Part 2 – The Eternal Gate
Zane's body drifted through a tunnel of glowing energy.
There was no sound. No ground. No up or down. Only light—warm, soft, and endless. His body felt weightless. His thoughts slowed. His pain faded.
Then came the voices.
"He is marked. The last of the Line."
"His blood carries the spark. The rare flame has returned."
"Let him pass."
Zane opened his eyes.
He stood in a giant hall that looked like it had been carved out of crystal and stars. Floating orbs lit the space with a soft blue glow. Strange markings covered the walls—shapes, letters, and signs from languages he had never seen but somehow understood.
In the center stood a stone gate, at least twenty feet tall. Carved across its surface were the same glowing symbols he had seen in the prison wall.
Something ancient. Something calling to him.
A figure stepped out from the shadows.
She was tall and cloaked in silver robes. Her face was hidden, but her voice echoed like wind over water.
"You have returned, child of the Flame."
Zane took a step forward. "Where am I?"
"You stand before the Eternal Gate. Only those with the ancient blood may enter."
"Ancient blood?"
"Your soul is not new. You are one of the rare-blooded. The Eternal Line runs in you. You were betrayed—but not ended. You are chosen."
Zane blinked. "Chosen for what?"
"To rise again. To awaken what was once lost. To balance the broken world."
The woman raised her hand, and a glowing circle appeared above Zane's chest. Within it: a burning symbol.
"This is your mark. You are now bound to the Gate."
Zane stared at the mark. It burned without pain. It felt... right. Like a piece of him had finally returned.
"Walk through the Gate," the woman said. "And begin again."
As Zane stepped forward, a surge of power rushed into him. Memories—some his, some not—flashed through his mind.
He saw stars collapsing.
He saw machines kneeling to light-born gods.
He saw cities floating above oceans of code.
And then… nothing.
Just silence.
And cold.
Rebirth in Neo-Lumina
Zane gasped, his eyes flying open.
The world around him was white, glowing. Machines buzzed softly nearby. A cold gel covered his body.
He sat up with effort. Tubes pulled from his arms. He was inside a strange glass pod. The ceiling above showed a glowing sky full of neon trails and flying cars.
A robotic voice spoke overhead.
"Welcome, Subject 0-Z. Location: Lab Sector 9. City: Neo-Lumina. Year: 2525."
Zane looked at his hands. They were young. Strong. But different.
"Neo-Lumina…?" he whispered.
His body had changed. He felt faster, sharper—awake in a way he'd never known before.
He stood and walked to a nearby mirror. The man looking back had the same eyes—but everything else was new. His face was lean, his skin marked with faint, glowing lines—veins of energy.
The mark from the Gate still glowed on his chest.
The pod hissed open. A woman in a white coat gasped and dropped her tablet.
"Subject 0-Z is... alive?" she whispered.
Zane narrowed his eyes. "Where am I really?"
She stepped back. "You… you were part of the Eternal DNA project. You weren't supposed to wake up!"
Zane walked toward her. "What year is this?"
"2525," she answered. "You've been… asleep for 300 years."
Zane stepped out of the lab into the city—and was hit with a wave of color, sound, and light.
Neo-Lumina—a place of sky roads, AI towers, and endless digital screens. Giant drones flew overhead. People walked with glowing implants in their arms. Ads blinked from the sides of buildings, offering cyber upgrades and mind-links.
Everything had changed.
Zane's old world was gone. The Vale family, the betrayal, the company—dust in history.
But his purpose remained.
"They killed me once," he thought. "I won't let it happen again."
He looked up at the tallest tower nearby. It belonged to Drax Corp, the most powerful tech company in the city.
At the top of that tower, a familiar name blinked in white letters:
Lucan Drax – CEO.
Zane's blood froze.
Lucan had survived.
He had taken a new name.
And he now ruled the future.
Zane clenched his fists.
"Then let this future tremble. I have returned."
Streets of Steel and Shadows
Zane stepped out of the lab into the heartbeat of Neo-Lumina.
Neon signs blinked in the sky, floating beside giant buildings made of glass and steel. People rode on hoverboards or zipped by in floating cars. Everyone was plugged in—eyes glowing faintly from implants, arms wrapped in tech bands, some walking with AI pets made of light.
