Chapter 5

After landing on Earth in Siberia, it took us several days to reach the secret facility near Moscow. We couldn't fly under the ship's full cloak for long because it was glitching and wouldn't work for more than two or three hours. We needed a facility codenamed "Falcon-12." Legends had swirled around this facility since Soviet times. According to some sources, there were atomic bombs there; according to others, they stored a flying saucer for the country's leadership. The ship terminal's beep snapped me out of my thoughts; once again, the ship's cloak had deactivated, and we had to make another stop. During these stops, Gena rested, most often just sleeping in the chair at the terminal. I, meanwhile, studied the implant. I'll tell you, it's an interesting and useful thing. For example, if you want to know Chinese, a couple of minutes and you speak it like a native. The main thing is that the databases are loaded into the implant. Finally reaching the needed location, we waited for nightfall to infiltrate the required utility tunnel.

We got in through an old utility tunnel. Once inside the tunnel, we discovered the complex was empty. Too empty. No guards. No technicians. No emergency lighting. A metallic taste was in my mouth. And then a scene unfolded before us: there was blood everywhere. On the walls, the floor was covered with it. It felt like a meat grinder had been here. But the strange thing was, there were no bodies anywhere.

– Where is everyone? – I whispered.

– There, – Gena pointed a claw at the floor.

– Meaning?

– They're all beneath us.

– Are they zombies? – I asked.

– For fuck's… Petya. You sometimes surprise me. I swear to god. They're controlled by the Darkness. Got it?

– Yeah. You're the one who… – but I didn't get to finish as I slammed headfirst into a doorway with full force. It was a passage into an elevator shaft. I examined the room. The elevator wasn't working, but the emergency hatch in the floor had been broken open from the inside. We decided to go down using it. When we descended to the lower tier, we entered hell. A giant hall, descending hundreds of meters down. The walls were covered with the same symbols as in the lunar archive. And in the center stood *them*. Dozens of people in black jumpsuits. And in front of them—stood. A man? No. A creature in a flowing cloak, with skin too pale, almost transparent. It was the Emperor of the Archons.

– Stop the ritual! – Gena roared.

The creature slowly turned towards us.

– Genaralsiz Veykos… – its voice sounded like grinding metal. – I've been expecting you.

– Where is the Key? – Gena raised his weapon.

– It is already here.

And then I saw it. Behind the Emperor, a portal was opening. Purple. Just like the one in the forest.

– They're coming… – I whispered.

– Yes, – the Emperor smiled. – And you, Petya, will help them enter.

Gena fired. The energy charge froze in the air before the Emperor.

– Foolish repti…

And then the darkness from the portal reached for me.

`Anomaly detected. Threat: Critical.`

I couldn't move. It was inside me. Suddenly, a voice in my head said:

`Wake up…`

And the crystal in my pocket exploded with light, spreading throughout the hall. The Emperor threw his hands up. I was thrown back into the void. I stood in an all-consuming emptiness. Before me—stood It. The Darkness. But now I could see—it wasn't just a shadow. It was a Guardian. Or rather, it had been one. Only now it was fallen.

– You… are one of them, – I whispered.

A voice sounded in my head:

`Yes.`

– Why? Why are you doing all this?

`To save them.`

The picture in my head flipped. I saw the planet of the Archons. It was slowly fading and dying. Their emperor—the last of the Ancient Guardians, trying to stop the death of his own world. Seeking a solution. Any solution. And here it was. To trap the Darkness in another world. In ours. So, the Darkness would nourish his planet with life. In return, the Darkness gained full control over our planet and all the fragments of divine power—the Souls of living beings.

– You used us…

`Yes.`

– And now you want to break free?

`No.`

– Can I help?

`Yes.`

– I'm ready. Tell me what to do.

And then I understood. They didn't want to get out. They wanted to die. They wanted peace. Universal peace after thousands of years of serving the Darkness. I spread my arms, accepting the light coming towards me. A few seconds later, I felt an impact and was thrown out of this void.

I came to on my knees. Gena was standing near me, holding a weapon. I looked towards the Emperor. Behind his back, the portal crackled. The Emperor was screaming, turned towards the portal.

