Rael woke up with a throbbing headache. The dim blue light from the crystal in the ceiling illuminated the cramped room filled with strange machines—glass tubes containing greenish liquid, cables moving like snakes, and holographic screens displaying unreadable data. The smell of metal and machine oil pierced his nose.
"Don't move too much," Dax's voice came from the corner of the room. The man was adjusting a spiderweb-shaped device in his hands, his eyes fixed on the screen displaying Rael's body diagram. "We almost lost you. The energy inside you... almost burned your brain's neurons."
Rael tried to sit up, but the pain in his chest made him cough. "Where am I?"
"In a place that the Lumen Faction can't find," Lyra answered, suddenly appearing from behind the metal door. She tossed a rusty medallion into Rael's lap. "Do you recognize this?"
Rael held the medallion. On its surface was an engraving of a split sun symbol, just like his nightmares. But on the back, there was an inscription that made his heart stop: "To Kael Veygar, Gatekeeper of Aetheris."
"That's my father's name," Rael whispered. "But... he died in the War of the Gatekeepers."
Lyra and Dax exchanged glances. "We found you in the ruins of an old technomagic factory," Dax said. "In a room that could only be opened with Kael's DNA. And you... you could enter."
A hologram suddenly appeared on the table—a damaged, old recording. A man with a face similar to Rael's, but older, wearing a technomagus robe, spoke in a hoarse voice: "If this recording is found, it means they've found you, Rael. I'm sorry... I had to seal your memories—"
The recording was cut off by the sound of an explosion.
"Your father hid you," Lyra hissed. "But not from Arkanis. From the Lumen Faction. They're the ones who triggered the War of the Gatekeepers. They're the ones who killed him."
Rael stared blankly. His memories were like fog—he only remembered living as a street child, never knowing his origins. "Why would they want to kill a child?"
"Because you're no ordinary human," Dax interrupted, pointing at the screen showing Rael's spiral DNA. "You have active Arkanis genes. Your father merged you with the dimension's core to save you from the plague they spread."
Before Rael could ask, an alarm blared loudly. The screens on the walls turned red, displaying a message: "Intruder Detected: Ventilation Sector."
Lyra drew a short sword from her waist. "The Lumen Faction found us. Dax, get ready!"
Dax pressed a button on the wall. The machines in the room powered up, revealing energy weapons from hidden panels. "We have 3 minutes before they breach the door."
Rael tried to stand, his body still shaking. "I have to go. They're after me, not you."
Lyra pushed him back into the chair. "Idiot. Do you think they'll let a living witness breathe?" A holographic photo appeared in her hand—an image of young Rael being carried by a man who resembled Kael, with a woman in the background with crystal wings.
"Your mother... Arkanis?" Rael gasped.
"And you are the key to opening the Aetheris Gate," Lyra added. "If the Lumen Faction gets their hands on you, they'll repeat history—destroying other dimensions for power."
A thunderous explosion shook the room. The metal door began to melt under the laser beams.
"Dax, run the escape protocol!" Lyra shouted.
Dax grabbed Rael's arm. "Hold this!" He handed Rael a handheld device containing a blue crystal. "This will take you to safety. But you have to jump just as the portal opens!"
"Wait! You—"
"We can handle ourselves," Lyra cut in. "Meet Sage in the Lower District. He's the only one who knows how to control your power."
Dax pressed a button. The wall behind Rael opened into a swirling blue portal. Outside, the city of Aether was burning.
"Jump!" Dax yelled.
Rael jumped, but at the last second, an iron mechanical hand shot out from the smoke—a Lumen Faction drone grabbed the medallion around his neck. The chain snapped, and the medallion fell into the portal.
"No!" Rael shouted.
But the portal had already closed. In his hand, only the broken chain remained... and the resolve to uncover the truth.