(Vena’s POV) The crack inside the floating crystal spread slowly.
Crack…
Another thin silver line appeared across its surface.
No one moved.
No one even dared to breathe.
Outside the chapel…
Nikhil stood beneath the rain, holding the strange black phone in one hand.
The screen displayed the same ancient symbol as my pendant.
Except…
It wasn’t glowing silver anymore.
It was turning crimson.
The little girl’s grip on my wrist tightened.
“You don’t have much time.” The Commander stepped forward.
“Disconnect him.” Two soldiers immediately aimed their weapons at Nikhil.
Blue pulses shot across the entrance.
But the moment they reached him…
They dissolved into tiny particles of light.
As if an invisible wall surrounded him.
The Commander frowned.
“A barrier?” The Guardian quietly corrected him.
“No.” “It’s a permission seal.” The Commander slowly looked toward me.
“He can’t enter the chapel…” “…unless she allows it.” I stared at Nikhil.
“I would never let him inside.” The Guardian’s voice remained calm.
“You already did.” My heart skipped.
“What?” “The moment you crossed the chapel’s entrance…” “…the First Gate accepted you.” “And when it accepted you…” “It recognized everyone connected to your fate.” His words echoed inside my head.
Connected…
To my fate?
Did that mean…
Nikhil had always been connected to me?
Not by family.
But by something much older.
Nikhil finally spoke.
His voice echoed clearly despite the storm outside.
“You’re making this harder than it needs to be.” He looked directly at me.
“Come outside.” “We’ll go home.” Home.
That word almost made me laugh.
Home?
Was that house ever my home?
I slowly shook my head.
“You lied to me.” His expression didn’t change.
“I protected you.” “You killed me.” A brief silence followed.
Rain continued falling.
Then…
Nikhil sighed.
“I knew you’d remember that first.” His answer shocked everyone.
Even the Commander looked surprised.
“You admit it?” “I have no reason to deny something she already knows.” His eyes never left mine.
“But you still don’t understand why.” I clenched my fists.
“Then explain.” Instead of answering…
He smiled.
Not the fake smile.
Not the gentle brotherly smile.
A tired smile.
Almost…
Regretful.
“If I tell you now…” “…you’ll walk out of that chapel on your own.” The Guardian immediately stepped between us.
“Don’t listen to him.” Nikhil chuckled.
“You’ve been hiding the truth longer than I have.” The Guardian remained silent.
Nikhil continued.
“Tell her.” “Tell Vena who sealed her memories.” No one answered.
The silence itself became an answer.
I slowly turned toward the Guardian.
“…Was it you?” He didn’t deny it.
“I didn’t have a choice.” “You promised me…” the little girl whispered quietly.
“…that she would hate you.” The Guardian closed his eyes for a brief moment.
“I remember.” My mind was spinning.
“What is everyone talking about?” No one answered.
Every person inside the chapel knew something…
Except me.
The crystal cracked again.
This time…
A tiny drop of crimson light escaped.
Instead of falling…
It floated toward me.
The Guardian’s eyes widened.
“Don’t touch it!” Too late.
The crimson light entered my chest.
Pain exploded through my entire body.
I dropped to my knees.
It felt as if thousands of voices were whispering at once.
Not words.
Names.
Hundreds…
Thousands…
Millions…
Each one disappearing before I could understand it.
I covered my ears.
“Make it stop!” The little girl knelt beside me.
“You have to breathe.” “I can’t—” “You can.” “You’ve survived this before.” Before?
What did she mean…
Before?
A memory flashed.
Not from the warehouse.
Not from my childhood.
Something older.
I was standing inside a huge library.
Books stretched endlessly in every direction.
A young girl ran through the shelves laughing.
She turned around.
“Catch me!” I couldn’t see her face.
Only her silver eyes.
The same silver eyes as the little girl standing beside me now.
The memory vanished.
I gasped.
The little girl looked at me hopefully.
