For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Arin found himself standing in complete silence.
The first time had been during his Awakening Ceremony.
This time felt entirely different.
Back then, the silence had been filled with disappointment.
Now, it was filled with anticipation.
The massive doors of the mansion remained open before him, revealing a grand entrance hall illuminated by a soft golden light. Marble floors stretched as far as the eye could see, interrupted only by intricate patterns that seemed to shift whenever he looked away.
And somewhere inside, a woman had just claimed to have been waiting for him for three thousand seven hundred and forty-two years.
"Big Brother."
"Yes?"
"If we leave now, I promise I won’t tell anyone."
He looked down.
Lyra’s expression was the very definition of concern.
"You want to leave?"
"A mysterious voice just called you Master."
"That’s fair."
"And we’re standing in front of a haunted mansion."
"It’s technically a palace."
"That doesn’t make it better."
Arin couldn’t argue with her logic.
To be honest, he wasn’t entirely convinced this wasn’t some elaborate hallucination caused by stress.
Perhaps he had finally lost his mind somewhere between being disowned and acquiring a sentient motorcycle.
That would certainly explain a lot.
Unfortunately, the Phantom-01’s engine chose that moment to hum impatiently.
"Oh, don’t start."
The motorcycle remained unhelpfully silent.
A notification appeared.
«MAIN RESIDENCE DETECTED.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE UPDATED:
RESTORE HOUSE ELYSIUM.
PROGRESS: 0.01%»
"Point zero one percent?"
Exactly how large was this place?
As if responding to his thoughts, the System generated a map.
Arin immediately regretted asking.
House Elysium occupied nearly the entire valley.
There were districts.
Plural.
Residential sectors.
Research facilities.
Agricultural zones.
Something labeled "Orbital Control" that he was deliberately pretending not to see.
"Absolutely not."
«ORBITAL CONTROL REMAINS LOCKED.»
"Good."
He wasn’t entirely sure what orbital control was, but he strongly suspected the answer would involve enough property damage to upset several kingdoms.
"Big Brother, the house is staring at us."
"The house can’t stare."
"Then explain why I feel judged."
Before Arin could answer, the mysterious voice spoke once more.
«"Young Lady Lyra has been recognized."
"Secondary Authority Candidate identified."»
Both siblings froze.
"What?"
A new screen appeared before Lyra.
She blinked.
"There’s blue writing in the air."
Arin’s eyes widened.
"You can see it?"
"See what?"
"The System."
"The what?"
He paused.
Right.
Nobody else was supposed to be able to see it.
Yet somehow, Lyra could.
Her eyes moved across the floating text.
"What’s Family Authority?"
The silence that followed was deafening.
"Read that again."
"Family Authority?"
Well.
That was new.
«WARNING:
UNAUTHORIZED SYSTEM ACCESS DETECTED.
EXCEPTION:
REGISTERED FAMILY MEMBER.»
Arin stared at the notification.
"So that’s what Family Authority means."
Lyra puffed out her chest proudly.
"I’ve been promoted."
"To what?"
"I don’t know."
That made two of them.
The voice returned once more.
«"Please enter, Master."
"Dinner has been prepared."»
Arin slowly looked toward the mansion.
Then toward Lyra.
Then back toward the mansion.
"...Did the ancient palace just offer us dinner?"
"It would be rude to refuse."
"That’s not the issue."
"It made food, Big Brother."
Again, annoyingly fair.
Eventually, curiosity won.
It usually did.
"Stay close."
"I always do."
Together, the siblings stepped across the threshold.
The moment they entered, the doors quietly closed behind them.
Arin immediately tensed.
"Relax, Master."
He nearly jumped.
Standing in the center of the hall was a woman.
No.
Calling her a woman didn’t feel entirely accurate.
She appeared to be in her early twenties, with silver hair that fell to her waist and eyes the color of the night sky. She wore a black and white dress unlike anything he had seen in this world.
And despite appearing completely human, something about her presence felt... wrong.
Not dangerous.
Just impossible.
She gracefully bowed.
"Welcome home."
Arin stared.
Lyra hid behind him.
The woman slowly raised her head.
"My designation is EVE."
The name felt familiar.
"I am the Keeper of House Elysium."
"The what?"
"The Keeper."
"That explains nothing."
"I have been informed that humans appreciate dramatic introductions."
"Who informed you?"
"I did."
There was a brief pause.
"I may have misunderstood."
Arin was beginning to suspect that Project Elysium had an unusual sense of humor.
"You’ve been waiting for us?"
"For 3,742 years, 118 days, and approximately four hours."