– No! No, you can't!

But it was too late. I took the crystal in my hands. And it unfolded in my palm, emitting rays of light in all directions. And the darkness disappeared. Everyone disappeared, even the Emperor was gone. Gena offered me a paw, helping me to my feet. Then he narrowed his pupils and asked:

– How are you?

– Fine, – I answered hoarsely.

– Is that really you?

– Listen, you crocodile, why are you picking on… – he didn't let me finish, lightly punching me in the shoulder. I staggered but stayed on my feet.

– Bag of bones, calm down. I get it, it's you. Let's get out of here and see if anyone else survived.

We found General Sokolov, along with a few other employees, a couple of hours later. The rest of the staff were gone. As if they had been erased from reality. After providing first aid to the survivors, we headed upstairs. Emerging, we were met by a frosty Moscow region morning. Snow crunched underfoot. I looked at Gena. Gena stood silently by the ship. I decided to talk to him:

– Do you think they're gone? – I asked.

– Yes. – he answered without turning towards me.

– For good?

He looked at me.

– No. They will return. And this time we might perish. They now know the power you possess. And I, for that matter.

– Gen. I don't even know anything myself. But promise me we'll deal with this.

– Are you ready?

I nodded.

– Excellent! We'll prepare!

– So, we'll prepare.

Gena bared his teeth and waved his hand for me to move towards the ship.

Three days later.

The darkness of space was deceptively calm. Our ship—now upgraded with technologies borrowed from the lunar archive of the Ancients—glided through the asteroid belt, avoiding Archon scanners. After we left Earth, Gena decided to head for the moon. There he planned to figure out the archive and get new Ancient technologies for us. But it wasn't that simple. The archive denied access to classified information. Gena was about to smash that pillar into a thousand little pieces when I offered my help. Thanks to some brute force and who knows what else, I hacked the access in three hours. We were amazed by the amount of information in the archive. It contained descriptions of technologies so advanced that Gena even whistled. So, for the last few days, we had been upgrading our ship. When my legs couldn't hold me anymore, I went to the bridge to sleep, leaving the Reptiloid to work. Waking up and seeing we were already in space, I wasn't even surprised. Gena was very focused, watching the terminal.

`Anomaly detected. Coordinates: Sector Alpha-9.` – the terminal informed us.

– Gena! – I swiveled the screen. – Look.

The Reptiloid approached, his yellow eyes narrowing as he examined the points that had appeared on the terminal. The screen flickered with an image: ship wreckage. But not Archon.

– Whose wreckage could that be?

Gena ran his claws over the panel, zooming in.

– Reptimens markings… but old. Very old.

– Thousands of years?

– Millions.

I stood up.

– Are we checking it out?

Gena slowly nodded, and we moved to the hangar. As we approached the ship, no activity was observed on it. We docked with the giant hull, covered in a layer of cosmic ice. Passing through the docking corridor, we found ourselves inside. Inside the ship—there was no light, no energy. Only cold and dead silence.

`Atmosphere: Absent. Gravity: Unstable. Traces of organic matter detected.` – my implant reported.

– Organic matter? – I became alert.

Gena was already moving forward, his paws leaving prints on the frozen floor.

– Something was here. – Gena said nervously.

We entered the central hall—and I froze. Bodies lay everywhere. Dozens of Reptiloid bodies, frozen in unnatural poses. Some—with weapons in their hands. Others—as if trying to flee.

– What could have killed them? – I asked quietly.

Gena bent over one of the bodies.

– Something… pierced the armor. Definitely not the Darkness.

I looked closer. On the Reptiloid's chest was a torn hole. No signs of charring, so it wasn't from a weapon.

`Traces of quantum disintegration detected.` – my implant squeaked.

– What? – I exclaimed.

Gena straightened up sharply. Looked at me.

– They didn't just die. Their… souls were erased.

– Who can do that? How is that even possible?

– I know only one race capable of that.

I understood without words. He meant the Ancients.

– But why? For what? What did they do?