“You remembered…” I stared at her.
“…I’ve met you before.” Her eyes slowly filled with tears.
“Yes.” “When?” She smiled sadly.
“Long before this life.” The Commander suddenly looked at one of his soldiers.
“Status.” The soldier quickly checked a handheld device.
“The energy inside the Gate is rising.” “How long?” “Maybe ten minutes.” The Commander’s expression hardened.
“We don’t have enough time.” “For what?” I asked.
He looked at me.
“To stop the Second Gate from opening.” Silence.
My heart skipped again.
“…Second Gate?” The little girl immediately looked frightened.
“No.” “It shouldn’t exist yet.” The Guardian slowly turned toward the staircase.
His voice became unusually cold.
“It exists…” “…because someone forced the timeline.” Everyone looked toward Nikhil.
He didn’t deny it.
Instead…
He quietly slipped the phone back into his pocket.
Then…
He began clapping.
Clap…
Clap…
Clap…
The sound echoed through the chapel exactly like it had…
In the warehouse.
For one terrifying moment…
My body refused to move.
The memory of my first death crashed into me.
The gun.
Tanmay’s laughter.
Nikhil’s smile.
Everything returned at once.
He noticed the fear in my eyes.
Then quietly said, “Good.” “You finally remember the feeling.” My nails dug into my palms.
“I’m not afraid of you anymore.” “No.” He nodded.
“You’re afraid of remembering.” For the first time…
I couldn’t answer.
Because somewhere deep inside…
I knew he was right.
A sudden vibration shook the chapel.
Not from beneath.
From above.
Everyone instinctively looked up.
The stained-glass ceiling had changed.
The colored glass now displayed a giant family tree.
Branches spread in every direction.
Hundreds of names.
Most had already faded.
Some were glowing.
One name suddenly lit up.
Not completely.
Only the first letter.
A…
The little girl whispered, “It’s starting…” I frowned.
“What is?” She slowly looked at me.
“The chapel…” “…is trying to remember your real name.” The Guardian’s expression immediately changed.
“Then we have even less time.” I looked up at the glowing ceiling.
If the chapel remembered my true name before I did…
What would happen?
And why did everyone seem more afraid of my name…
Than of the Gates themselves?
The chapel…
Was trying to remember my name.
Not my nickname.
Not the name written on my college ID.
Not the name my adoptive parents had given me.
My…
Real name.
The glowing family tree spread across the stained-glass ceiling like veins of silver lightning.
Each branch shimmered with hundreds of faded names.
Some disappeared before I could read them.
Some glowed brighter for only a second.
Then another letter appeared.
A…
The silver light pulsed.
Another branch illuminated.
R…
The little girl took a sharp breath.
“No…” The Guardian immediately looked at the Commander.
“We’re running out of time.” The Commander nodded without taking his eyes off the ceiling.
“If the Archive finishes identifying her…” “…everything changes.” I looked between them.
“What Archive?” Neither answered.
Again.
Another secret.
Outside…
Nikhil stood perfectly still beneath the rain.
He wasn’t trying to enter.
He wasn’t attacking.
He simply watched.
As though he knew patience would accomplish more than force.
His phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen before quietly saying, “So…” “It has begun.” He wasn’t speaking to us.
He was speaking to someone through an earpiece.
His expression remained calm.
“No.” “The Guardian can’t stop it anymore.” A brief pause.
Then…
“I know.” “I’ll delay her.” Delay me?
Before I could think further…
The Commander suddenly shouted, “Everyone away from the center!” The ancient circle carved into the floor exploded with silver light.
Instinctively, I shielded my eyes.
When the light faded…
Something impossible had appeared.
A hologram.
No…
Not exactly.
It looked like an ultra-modern transparent display projected from the stone itself.
Thousands of glowing symbols floated in the air.
Some resembled letters.
Others looked like mathematical formulas mixed with ancient scripts.
