Wrath of the Forgotten Lineage

The pressure of the deep ocean was oppressive, even for a ship as advanced as the Abyss Warden. All around them, colossal bioluminescent creatures drifted past the windows like ghosts. The ancient city that surrounded the second Ark was silent, buried beneath silt and time, but it still thrummed faintly—like it remembered being alive.

Inside the control chamber of the ship, Darius, Selene, Elias, and Yamato stood before the dormant sphere of the second Ark. Its surface was covered in concentric rings of glowing text—Void Century language, long banned by the World Government.

Elias adjusted his glasses, hands moving across the translucent glyph-screen of his interface. "The Ark's alive, just… sleeping."

"Can you wake it up?" Darius asked.

"I can try. But it's not just a machine. This Ark responds to Will. Not programming."

Selene stepped forward and placed her palm on the central node. The Ark pulsed, then began unfolding like a blooming flower. Light poured from its core.

A projection burst into the air—an image of a tall man in golden armor, his face obscured by a sun-shaped mask. His voice, though filtered by time, was rich with gravity.

> "To those who have found this Ark… you carry the burden of truth. I am Solon, Keeper of Memory. This world was not born in peace, but in rebellion."

The crew listened, transfixed, as Solon's projection continued.

> "In the final days of the First Dawn, the Great Civilization fractured. One half sought unity through harmony. The other—through control. The Genesis Arks were our last rebellion… vessels of memory, meant to awaken the descendants of truth. One remains. Find it, and learn what was stolen from you."

Darius clenched his fists as the message ended. "They were trying to preserve the world's real history. Before the Twenty Kingdoms destroyed it."

Yamato looked thoughtful. "That means the World Government's existence… is built on a lie."

Selene nodded grimly. "And they'll kill anyone who learns the truth. Just like they tried to kill us."

From the other side of the chamber, the soft clang of a cell door opening echoed. Darius turned—Hancock and Black Maria had escorted the Seraphim girl into the room.

She walked unsteadily, her black Lunarian wings flickering with pale flame. Her red eyes were dull now, and her expression was unreadable.

"You shouldn't be out of the brig," Selene said warily.

"I let her out," Hancock said calmly. "She didn't resist. She… asked to see you, Darius."

The girl's gaze locked onto his. "Who… am I?"

Darius stepped forward slowly. "You're a Seraphim. They made you from my father's DNA. His blood… flows in both of us."

"I… remember pieces. A voice. A ship. Rage." Her voice trembled. "But I don't want to kill anymore."

Elias scanned her with a cautious eye. "Her programming core is destabilizing. The more she's around Darius, the more her obedience protocols weaken."

"She's not just a weapon," Darius said softly. "She's a person. A child born into chains."

The Seraphim looked up at him. "Do I have… a name?"

Darius paused, then said, "You were made from Rocks D. Xebec. So they probably called you… S-Rocks."

She flinched.

"No," he added. "That's not a name. That's a label."

He looked to Selene. "What's a word for someone reborn?"

"'Aria,'" Selene said after a moment. "In the old language, it means awakening song."

The girl blinked. "Aria…"

She smiled—just a little. "I like it."

Darius nodded. "Then that's who you are now. Welcome aboard, Aria."

Black Maria gently placed a cloak over the girl's shoulders. "You're safe now."

But safety was a fleeting illusion.

An alert blared through the ship. Selene's eyes widened as she read the incoming signal. "Something just entered the trench. Big. Fast. And it's heading straight for us."

Elias's face paled. "That energy signature… it's a Marine Abyss-Class Automaton. A Leviathan. They've deployed it as a failsafe."

"Then they know we've found the Ark," Darius growled. "They're not even trying to keep it quiet anymore."

He turned to Aria. "Can you fight?"

She looked down at her trembling hands, then back up. "I can try. But I don't want to be a killer."

"You don't have to be," he said. "Just protect the crew. Protect your family."

That word made her eyes widen. Family.

---

Minutes later — Outer Trench

The Abyss Warden floated in defensive posture, all weapon systems charged. From the black fog of the deep came the Leviathan—a machine the size of a battleship, with a serpentine body plated in World Government alloy, and a cannon where its mouth should be.

It screamed, a mechanical wail that shook the ship to its core.

Yamato leapt from the deck, slamming her kanabo into the Leviathan's snout, staggering it. Black Maria's webs tangled its limbs while Selene launched pulse mines that disrupted its sensory field. Elias stayed at the helm, navigating the ship through the narrow trench walls.

Darius soared out next, his blade now fully ignited with crimson dragonfire. He aimed for the Leviathan's core, clashing against its armor with explosive fury.

"Selene, status on the Ark?" he shouted.

"Still decoding the last encryption layer," she replied. "Five more minutes!"

That's when the Leviathan broke free—and targeted the Ark chamber directly.

"No!" Elias shouted.

But then… Aria moved.

She stepped forward, eyes glowing again, but not with violence. With defiance.

"No more killing," she whispered.

Her wings ignited.

She flew directly into the Leviathan's beam attack—her body glowing with an ancient energy unknown to the crew. Her palms extended, intercepting the blast with a barrier of golden light.

"What the hell is that?!" Elias shouted.

"It's not from the Seraphim protocols," Selene said. "That's… something older."

Darius's eyes narrowed. "She's not just a clone. She's something more."

The beam faded. The Leviathan, weakened, was exposed—and Darius struck its core with a thunderous roar, slicing through its heart. The machine exploded, pieces scattering across the trench.

Aria fell, unconscious—but smiling.

Darius caught her in his arms.

"You're free now," he said softly. "No one will ever control you again."

---

Later — Second Ark chamber

The final layer unlocked.

The Ark projected a new message—coordinates pointing to the next Ark, hidden in the sky above Elbaf. And beneath that, a final image: a star map.

Selene stared at it. "These aren't just locations. They're instructions."

"For what?" Yamato asked.

Elias answered, voice low.

"To rewrite the world."