Location: Elara Estate – Subterranean Level: Restricted Catacombs
Alethea moved through darkness lit only by the dim glow of blue torches embedded in ancient stone. She was alone, guided only by instinct—and a fragmented map Seren had uncovered in the remains of the old ECHO lab.
It had led her to a hidden door beneath the Elara. A door sealed with fireproof titanium and biometric locks that only responded to her.
She was never told about this place.
Not even Omega had access.
But she felt it—calling.
Echoing in her bones.
Beneath the blood.
Beneath the legacy.
She passed a long hallway etched with strange runes, and at the end, the air changed.
Warm. Metallic.
Alive.
She entered a chamber unlike anything she had seen before.
A Throne.
Carved from obsidian and bone. Hovering an inch above the ground, suspended in magnetic stasis. Symbols circled its crown, pulsing faintly as if in rhythm with her heartbeat.
At its base was a plaque:
> CODE: E-00 – Sovereign Core
"She who sits, reigns. She who reigns, remembers."
Alethea approached cautiously.
Her fingers brushed the throne—
FLASH—
Visions exploded behind her eyes.
---
Vision Sequence – Echo Genesis
> —A lab covered in white light. A young girl with violet eyes strapped to a table. That was her.
—Scientists whispering: "She's the Sovereign Strand. Not just DNA… but design."
—Another girl being created. B-94.
—A third form being kept frozen. Labeled Project Ω-09: Cassiel
—One final message from the head scientist: "If E-00 survives evolution, she inherits the throne."
The vision twisted.
> Flames. Betrayal. A war.
> The throne was not a symbol.
> It was a key.
> To something buried deeper than anyone had dared explore.
---
Alethea gasped, falling back as the visions faded.
The throne pulsed again, brighter this time.
She stood, breath shaking, and finally sat.
The room recognized her.
The floor shifted. Walls cracked open. And below the throne, a spiral staircase unfolded—descending further into earth's forgotten bones.
Omega's voice buzzed in her comm.
> "Alethea. We detected seismic activity beneath you—what's happening?"
She answered softly. "Something older than us, Omega. Something I was meant to find."
---
Location: Elara – War Room
Marco studied a live satellite feed. The explosion in Prague had triggered unexpected tectonic interference—yet the center wasn't where the bomb had detonated.
It was beneath the Elara.
He turned to Seren.
"You said Nyx feared something older than you. What was it?"
Seren looked pale.
"There were whispers in the lab. About a version they couldn't control. One that went missing from records."
Marco frowned. "Alethea's predecessor?"
Seren shook her head. "No. Her shadow. The one they buried so deep, they hoped even time would forget her."
---
Location: Throne Descent – Underworld Chambers
The stairs spiraled for what felt like hours.
Finally, Alethea emerged into a cavern that defied science.
Ancient structures twisted with modern technology. Holograms floated between stone pillars, showing equations, soul-mapping, and simulations of wars never fought.
And at the center—
A containment chamber.
Frozen. Silent.
Inside floated a girl.
Barely older than Alethea. Long silver hair. Eyelids shut.
Her code read:
> Ω-09: CASSIEL
"If awakened, invoke Protocol HALO. World reset authorization required."
Alethea stepped forward.
Cassiel stirred—just slightly.
Then…
Her eyes opened.
Gold. Bright as the sun.
And everything around them trembled.