Location; Sinclair Manor, Tavara – Private Archives
The smell of old paper, polished wood, and sealed stone filled the air as Damien descended the hidden stairway beneath Sinclair Manor. Few knew of this place—an underground vault built by his great-grandfather during Tavara's founding days. Nora followed close, a flashlight in her hand, while Eli secured the perimeter above.
"Are you sure your uncle's message said to meet here?" Nora asked, her voice bouncing off the curved walls.
Damien nodded. "He said, 'If you want answers about Aveline's master plan and what's been hidden from you all your life—go to the vault. I'll be waiting.'"
The hallway opened into a chamber filled with glass cases, old scrolls, and metallic capsules engraved with the Sinclair crest. At the far end, a man stood under a flickering pendant light—tall, rugged, with silver at his temples and a scar running down his jaw.
"Uncle Marcus," Damien said with guarded familiarity.
"Damien," the older man returned, voice gravelly. "And Nora… I see you're as brilliant as your mother."
Nora raised an eyebrow. "You knew my mother?"
Marcus chuckled. "Let's just say we walked in the same shadows once."
Damien stepped forward. "You said you had something that could change everything."
Marcus pulled a velvet pouch from his coat and placed it on the stone table. "The Family Key."
He emptied it carefully. Inside was a narrow crystal shard embedded in a metal frame—ancient, but pulsing faintly with blue light. Nora leaned in, eyes widening.
"This isn't just a key," she whispered. "It's a neuro-linked encryption core… from the old Tavaran elite research division."
Marcus nodded. "And it doesn't just open doors. It activates legacy protocols your grandfather initiated—programs hidden within the foundations of Tavara's infrastructure. Medical networks, surveillance systems, defense tech."
"Why haven't I seen any trace of this?" Damien asked.
"Because you weren't meant to—until now. Your father buried this piece of the empire. He feared what it could become in the wrong hands."
"Like Aveline's," Nora said.
"Exactly," Marcus replied. "She's searching for this. She already found one of the three keys. If she gets all of them, she can unlock the Genesis Protocol."
Damien's voice was low. "What is that?"
Marcus's gaze hardened. "It's not just technology—it's command. Total control over Tavara's AI-driven infrastructure. Military drones, medical records, law enforcement databases, even smart city mainframes. Tavara would be hers. The rest of the world would follow."
A chilling silence followed.
"And why are you telling me this now?" Damien asked. "You've been in exile for years."
"Because I swore to your father I'd protect you from the truth until you were ready to carry the burden. You're ready now, Damien. You've survived assassination attempts, traitors, even your own mother's schemes."
Damien stared at the glowing shard. "Where are the other two?"
"One is in the ruins beneath the old Tavaran Institute," Marcus said. "The last is… with someone you'd least expect."
"Who?"
Marcus hesitated. "Nora's father."
Nora's breath caught. "That's impossible. He died in a plane crash when I was eleven."
Marcus looked directly at her. "That's what you were told. But the man I knew as Rael Walker—he didn't die. He vanished. Because he had the last key."
Damien turned to Nora, his expression unreadable. Her face had gone pale.
Marcus continued. "Aveline was once his research partner before she split paths. They both knew what this project could become."
Nora whispered, "If she finds him… she'll get the last piece."
"Then we better find him first," Damien said.
Marcus placed a hand on Damien's shoulder. "This won't be easy. But if you two unite the keys, you don't just stop her—you redefine the power balance of the modern world."
Damien nodded grimly. "Then it begins now."