Earth Metaverse 10 years,October 11,2031 AD.
The silence pressed in.
Shawn gripped the car door, staring out at the vast, empty landscape.
Salt hung in the air. The wind carried a faint hum, almost musical, as if the earth itself was whispering.
The sky above was wrong.
Stars shimmered in unfamiliar constellations. A deep violet glow outlined the horizon, where land met an endless, black sea.
They weren't on Earth anymore.
The driver, still gripping the wheel, exhaled sharply. "I'm going to ask one more time—what the hell just happened?"
Shawn didn't answer. He was still trying to process it himself.
Kent's voice crackled through the car's comm system. "Shawn? Do you copy?"
He grabbed the dashboard controls. "Kent, I'm here. But I don't know where here is."
Static. Then Kent's voice, sharp and urgent.
"Shawn, listen to me. The moment you disappeared, the enemy's tracking systems went haywire. It's like you dropped off the grid—completely. I can't pinpoint your location. Describe what you see."
Shawn hesitated. How was he supposed to describe this?
Before he could answer, the white-haired man's voice echoed in his mind.
> "Do not fear the unknown. The path has been set."
A pulse of energy rippled from his Zhen Palace Spirit Key, still clutched in his hand.
The silver-gray car, the driver, even the rocky terrain—everything trembled as if caught in a slow-motion ripple of reality itself.
Then, the world split.
A jagged tear opened in the air before them, its edges flickering with golden light.
Through it—another place. Another time.
Shawn saw towering structures of ancient stone, spirals of mist winding through their shattered rooftops. Massive symbols, carved deep into the walls, pulsed with an eerie blue glow.
He recognized them.
Old writings.
The kind found in the earliest texts of the Meta I Ching.
But they weren't supposed to exist anymore.
The driver swore under his breath. "That's not normal."
Shawn didn't argue. He tightened his grip on the Spirit Key, feeling its energy pulse against his skin.
The white-haired man's voice returned.
> "You have little time. Step forward."
Shawn looked at the driver. "Stay with the car. If I don't come back—"
"Not happening." The man shut off the engine. "If you're going in, I'm going in."
Shawn hesitated, then nodded. No time to argue.
They stepped into the light.
The world twisted again—
And the ancient ruins swallowed them whole.
They landed hard.
Dust rose in choking clouds as Shawn and the driver tumbled onto cracked stone.
The air was thick. Stagnant.
Massive pillars stretched toward the sky, their surfaces worn with age. Symbols flickered weakly across them, as if struggling to stay alive.
The driver got to his feet, coughing. "I don't like this place."
Shawn didn't either.
Something about it felt… wrong.
Footsteps echoed.
Shawn turned sharply, his pulse spiking.
From the shadows, someone was approaching.
A woman.
She moved with slow precision, her hooded cloak trailing behind her. Her presence was almost ghostly, her features half-hidden in the dim light.
Then she spoke.
And Shawn's blood ran cold.
"You're late."
Shawn tensed. "You were expecting us?"
The woman tilted her head. "I was expecting you."
The driver muttered, "Fantastic. Another cryptic stranger."
Shawn ignored him. "Who are you?"
She stepped closer, lowering her hood.
Long silver hair. Piercing green eyes. A tattoo of interwoven symbols ran along her right temple, shifting subtly in the dim glow.
"My name is Lucy," she said. "And I am the last the Rift Guardian."
"Lucy? Are you my soul Kin?"
"Yes, I am your past life."
Shawn's mind reeled. The Rift Guardians were legends. Stories whispered among those who studied the ancient ways.
If she was real—then this place was far older than he thought.
Lucy studied him. "You carry the Spirit Keys. But do you understand what they are?"
Shawn hesitated. "They're part of the Meta I Ching. Tools to unlock—"
Lucy cut him off. "No. They are more than tools. They are fragments of something greater."
She raised a hand.
The air around them trembled.
From the temple walls, symbols began to move. They twisted and rearranged, forming new patterns.
And for the first time, Shawn saw the truth.
The Spirit Keys weren't just artifacts.
They were pieces of a language.
A language that shaped reality itself.
The revelation barely had time to settle before—
A deep boom shook the temple.
Shawn and the driver spun toward the entrance.
They had been followed.
Through the crumbling archways, dark figures emerged.
Black suits. Cold eyes. Weapons in hand.
The same men who had chased Shawn through the city.
But now, they weren't alone.
With them stood a tall, hooded figure.
Unlike the others, his presence commanded the space. The air around him felt heavy, as if even reality itself bent slightly in his presence.
Shawn didn't need an introduction.
He knew who this was.
Lucy's expression darkened. "So… they have finally come."
The Master stepped forward. His voice was smooth. Almost amused.
"You've run far, Shawn." His gaze flicked to the Spirit Keys. "But it ends here."
Shawn's heartbeat pounded in his ears.
The driver reached for a weapon. "We need an exit. Now."
Lucy didn't move. "No," she said. "We fight."
Then, with a flick of her wrist, the temple awoke.
A burst of golden energy exploded outward, forming a barrier between them and the Abyss Conclave.
The black-suited men drew weapons—sleek, high-tech devices pulsing with dark energy.
Shawn barely had time to react before the first blast was fired.
The temple shook.
Lucy raised both hands. The ancient symbols surged with power, absorbing the blast.
She turned to Shawn. "The Spirit Keys—use them."
Shawn's breath caught. "I don't know how."
"Then learn. Fast."
More blasts.
The barrier cracked.
The Master of the Abyss Conclave lifted his hand, and the very air darkened around him.
Then—
He lunged.
Shawn had no choice.
He gripped both the Zhen Palace Spirit Key and the Central Palace Spirit Key.
He let their energy surge through him.
For a split second, he felt everything.
The temple. The Rift. The very fabric of reality bending.
And then—
He unleashed it.
A surge of energy erupted from Shawn's hands.
It wasn't just light. It wasn't just power.
It was language.
The words of creation itself.
And as it collided with the Master's attack, the Rift tore open once more.
Light and darkness clashed, the temple trembling under the force.
The battle had just begun.
And Shawn was no longer running.