"That’s... oddly specific."
"I became very good at counting."
Lyra cautiously peeked around his shoulder.
"Are you a ghost?"
"No."
"A robot?"
EVE paused.
"That answer is complicated."
"That’s a yes."
"It is approximately seventy-two percent yes."
Arin decided not to ask.
Some questions were better left for future Arin to deal with.
Future Arin was going to be very busy.
"How is this possible?" he finally asked.
EVE tilted her head slightly.
"Which part?"
"All of it."
"That narrows it down significantly."
She gestured toward the hall around them.
"House Elysium was designed to endure."
"Designed by who?"
For the first time, EVE hesitated.
"Information unavailable."
"Convenient."
"I thought so as well."
She led them deeper into the mansion.
Every room they passed was immaculate.
Not a single speck of dust.
Not one sign that thousands of years had passed.
The only indication of the city’s age was the silence.
Eventually, they entered a dining room large enough to host several dozen guests.
At its center sat a table covered in food.
Real food.
Arin stopped walking.
"You prepared all this?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"I cooked it."
"No, I mean after three thousand years."
"I had practice."
Lyra immediately sat down.
"I like her."
"Because she made food?"
"Mostly."
Arin was beginning to understand why Lyra made friends so easily.
They spent the next several minutes eating in relative silence.
The food was incredible.
Which somehow only made the situation stranger.
At one point, Arin became aware that EVE was simply standing nearby.
"Aren’t you going to sit down?"
"I do not require sustenance."
"That’s a yes on the robot thing."
"Approximately seventy-two percent."
Of course.
After dinner, EVE guided them toward what she referred to as the Family Wing.
"The Master Suite has been prepared."
"Prepared by who?"
"I prepared it."
"Right."
The room itself was larger than Arin’s entire residence back at House Valerius.
There was a fireplace.
A study.
A balcony overlooking the valley.
And, somewhat concerningly, a wardrobe containing clothing that fit him perfectly.
"I’m not going to ask."
"A wise decision."
Lyra’s room was somehow even more ridiculous.
It included:
- A library.
- A reading corner.
- A garden.
- A stuffed rabbit approximately three times her size.
She immediately pointed at it.
"Mr. Buttons has a son."
"That is not how rabbits work."
"Too late."
Mr. Buttons Jr. had apparently already been adopted.
Children were terrifyingly efficient at these things.
As the evening wore on, Arin found himself standing alone on the balcony.
The city stretched endlessly below.
Lights illuminated the streets while distant machines quietly carried out tasks he didn’t understand.
Somewhere out there was the life he had lost.
House Valerius.
His father.
The kingdom.
And yet...
For the first time in sixteen years, he felt at peace.
"Beautiful, isn’t it?"
He turned.
EVE stood beside him.
"It is."
"You are different from the previous Masters."
The statement immediately caught his attention.
"Previous?"
The Keeper fell silent.
Then, slowly, she shook her head.
"My apologies."
"Wait."
"That information remains sealed."
"You’re telling me there were other Masters?"
"No."
"You literally just said—"
"I have elected to remain silent."
Arin rubbed his temples.
Apparently, everyone associated with Project Elysium enjoyed withholding information.
"It’ll come back eventually."
"What will?"
"Your memories."
His heart stopped.
"What did you just say?"
EVE looked at him for several long moments.
Then, for the first time since meeting her, she smiled.
A sad smile.
"The Founder always asks that question."
Before Arin could respond, every light in the city suddenly turned red.
An alarm echoed throughout the valley.
«WARNING.
WARNING.
HOSTILE ENTITIES DETECTED.
TWELVE UNAUTHORIZED INDIVIDUALS HAVE ENTERED ELYSIUM TERRITORY.»
EVE’s expression immediately changed.
For the first time, the gentle Keeper disappeared.
In her place stood something ancient.
Something dangerous.
"Impossible."
"What is it?"
She looked toward the northern forest.
"Humans."
Arin frowned.
"That’s a problem?"
"It is when they are carrying the banner of House Valerius."
Silence.
Then, slowly, EVE turned toward him.
"It would appear, Master..."
Her eyes briefly flashed with blue light.
"...that your family has decided to visit."
Somewhere beyond the walls of House Elysium, twelve figures stood at the entrance to the hidden valley.
And at their head was a man wearing the crest of House Valerius.
The Duke had not come personally.
He had sent his hunters instead.
Their orders were simple.
Find the source of the strange phenomenon in the frontier.
And if Arin Valerius was somehow involved...
Bring him home.
By force, if necessary.