Location: Ancient Tunnel Fork – Beneath the Remnant Core, Tavara
Damien hesitated before the pedestal. The orb shimmered, suspended in mid-air, humming with a resonance that pulled at the marrow of his bones. Inside, his reflection morphed—first his current self, then a younger version, and then... someone else entirely. A man who looked like him, but older. Sterner. Regal.
"Is that… your father?" Nora whispered, stepping beside him.
"No," Damien replied slowly. "That's not Marcus Kane. That… that's me. Or who I was meant to become."
He reached out and touched the orb.
Time collapsed.
A rush of images flooded his mind—ancient battles, impossible technologies, floating cities, warriors cloaked in fire and steel. He saw the original Aeon Throne. He saw himself—standing at its foot, bloodied, victorious, and alone.
> "Bearer of the Code. Kingmaker. Fallen Son. Your blood is the bridge."
He gasped as the memory vision faded. The orb snapped back into place, glowing with a blue fire now. A voice echoed again—this time from within his own mind.
> "You carry the last sequence. But awakening it will cost you… everything."
Damien staggered back, panting. Nora caught him before he could fall.
"What did you see?"
He looked into her eyes. "The truth. I'm not just a guardian… I'm the Key."
Before she could respond, the tunnel rumbled again. From the corridor behind them, Zayen's voice rang out—clear and cruel.
> "Do you feel it now, Damien? That trembling in your bones? That's your destiny trying to choose between us."
They turned, weapons drawn.
Zayen emerged with his elite guards, cloaked in energy shields and dark armor.
"Give me the orb," he ordered, his eyes locked on Damien. "You were never meant to carry the burden. You're a corrupted strain—half royal, half rebel. I am the perfect heir."
Nora stepped forward. "You're a coward with delusions of godhood. That doesn't make you heir to anything."
Zayen laughed. "And you, little doctor, still think blood and titles matter? This is about evolution."
He raised his hand. Energy crackled around it, forming a jagged spear of light.
Without thinking, Damien hurled a magnetic pulse grenade. It exploded mid-air, sending shockwaves through the chamber. Nora dragged him behind a fallen pillar as a firefight erupted.
Blades clashed. Shots rang. The orb hovered in the air—untouched but glowing brighter by the second.
In the chaos, Damien crawled toward it again.
"Nora!" he shouted. "Buy me ten seconds!"
She nodded, ducked a blast, and shot forward like a ghost, engaging Zayen hand-to-hand. Their battle blurred—skill against fury, precision against madness.
Damien placed both palms on the orb.
It flared white.
His body convulsed as knowledge poured into him—codes, blueprints, memories of the Celestine archives. He saw Nora's lineage. He saw the map to the Aeon Throne. He saw the one path left to save everything.
And he saw… their son.
Not yet born.
Not yet conceived.
But destined.
The orb released him, falling silent. His veins glowed faintly. He stood up slowly, changed. Empowered.
Zayen sensed it instantly.
"You unlocked it," he snarled, retreating.
"No," Damien said, voice low and steady. "I became it."
With a flick of his wrist, the glyphs on the ground obeyed him. Walls moved. Beams shifted. Zayen's guards were flung back by invisible forces.
Nora reached his side, her eyes wide. "What did you do?"
Damien looked ahead.
"I've accepted who I am. And I know now—we're not running anymore."
He turned to the remaining path, marked with ancient sigils.
"Let's take back the throne."
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