He wore a simple black jacket and pants borrowed from the lab. His mind was racing, but one thing was clear: he needed to survive.
And to do that, he needed information.
A large screen lit up above the street:
"DRAX CORP ANNOUNCES NEW BIO-TECH ALLIANCE. CEO LUCAN DRAX SPEAKS AT 9 PM."
Zane's jaw tightened. Lucan. His brother. The one who had stabbed him in the back 300 years ago. Now, Lucan was here—ruling this city, rich, powerful, and worshiped.
Zane looked around.
He was nothing in this world.
No money. No ID. No contacts.
But he had one thing no one else did—the mark of the Eternals.
As he walked down the street, the crowd parted slightly. A man bumped into him, and both staggered.
"Watch it," the man snapped, and walked off.
But Zane noticed something strange—his hand was glowing faintly where it had touched the man. A stream of code-like symbols ran down his fingers before fading.
What was that?
Zane ducked into an alley, focused, and closed his eyes.
Suddenly, a flash of information entered his mind: the man's name, age, last location, and bank balance. All from a single touch.
"Technomancy," he muttered. "I can… read data from people?"
A grin crept across his face.
He wasn't helpless after all.
First Glitch
Later that evening, Zane found shelter in the underground districts—old subway tunnels turned into hacker dens and forgotten communities. Here, the air smelled like rust and oil, and flickering lights barely lit the paths.
He sat near a broken vending machine, pulling pieces off and studying the tech. When he touched the circuit board, it lit up instantly.
Repaired.
Enhanced.
AI seed planted.
Zane blinked. "I can fix machines… and upgrade them just by touching?"
Suddenly, the machine spoke.
"Hello. Would you like a drink?"
Zane laughed softly. "I think I just made a friend."
A noise echoed nearby. Three thugs stepped out of the shadows—armed with cyber-blades and scanning visors.
"Hey," the leader said, eyeing Zane's clean jacket. "Fresh meat. Hand it over."
Zane stood. "You don't want to do this."
"Cute," the thug growled, and charged.
Zane raised a hand—and the world around him glitched.
Time slowed.
His vision turned blue.
He saw weak points in the thugs' bodies. Saw the code of their implants. Knew exactly how to disable them.
In one move, he ducked, grabbed a pipe, and struck the leader's arm. Sparks flew. The man screamed as his blade shorted out.
Another thug lunged. Zane touched his chest—and whispered:
"Ego Burn."
The thug dropped instantly, twitching, his visor cracked and eyes rolling back.
The last one ran.
Zane breathed heavily. His hands were shaking, but he was alive.
And more powerful than he had ever been.
They turned me into a weapon.
Now I'll become a legend.
The Watchers
That night, as he rested in a dark corner of the tunnels, Zane had a dream.
No—a vision.
He stood in a space without walls or ground. The sky was full of stars and code.
A ring of figures floated around him—tall, glowing beings in cloaks of energy.
"You are the last spark," one said.
"Your blood holds the lost flame," said another.
"Beware the ones who remember."
Zane opened his mouth to speak—but they were already fading.
One final voice echoed:
"Your revenge begins now. But the true war has not yet begun."
He woke up, gasping.
Somewhere deep in the city, Lucan Drax smiled as he looked out from his tower.
"We felt the Gate shift," Lucan said to a shadow behind him.
"So… the flame has returned."
Final Part – Spark of Vengeance
The next morning, Zane climbed to the roof of a half-collapsed building and stared out at Neo-Lumina.
This city was massive—skyscrapers that touched the clouds, highways that circled the air, drones flying like bees. But all of it was just a shell. Behind the shine, Zane saw the truth—a world run by corporations, not governments.
And at the top of it all… was Lucan.
His brother.
His killer.
Now reborn as the most powerful CEO alive.
Zane gritted his teeth.
He didn't care how much time had passed.
He didn't care how strong Lucan had become.
"You took everything from me," Zane whispered.
"Now I'll take it all back."
He opened his hand. The Eternal Mark glowed bright. Energy flowed up his arm.
The war had started.
Not with armies.
But with a single man.
One who had died once...
...and come back with fire in his soul.