The moment Rael left the underground archive, the temperature felt colder.
Not in degrees—in atmosphere.
The Tower Hall of Zone-9, once humming with its usual rhythm, now stood quiet, as though holding its breath. Lights flickered not from failure, but hesitation. Every wall, every shadow seemed to watch him.
" Commander " Elane approached, eyes sharp. " Where have you been? "
Rael didn't answer immediately. He glanced sideways. Haven stood behind her, as calm as ever. Miro was seated, stiff, watching data streams with trembling fingers.
" I accessed Level-0 archives " Rael said flatly.
" You weren't authorized " Elane snapped. " Those files are sealed for a reason "
" A reason you never questioned " Rael replied, his voice now steady. " Until now "
The room fell into silence.
Haven finally stepped forward. " What did you see? "
Rael's eyes flicked up. " A zone that doesn't exist. A child without a record. A file called Fractured Commanders. Tell me—have you seen that file before? "
Haven didn't flinch. But he didn't answer either.
Instead, he said, " You've activated a node. The others will feel it "
Rael narrowed his eyes. " The others? "
Elane looked away. Miro swallowed hard.
Ten zones. Ten Commanders.
And until now, Rael thought they were isolated systems.
But something had changed.
---
Meanwhile – Zone-3: Virentia
Far from the metal austerity of Zone-9, Zone-3 was lush, golden, and alive.
Floating cities hovered over jungles of shimmering green. Crystalline spires reached toward the sky like prayerful fingers. Here, magic had replaced technology, and time moved differently.
At the center of it all stood a woman in a deep emerald robe. Her name: Lady Keziah.
She sat on a throne of living vines, eyes glowing silver, watching a projection of Rael's face.
" So… he's awake " she whispered.
A masked attendant bowed. " Zone-9's core has pulsed. The Glass is active "
" Then our time has moved forward " Keziah stood, the plants beneath her feet blooming with each step.
" Shall we intervene? "the attendant asked.
She smiled.
" No. Let him walk further. Either he breaks… or the system does "
---
Back in Zone-9
Rael sat alone in the command chamber, watching footage again.
The boy had said " You once had a mirror " But what did it mean?
Was his memory erased? Or worse… rewritten?
He opened a console and searched for logs predating his first appearance.
Access denied.
He tried again—this time routing through Zone-X's backdoor node, still faintly open from the archive.
And suddenly, a new interface appeared.
> Zone Integration Detected.
Command Override: Initiate Synchronization with Zone-3?
Rael stared.
Someone was watching him.
But he didn't click yes.
He closed the prompt… and walked to the window.
Outside, Zone-9's sky was splitting.
A crack—faint and glimmering—spread like a scar across the red clouds.
---
At that same moment – Zone-5: Ternix
A barren land of machines and war, Zone-5 never slept. Its Commander, Marshal Irven, stood in front of a massive war map.
" Zone-9's signal deviated "said a robotic voice.
" Finally " Irven muttered, lighting a black cigar. " Let's see if that boy can survive the system's teeth "
He looked at the shattered glass panel in his war room—each crack glowing faintly.
" They all break "
---
Later – Zone-9, Observation Deck
Rael met again with Elane, Miro, and Haven.
" We need to prepare for contact ' Rael said.
" Contact with whom? " Elane asked.
" The other Commanders. They're watching. And if I were them, I'd want to kill whatever doesn't follow the script "
" And if you don't follow it either? " Haven asked calmly.
Rael looked straight at him.
" Then let them try "
His reflection in the glass distorted slightly. For a second, it wasn't his face.
But someone older.
Wiser.
And afraid.