The entire chapel suddenly felt less like a forgotten ruin…
And more like an advanced laboratory hidden beneath history.
I whispered, “…What is this?” The Commander answered before anyone else could.
“The Archive.” “It records every awakened bloodline.” I stared at the floating symbols.
“This…” “This technology doesn’t exist.” The Guardian quietly corrected me.
“It hasn’t existed…” “…for thousands of years.” The holographic symbols suddenly rearranged themselves.
A voice echoed through the chapel.
Not human.
Not mechanical.
Something in between.
IDENTITY VERIFICATION INITIATED.
Every soldier immediately became tense.
The Commander clenched his jaw.
“Already?” The voice continued.
GENETIC SIGNATURE DETECTED.
PRIMARY LINE CONFIRMED.
SEARCHING…
The little girl covered her ears.
“It’s too fast…” I looked around.
“What exactly is happening?” The Guardian looked directly at me.
“The Gate isn’t judging you.” “It’s recognizing you.” The silver symbols began rotating faster.
Fragments of light drifted through the air like digital snow.
One landed on my hand.
The moment it touched my skin…
Another memory flashed.
A classroom.
Not my college.
Far older.
Children sat around circular desks.
Instead of notebooks…
Each child held glowing crystals.
A woman stood before them.
She smiled warmly.
“There are only two rules.” “Never speak your True Name.” “And never answer…” “…when the Gate calls.” The memory disappeared.
I staggered backward.
“No…” The words escaped before I could stop them.
The Guardian noticed immediately.
“You remembered something.” I slowly nodded.
“There was…” “A school.” “Children.” “They were learning about…” I hesitated.
“…True Names.” Silence.
The little girl smiled for the first time.
“They’re coming back.” The Commander suddenly interrupted.
“Not naturally.” Everyone looked at him.
He pointed toward Nikhil.
“He’s accelerating the process.” I frowned.
“How?” The Commander walked toward one of the shattered windows.
“Nikhil.” “What exactly are you waiting for?” Nikhil looked up.
For the first time…
He laughed.
Not loudly.
Just enough for everyone to hear.
“You still haven’t figured it out?” The Commander remained silent.
Nikhil slowly lifted his phone again.
“You think this is controlling the Gate.” “It isn’t.” He turned the screen toward us.
The silver symbol disappeared.
Instead…
A countdown timer appeared.
00:08:43 My heartbeat quickened.
“What is that?” Nikhil answered immediately.
“The time you have left.” The little girl’s face became pale.
“No…” The Guardian stepped forward.
“What did you do?” Nikhil looked almost disappointed.
“I expected you to notice sooner.” The Commander narrowed his eyes.
“You synchronized them.” Nikhil nodded.
“Exactly.” No one else understood.
Including me.
The Guardian finally explained.
“He synchronized the First Gate…” “…with the Second.” My mind raced.
“So?” The Commander’s expression became unusually serious.
“So when this countdown reaches zero…” “…both Gates will open together.” Silence.
Even the rain outside seemed quieter.
I looked toward Nikhil.
“Why?” He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead…
He looked at me.
Not with hatred.
Not with anger.
But with exhaustion.
“You think I ruined your life.” “I didn’t.” “I delayed something far worse.” The Guardian immediately interrupted.
“Don’t believe him.” Nikhil smiled.
“You still haven’t told her who killed her parents.” The words hit me like ice.
My breathing stopped.
“What…?” I slowly turned toward the Guardian.
His silence…
Said more than words ever could.
“You knew?” I whispered.
“You knew what happened?” The Guardian lowered his head.
“I know enough.” My chest tightened.
“Then tell me!” “Not here.” “When?” “When you survive tonight.” I laughed bitterly.
“That’s your answer?” The little girl suddenly stepped between us.
“Stop arguing.” “They’re listening.” Everyone looked at her.
“Who?” She slowly raised one trembling finger.
