Lucian awoke to silence.
Not the kind that followed peace, but a void—complete, suffocating silence that pressed against his skull until he could hear the faint thrum of his own heartbeat. His body felt weightless, suspended in darkness that neither moved nor breathed. For a moment, he thought he was dead.
Then he opened his eyes.
The world around him was… wrong.
He stood on what looked like a mirror of shattered glass, fragments of reality suspended in midair, each piece reflecting distorted images of himself—bleeding, falling, burning. The sky was an endless expanse of black, streaked with rivers of silver light that pulsed like veins. Each pulse echoed inside his mind.
The Rift.
He remembered stepping through it. The pain. The voice. The searing flash of white that split his vision—and then nothing.
Now, he was here. Wherever here was.
Lucian took a step forward, and the surface beneath his feet rippled like liquid. His reflection warped. The ripples spread outward, breaking into smaller fragments that floated upward like shards of light.
Something was watching him.
He couldn't see it, but he felt it—the way the air thickened, how his chest tightened, how every nerve screamed at him to run.
Then came the voice.
"Lucian."
Cold. Familiar. The same voice that had haunted his dreams since the night his parents fell into the coma.
Lucian turned sharply, his fists clenched. "Who are you? Why do you keep calling my name?"
The darkness quivered. From it, a figure stepped forward—tall, cloaked in mist, its face hidden behind a shifting mask of light. But the eyes… the eyes were human.
"I am what remains," the figure said. "And you, Lucian, are what comes next."
Lucian's breath caught. "What are you talking about?"
"The Custodian has made his move. The balance is cracking. You felt it, didn't you? The pull. The fracture."
Lucian took a step back, unease rising. "You're talking like I know what that means."
The figure tilted its head. "You don't. Not yet. But you will. The Ascendants fight to claim what they cannot control, and the ACO hides what it cannot contain. You stand between both."
Lucian shook his head. "No. I'm not a part of this. I'm just trying to save my family."
The figure's form flickered, and for a brief second, Lucian saw something terrifying—his own face staring back at him through the mist, distorted by pain and power.
"You think this is about your family?" the voice said softly. "It began with them, yes. But you are not separate from what is coming. You are the key."
Lucian's stomach turned. "The key to what?"
"To the end."
The air split apart. The shards of glass surrounding him began to hum, spinning faster and faster until they formed a swirling vortex of white and silver light. The ground trembled beneath him.
Lucian staggered back, shielding his eyes. "Stop! I don't understand what you want from me!"
"Awaken, Lucian," the voice whispered. "And remember who you were."
Before he could react, the light consumed him.
---
When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on a stone floor.
The air was cold, metallic, and thick with the stench of smoke. He sat up slowly, his vision adjusting. He was no longer in the fractured void—but somewhere entirely different.
A temple.
Massive pillars rose around him, carved with glowing runes that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat. At the center of the room, a giant crystal floated above a circular platform, spinning slowly. Within the crystal, faint shapes moved—human forms, suspended as if in sleep.
Lucian's blood ran cold when he saw their faces.
His parents.
And Neo.
"No…" His voice broke. He stumbled forward, pressing his hands against the barrier. "Neo! Mom! Dad!"
They didn't move. The crystal's surface pulsed, rejecting his touch. The moment his skin made contact, pain lanced through him—a surge of energy so strong it threw him backward.
He hit the ground hard, gasping for air.
"You can't reach them."
Lucian turned. The figure from the void was standing near the base of the crystal, its eyes glowing faintly blue. "They are beyond your reach. Bound to the Source."
Lucian forced himself to his feet. "Then I'll break it. I'll free them."
"You misunderstand. The Source is not a prison. It is the heart of creation itself. Your family was not taken—they were preserved. Because of you."
Lucian's head spun. "Preserved? What are you saying?"
"When the Ascendants fought in your city, when their power clashed and tore open the Rift, a surge of divine energy was released. It should have destroyed everything." The figure's tone softened. "But something—someone—intervened. You. Your awakening began that day."
Lucian stared at his trembling hands. "No… I'm not one of them. I'm not an Ascendant."
"Not yet," the voice said. "But the moment you crossed into the Rift, your essence changed. The Custodian sensed it. That is why he seeks you now."
Lucian's mind raced. Custodian. ACO. Ascendants. His parents. Neo. Everything was connected—and he was standing at the center of it.
"Then tell me what I have to do." His voice steadied, the fear giving way to resolve. "If this power is real, then I'll use it. I'll bring them back."
The figure approached him, stopping only a few feet away. "Be careful what you wish for, Lucian. Power born from despair breeds ruin."
"I don't care," Lucian said. "I've already lost everything."
For a moment, silence. Then the figure extended a hand. "Then take it. Take what is yours."
Lucian hesitated, then reached out. The moment their hands met, energy exploded through the room. The runes ignited, the crystal pulsed, and the entire temple trembled. Light poured from his body, searing through the cracks in the floor.
Lucian screamed. The pain was indescribable—his veins burned, his vision went white, and something deep within him shifted.
When the light faded, the figure was gone. The crystal had darkened, and Lucian's hands were glowing faintly with the same blue light as the runes.
He looked down at himself, trembling. The silence returned—but this time, it wasn't empty. It was waiting.
Lucian clenched his fists.
"The Custodian's Gambit," he whispered. "Then let's see who wins."
---