Earth Metaverse 10 years,October 11,2031 AD.
The black sedan roared down the empty streets, cutting through the city like a silent predator.
Shawn sat in the back, his grip firm around the Central Palace Spirit Key, his pulse finally slowing after the relentless chase. His fingers twitched, as if still feeling the weight of the Key, its presence a constant reminder of the battles fought and the lives lost.
Lucy, beside him, remained quiet. Her expression was unreadable, but the tension in her posture told him—she was still on edge.
The battle was over—for now—but danger still lurked in the shadows.
Arriving in the capital, Kent was already waiting for them.
They weren't heading to CP-Hub immediately. First, they had to make a stop at X-Red Base.
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up to a nondescript, underground entrance. The only visible sign of its importance was a crimson insignia on a steel-reinforced door—a stylized "X" intersected by a dagger.
Kent stepped out first, placing his palm on a biometric scanner embedded in the wall. A red light flickered, then turned green. A deep metallic click echoed through the alleyway as the heavy door slid open.
"Inside. Quickly."
Shawn and Lucy followed, stepping into a long, dimly lit corridor. The air was cool, the walls reinforced with thick metal plating. Cameras tracked their every move, and Shawn had no doubt that armed guards were watching from hidden points.
This was X-Red Base—one of the most secure strongholds in the underground network.
At the end of the corridor, another door slid open. Inside, standing beneath a soft white overhead light, was a man Shawn had only met once.
An elderly figure, his silver-white hair tied back, eyes sharp and filled with wisdom. He wore a long, dark embroidered robe, giving him the air of a sage from another era—Elder Pingzi. A keeper of the old knowledge. A leader who moved behind the curtains. A man whose presence alone carried weight.
As Shawn and Kent stepped inside, Elder Pingzi's gaze flickered over them—then froze on Lucy.
His eyes widened slightly, the usually composed lines of his face betraying a brief flicker of shock.
"…Impossible," he murmured, barely audible.
He turned sharply to Kent. "Is this real?"
Kent, equally serious, nodded. "When I first saw her, I couldn't believe it either."
Lucy took a step forward. Her voice was steady, but something in her eyes hinted at the weight of what she was about to say.
"I am Lucy. But not the one you remember," she said. "I come from another world."
She paused, letting the words settle in the heavy silence.
"And now... I am a Rift Guardian."
Elder Pingzi exhaled slowly, studying her with the gaze of someone seeing both the past and the impossible future at once. For a moment, he said nothing. Then, with an almost imperceptible nod, he turned his attention back to the Spirit Key in Shawn's hands.
"You have done well," he finally said, his voice calm yet firm. "Keeping it safe was no small task."
Shawn hesitated only a moment before stepping forward, carefully extending the Spirit Key toward the Elder.
The moment Elder Pingzi's fingers touched its surface, the Spirit Key pulsed—a single, slow vibration, as if recognizing another guardian.
A faint smile crossed the Elder's lips. "It still holds its will. Good."
Kent folded his arms. "We need to move. The Chairman is waiting for us."
Elder Pingzi nodded. "Then let us not delay."
---
The drive was silent. The tension inside the car was thick, the air filled with unspoken thoughts.
Shawn stared at the city lights flashing past, the events of the past few hours playing on a loop in his mind. The chase. The battle. The strange, glowing figure that had guided him.
His fingers twitched again, the phantom weight of the Spirit Key lingering in his grasp. He clenched his fists, trying to shake the emptiness that had settled in his chest.
The battle for possession of the Central Palace Spirit Key had been brutal. And yet, as they neared CP-Hub, Shawn couldn't shake the feeling that something even bigger was waiting ahead.
When they finally arrived, the building stood before them, majestic and heavy, intimidating. A red brick fortress that stood in the center of the city like an untouchable boulder.
Their car was guided through multiple security gates, each checkpoint more fortified than the last. It was clear—CP-Hub took no risks.
Once inside, they were led through a series of high-tech corridors, every surface polished to perfection, every movement recorded by hidden cameras. The walls hummed with energy, embedded with surveillance tech far beyond anything Shawn had ever seen.
At last, they entered a vast, dimly lit chamber.
A single long, wooden table stood at the center. At the far end, a floor-to-ceiling window overlooked the sprawling city.
And there, standing before it, was a lone figure—The Chairman of CP-Hub.
The air shifted the moment they stepped in. Cold. Heavy. Calculated.
Elder Pingzi exchanged a glance with Kent, then stepped forward. He carried the Central Palace Spirit Key with both hands, approaching the table with the grace of someone performing a sacred ritual.
As he placed the Key on the smooth wood surface, a faint hum resonated in the air.
The energy in the room changed.
The Chairman, his face still turned toward the window, did not move immediately.
A long, tense silence followed.
Then, slowly, he turned.
His gaze swept over the Spirit Key, then up to them. His expression remained unreadable, his eyes like shards of ice.
Then, with an almost mechanical motion, he extended a hand, picked up the Central Palace Spirit Key, and locked it into a reinforced case at his side.
No questions. No acknowledgment.
Just the quiet click of the security mechanism sealing it away.
The meeting was over.
Elder Pingzi offered a respectful bow. "It is done."
The Chairman gave a slow nod. Then, without another word, he turned back to the window, as if they had never entered.
---
As they exited CP-Hub, Shawn felt an odd emptiness in his hands.
For so long, he had carried the Spirit Key, fought for it, protected it.
And now... it was gone.
The weight of responsibility had shifted.
Kent clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You did good, kid. It's safe now."
Shawn let out a breath. "For now."
Lucy smirked. "We both know this isn't over."
Elder Pingzi turned to Shawn, his eyes deep with understanding. "Tonight, you crossed a threshold. You are no longer just a keeper of knowledge. You have become part of something greater."
Shawn didn't respond immediately. He just stared at the city, the glow of a thousand lights stretching into the night.
The battle for the Spirit Key was over.
But something told him...
The real war had just begun.