Not toward Nikhil.
Not toward the Commander.
Not toward the Guardian.
She pointed…
Straight at the ceiling.
At the glowing family tree.
My heartbeat echoed loudly.
“What do you mean?” Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“The Archive…” “…is awake.” The holographic symbols instantly froze.
Every floating letter stopped moving.
The synthetic voice returned.
This time…
It sounded almost…
Curious.
ANOMALY DETECTED.
MEMORY SEAL CORRUPTED.
UNAUTHORIZED TIMELINE IDENTIFIED.
The Guardian’s eyes widened.
“That’s impossible…” The Commander whispered, “It knows.” The voice continued.
SUBJECT…
A long pause followed.
The entire chapel trembled.
The stained-glass family tree glowed brighter than before.
The letters A and R merged together.
A third letter slowly began to appear.
Not fully.
Just enough for everyone to recognize it.
Except me.
The little girl looked horrified.
“No…” “It remembered…” The Guardian immediately covered my ears with both hands.
“Don’t listen!” But it was already too late.
The Archive spoke.
Not loudly.
Softly.
As though whispering directly into my soul.
Welcome back…
Heir of— “…Welcome back…” The voice echoed through the chapel.
Not loud.
Not threatening.
It sounded…
Warm.
Almost as if it had been waiting for me for years.
The Guardian’s hands still covered my ears.
But it didn’t matter.
The voice wasn’t entering through sound.
It was speaking…
Inside my mind.
“…Heir of—” Suddenly…
The little girl screamed.
“STOP!” The silver eye in her right socket began glowing brilliantly.
She raised both hands toward the floating Archive.
The holographic symbols trembled violently.
Every floating letter shattered into thousands of fragments.
The synthetic voice became distorted.
ERROR…
MEMORY LOCK INTERFERENCE DETECTED…
IDENTITY RECOGNITION INTERRUPTED…
The Guardian slowly removed his hands from my ears.
His breathing was heavier than before.
For the first time…
I realized he wasn’t invincible.
He looked…
Relieved.
The Commander stared at the little girl in disbelief.
“…You interfered with the Archive.” She didn’t answer.
Tiny drops of blood trickled from her nose.
Her face had turned pale.
The Guardian immediately caught her before she collapsed.
“You shouldn’t have done that.” She smiled weakly.
“I promised…” “…I wouldn’t let it remember her first.” The Guardian closed his eyes.
“…You always keep your promises.” I looked between them.
“No.” “Someone has to explain.” “What is my real name?” “Why is everyone hiding it?” “What exactly is the Archive?” Silence.
Again.
The Commander finally sighed.
“You deserve answers.” The Guardian immediately looked at him.
“Not all of them.” “We’re past that point.” “No.” “We’re exactly at that point.” The tension between them became unbearable.
Finally…
The Commander walked toward the ancient circle.
He knelt beside it.
“Have you ever wondered…” “…why you remembered dying…” “…but not living?” His question froze me.
“…What?” “You remember the warehouse.” “You remember Nikhil.” “You remember betrayal.” “But tell me…” “What do you remember about your life before that?” I opened my mouth.
Then stopped.
College.
Friends.
Daily routines.
Birthdays.
School.
Everything…
Felt blurry.
Not gone.
Just…
Unnaturally incomplete.
I frowned.
“…Why can’t I remember clearly?” The Commander quietly answered, “Because those memories…” “…were built on top of older ones.” The chapel fell silent.
I slowly looked toward him.
“What does that mean?” “It means…” “…someone rewrote part of your life.” “No.” I immediately stepped backward.
“That’s impossible.” “You can’t rewrite memories.” The Commander looked at me calmly.
“You can’t.” “The Archive can.” I laughed nervously.
“No…” “No, you’re lying.” “My childhood…” “My parents…” “My school…” “They’re real.” The Guardian finally spoke.
“They are real.” “But…” “They aren’t your first memories.” The floor beneath me suddenly felt unstable.
