The night wrapped around the academy like a thick blanket, stars twinkling through the dome's transparent sections. In their shared room, Roland, Cole, and Ian slept soundly after the exhausting day of learning and night of goofing off. The Grimoire, which Roland had carefully placed on his bedside table, began to stir.
At first, it was merely a subtle vibration, barely noticeable in the quiet room. Then, defying gravity, the ancient book lifted itself into the air, floating gracefully until it hovered directly above Roland's sleeping form. The leather-bound tome began to pulse with an ethereal light, its pages fluttering without any breeze to move them.
Suddenly, the book burst into pure light, transforming into a brilliant wisp that descended toward Roland's forehead. As it made contact, Roland's body tensed, but he remained asleep. Behind his closed eyelids, a vision began to unfold.
*One year after Monstrosity's Dawn.*
The world Roland saw was barely recognizable. Vast chasms split continents, mountains had crumbled, and entire cities lay in ruins. The human population had been decimated, reduced to scattered settlements struggling to survive against the endless waves of monsters that plagued the earth. The sky itself seemed wounded, streaked with strange colors that no one had ever seen before the catastrophe.
In humanity's darkest hour, when hope seemed lost, a single figure emerged. Roland watched as a man appeared, his presence commanding attention even in the chaos. He wielded powers beyond imagination – light and darkness bent to his will like obedient servants. Monsters that had terrorized humanity fell before him, their shadows dispersing like smoke in a strong wind.
The vision shifted, showing this mysterious savior standing alone against hordes of monstrosities. His power was magnificent to behold – beams of pure light lancing through the darkness, shadows coalescing into barriers that protected fleeing civilians. Single-handedly, he created safe zones where humanity could catch its breath, could begin to fight back.
During this reprieve, Roland watched as humanity rallied. The Chronol family emerged as leaders in technological advancement, developing weapons and systems that would give mankind a fighting chance. Other pioneers, people who got their abilities naturally instead of ability books, stepped forward, establishing factions that would eventually spread across Earth and into space itself. The man's actions had given humanity the time it needed to adapt, to evolve, to survive.
But then the vision darkened, showing the man retreating to a secluded island after his work was done. Roland felt a deep sadness as he watched what came next – the very people this hero had saved turning against him. The military forces of Earth, now calling themselves the Earthbornes, along with three other powerful factions, moved against him. Their fear of his power, their inability to control or understand it, led them to declare him a threat.
The attack was massive – thousands of soldiers, advanced weapons, and faction leaders all focused on eliminating one man. Roland witnessed the hero's last stand, his power undiminished even in the face of overwhelming odds. Over a thousand soldiers fell before him, not dead but incapacitated, showing mercy even in his final hours. Two faction leaders met their end trying to overcome his defenses.
But even this power had limits. In his final moments, the man ensured his family's escape, sacrificing himself so they might live. Roland felt the hero's last thoughts – not of anger or vengeance, but of hope for his family's future.
The vision continued, showing the aftermath. The hero's wife, hunted like an animal, was found and killed a month later. But their adult son, with his wife and two kids, vanished completely. The TerraUnity Council, which consisted of the military and the last faction whose leader was not killed moved quickly to bury the truth, to ensure this story would never reach the public's ears.
As the vision began to fade, Roland heard a name, spoken with both reverence and sorrow: Morgan Kuiper.
Roland's eyes snapped open, his heart pounding in his chest. Sunlight streamed through the windows, marking the arrival of morning. The dream – no, the vision – felt more real than any he'd ever experienced. Every detail remained crystal clear in his mind, unlike the usual fading fragments of normal dreams.
He turned to his bedside table, reaching for the Grimoire, but his hand found only empty space. A profound understanding settled over him: the book was gone. It had completed its purpose, leaving him with this final, crucial message. The truth of his heritage, the legacy of Morgan Kuiper, was now his to bear.
Cole stirred in his bed across the room, yawning as he sat up. "Morning. You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Roland stared at the empty space where the Grimoire had been, his mind still processing everything he'd learned. "Not a ghost," he murmured. "A legacy."
Ian, always the light sleeper, was already up and pulling on his military uniform. He paused, noting the tension in Roland's voice. "What do you mean?"
But Roland couldn't find the words to explain, not yet. The weight of what he'd learned pressed down on him like a physical force. He was the descendant of Morgan Kuiper – a hero who had saved humanity only to be betrayed by it, a man whose power over light and darkness had been so great that the combined forces of Earth had moved to destroy him.
The morning sun cast long shadows across the room, and Roland found his eyes drawn to them. For a moment, he thought he saw them shift, responding to his attention. The power that had seemed so strange and uncontrollable before suddenly made perfect sense – it was his birthright, passed down through generations of hiding and survival.
"The Grimoire," he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's gone."
Cole rushed over to look at the empty table. "Gone? How? Where?"
"It showed me something," Roland replied, still watching the shadows. "Something important. Something true." He stood up, feeling different somehow – stronger, more centered, more aware of the forces moving around him. "And I don't think I'll ever be the same."
The morning light streamed through the window, casting both light and shadow across Roland's face as he contemplated his next move. The Grimoire had given him its final gift – the truth. Now he had to decide what to do with it.
Ian approached carefully, studying his friend's face. "Roland, what exactly did you see?"
But Roland just shook his head, not ready to share the full story. Not yet. Not until he understood what it all meant, and more importantly, who he could trust with the knowledge that the TerraUnity had worked so hard to bury.
As his friends prepared for the day ahead, Roland remained lost in thought, the vision of Morgan Kuiper's last stand playing over and over in his mind. He was the descendant of a hero, yes, but also the heir to a power that had frightened the most powerful organizations in human history. The knowledge was both a gift and a burden, a source of pride and a warning.
The Grimoire was gone, but its final message would stay with him forever. Roland Kuiper, descendant of the man who had saved humanity, now faced a choice: hide from his legacy, or embrace it and face whatever consequences might come.
As he finally moved to prepare for the day ahead, Roland caught his reflection in the window. For a moment, just a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of light dance across his eyes, matched by a deepening of the shadows around him. The power was there, waiting. The question was no longer what he could do with it, but what he would choose to do.
The legacy of Morgan Kuiper lived on, and now it was up to Roland to decide what that meant for the future – both his own, and perhaps, like his ancestor before him, the future of humanity itself.