Recap:
Zayn Velarion, reborn in the year 2525 as the only known carrier of the Eternal Bloodline, has escaped the labs of Draeth Industries. He now lives under the alias Zayn Kade in the Undernet, a shadowy part of Neo-Lumina. With newfound powers and burning revenge in his heart, he prepares for war against his reincarnated brother—Lucan Draeth, the CEO who once killed him.
A Shadow in the Dark
The Undernet smelled like rust, oil, and broken dreams.
Neon lights flickered overhead, hanging by wires like spider webs. People moved quickly—hackers with glass eyes, androids missing limbs, and old soldiers looking for redemption. This was where the forgotten lived.
Zayn walked through it all, hood up, eyes sharp. It had been two weeks since his escape from the Genesis Lab. Two weeks of silence, study, and training.
Every night, he practiced controlling his powers in an abandoned train tunnel. He could now move objects with his mind, feel machines like they were skin, and even slow time for brief moments.
But he still couldn't open the Gate again.
That bright, ancient door from his death—glowing with alien symbols and whispers—remained locked in his mind. Every time he meditated, he stood before it. Every time he reached for it, it vanished.
Ghost in the System
Zayn returned to his hidden workshop beneath Griff's scrapyard. Griff, the old data forger, was waiting with steaming cups of synth-tea.
"You've been practicing too hard," Griff said. "Your brain needs rest."
"I don't have time," Zayn replied. "Draeth is growing. Lucan just launched a new neural network. He's plugging into people's minds."
Griff shook his head. "You can't fight a city alone, kid. You need allies. An army."
"I need power first," Zayn said. "More than this. I need the truth about the Gate."
Griff stared at him. "You still hear it, don't you?"
Zayn nodded. "Every time I sleep."
Just then, the screens around the room blinked. A red symbol appeared—a black sun wrapped in silver vines.
Griff cursed. "That's a Ghost Signal."
"What is it?"
"An old AI… ancient. Buried in the code of this city. It only wakes for people like you."
Suddenly, the symbol pulsed, and a voice echoed from the speakers:
"Zayn Velarion. The Gate is calling. Seek the Spire. Beneath it lies the Echo Key."
Then, silence.
Zayn stood frozen.
Griff whispered, "The Spire... it's Draeth's tower. The heart of the city."
The Spire's Secret
Later that night, Zayn broke into a network node using his Eternal powers. He sent a false data request into Draeth's firewall—then rode the backdoor all the way to the tower's blueprint files.
He found what he needed.
Beneath Draeth Tower, buried deep under the city's foundations, was a sealed vault labeled E-001.
"Echo Key," Zayn whispered. "I'm going in."
But the place was heavily guarded. No way to walk in unnoticed. So he didn't walk—he dove.
With Griff's help, Zayn hijacked a garbage drone that traveled through the city's waste system. He crawled inside, holding his breath as the machine flew him through pipes, vents, and tunnels.
After hours, he arrived beneath the tower. The drone dumped him out into a sealed maintenance corridor. From there, he used his powers to fry the locks and open the vault door.
Inside, he found a strange room—circular, ancient, and glowing with the same symbols as the Gate.
In the center floated a crystal sphere, dark and quiet. When Zayn touched it, it exploded in light.
The Gate Returns
Suddenly, he was back.
Back in the Void.
Before the Eternal Gate.
This time, it was open.
A swirling storm waited behind it—stars, planets, voices, memories.
The glowing figures from before stood around him again. They spoke as one:
"Your blood has awakened. The Echo Key has opened your path."
Zayn stepped forward. "What am I?"
"You are not just reborn. You are the last Flame-Bearer of the Eternal Line. Carriers of soul, code, and cosmos. Chosen to stop the Collapse."
"Collapse?" Zayn asked.
"Lucan is more than a CEO. He is a Voidbound—a false Eternal. He will tear the veil between this world and the next to become a god."
Zayn's heart stopped.
All this time, he thought it was personal. Revenge.
But now it was cosmic.
"You must master the three forces," the voices said.
"Soul—your inner light. Code—the language of the world. Ether—the bridge between them."
Zayn knelt before the gate.
"I accept."
The Gate exploded into him. His body twisted, evolved, changed.
When he awoke back in the vault, he was different.
His eyes burned gold.
His veins shimmered with light.
He could hear machines breathing.
Backlash
But power always has a price.
The moment he left the vault, the city changed. Security bots screamed. Cameras followed his steps. Lucan felt the shift.
In his tower, Lucan stood before a screen showing Zayn's face.
"He's back," Lucan whispered.
Behind him, a woman in silver armor frowned. Her name was Kiera, Lucan's loyal enforcer.
"Should I eliminate him?" she asked.
Lucan shook his head. "No. Not yet. Let him grow. Let him think he's winning."
He turned away, smiling darkly.
"He will lead me to the True Gate."
Rising Flame
Back in the Undernet, Zayn returned to Griff, barely able to stand. Energy crackled off his skin.
Griff helped him into a chair. "You look like you've seen the beginning and end of time."
"I have," Zayn muttered.
He opened his palm. A small flame floated there—golden, silent, alive.
"Flame of the Soul," Griff whispered in awe. "You've crossed the threshold."
Zayn nodded. "Lucan wants the Gate. He wants godhood."
"And you?" Griff asked.
"I want to stop him."
"But why? After everything he did to you?"
Zayn stared into the flame.
"Because this time, it's not just about me. It's about saving the world from him."