“What?” The little girl slowly opened her eyes.
“You had another childhood.” The words hit me harder than any weapon.
“No.” “You had another home.” “No…” “You had another family.” “Stop.” “You had another—” “I SAID STOP!” My scream echoed through the chapel.
Everyone fell silent.
I couldn’t breathe.
Nothing made sense anymore.
If everything they were saying was true…
Then…
Who exactly had I been?
Outside…
Nikhil quietly watched through the broken entrance.
He didn’t interrupt.
He simply waited.
Almost…
As though he had already predicted this conversation.
His phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen.
Then looked toward me.
“…She’s breaking faster than expected.” Breaking?
Was that all I was to him?
A calculation?
A prediction?
The Guardian suddenly turned toward Nikhil.
“Enough.” Nikhil smiled faintly.
“Then tell her.” “You’ve had twenty years.” “Tell her why you erased her name.” The Guardian remained silent.
The silence answered more than words ever could.
I slowly looked toward him.
“…You did?” He closed his eyes.
“…Yes.” The world stopped.
“You…” “…erased my name?” “I erased everyone’s memory of it.” “…Why?” He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead…
He removed one black glove.
For the first time…
I saw his hand.
Countless silver markings covered his skin.
They looked exactly like the symbols inside the chapel.
“My duty…” “…was to protect the last heir.” “I failed once.” “I wouldn’t fail again.” Before I could ask another question…
The countdown on Nikhil’s phone reached…
00:00:00 Nothing happened.
Silence.
The Commander frowned.
“…Impossible.” Then…
Every light inside the chapel went out.
Complete darkness.
The Archive disappeared.
The family tree vanished.
Only the crimson crystal remained floating in the air.
One heartbeat echoed.
THUMP.
Then another.
THUMP.
The staircase leading beneath the First Gate began shaking violently.
Stone cracked apart.
Ancient dust filled the air.
A deep metallic sound echoed from below.
Not chains this time.
Doors.
Gigantic doors.
Opening.
The little girl whispered in terror, “…The Second Gate…” “…answered.” The Guardian immediately stood.
“Everyone move!” The soldiers rushed toward defensive positions.
The Commander activated a strange device on his wrist.
A transparent blue shield surrounded the chapel.
Outside…
Nikhil didn’t move.
He simply watched.
Almost…
Waiting.
The enormous doors beneath the chapel finally opened completely.
A wave of freezing air burst upward.
The candles extinguished instantly.
Then…
Footsteps.
Not one.
Not two.
Dozens.
Slow.
Perfectly synchronized.
Someone…
Or something…
Was walking toward us.
The soldiers aimed their weapons.
One whispered, “…How many are there?” No one answered.
The footsteps stopped.
Silence.
Then…
A voice.
Not the little girl’s.
Not the Archive’s.
Not human.
Ancient.
Cold.
It spoke only one sentence.
“Which one of you…
carries the True Name?” Every soldier instinctively looked at me.
The Commander looked at me.
The Guardian looked at me.
Even Nikhil…
Looked at me.
Only then did I realize something horrifying.
No one knew my True Name.
Not the Guardian.
Not the Commander.
Not even Nikhil.
Only…
The little girl.
She slowly stepped in front of me.
Her small hands trembling.
She looked into the darkness beneath the staircase and quietly said, “…You’ll have to go through me first.” The ancient voice laughed.
It wasn’t loud.
It wasn’t evil.
It sounded…
Certain.
“Child…” “…you have protected her across every timeline.” “This time…” “…you cannot rewrite fate.” The little girl’s expression froze.
For the first time…
She looked completely shocked.
I stared at her.
Across every timeline?
What did that mean?
Before I could ask— She turned toward me with tears in her eyes.
Then whispered the words that changed everything.
“Vena…
I was never your guide.” A tear rolled down her cheek.
“…I was your little sister.”