voice said, “Ethan found the archive.”
Victor remained silent for several seconds.
Then he asked one question.
“Did he find the photograph?”
“Yes.”
Victor closed his eyes.
“And the notebook?”
“Yes.”
His expression changed.
“Then it's already too late.”
He ended the call.
Across the city, another man watched Ethan through a surveillance monitor.
On the screen was Ethan's image.
The man smiled.
“Now he knows.”
He looked at another screen.
It displayed an old file.
SUBJECT: ETHAN VALE
AGE AT FIRST CONTACT: 7
COMPATIBILITY: 97%
STATUS: ACTIVE
The man whispered:
“Let the final experiment begin.”
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