Gena didn't answer. He was already moving further, towards the captain's bridge. I followed him. Once on the bridge, I looked around. The first thing that caught my eye was another Reptiloid sitting in the commander's chair. But something felt off. I said quietly:

– Gena, something's not right here, – and at that moment, one of the chairs slowly turned towards us. In it sat a Reptiloid of enormous size. Twice as big as Gena. His scales were black-grey. I wanted to tell Gena not to approach, but its eyes opened. And it looked at us.

– You… are too late. – hissed the unknown Reptiloid.

– Who are you? Identify yourself. – Gena shouted.

– I am the captain of this ship. My name is Xilan. – he began speaking again.

– I … – I started to say, but Gena stopped me with a hand gesture.

– I am the last survivor of the ship "Claw of Eternity". We were searching for them, – he whispered, his voice creaking like an old mechanism. – The origins of the Darkness.

– Did you find them? – Gena stood nearby, his claws gripping the armrest of the chair next to Xilan. Xilan slowly nodded.

– Yes… They… are not just beings. They are a disease. An infection of our reality.

I exchanged a glance with Gena.

– How to stop it? Do you know? Did you manage? – Gena asked him.

Xilan raised a trembling paw.

– The Emperor… is not who he seems. My brother. He *is* the Darkness.

– What?

– He… was the first. The first of the Guardians to be infected.

Gena exhaled sharply.

– You're saying the Emperor of the Archons… – but Gena didn't get to finish as Xilan cut him off.

– He is not an Archon. And he never was. – Looking with his cloudy gaze, he said – Come closer, human. I looked at Gena, but he nodded approvingly, and I slowly approached Xilan. He grabbed my hand and said:

– They are hiding the truth. Seek… the Keeper. You must find him, only he will tell you how to defeat the Emperor.

– But who is he? – but Xilan didn't answer me anymore. Xilan's eyes went out. And the ship… Came to life.

`System activation detected. Threat level: Catastrophic. Danger! Danger!` – the implant screeched in my head.

The walls groaned. The perennial ice on the floor cracked. And somewhere deep within the ship, something awoke.

– Screw this! Let's get the hell out of here! – Gena bolted for the exit.

Goosebumps ran down my spine, but I managed to pull myself together and rushed after him. A sound came from behind—as if a giant piece of metal was tearing apart from the inside. We ran down the corridor towards our ship's docking point. I turned around and saw it. How the Darkness was emerging from the walls of the ship. From the darkness emerged a creature I had never seen before. It was different. Ancient and hungry.

`Anomaly detected. Class: Unknown. Recommendation: Flee.` – my implant reported.

– No kidding! And I thought we could play fools for money with it. – I ran even faster after Gena.

We burst into the airlock, slammed it shut—and our ship shuddered.

– The Darkness is here! – Gena hit the panel. – Undock!

Our ship tore away, breaking the docking connection. At the last moment, I saw the creature strike its tentacle against my viewport.

– Bitch! – I swore aloud.

But we were already rushing into hyperspace. When we transitioned to hyper, I relaxed a little. I decided to clarify the issue of the Keeper.

– Who is this Keeper? – I was still trembling, sitting in the chair.

Gena was silent. Then he went to the terminal, which was connected to the data archive on the moon, and entered a query. The screen flashed.

– Here. Look. – Gena called me over.

On the screen was a clear image of a planet. But not ours.

– What is this? A parallel world? – I asked Gena without turning to him.

– No. A previous world. This is what your planet used to look like.

I stared at him.

– You're joking.

– No. What is this, a circus? – Gena looked at me in surprise.

Gena unfolded the map and continued.

– One cycle. Another. A third. They repeat. Each time—a new Earth. New victims. But…

– But what? – I asked impatiently.

– It's always the same. One person remains across all cycles.

A blurry image of a man appeared on the screen. Then it became clear, and I saw my face.

– What the… What the hell…

– It turns out the Keeper is you, Petya. Only… not you. – Gena exhaled.

– Meaning? This is really some kind of nonsense, Gena!

– Immortal? No. – he continued muttering to himself. Then Gena turned to me.

– I get it. The soul of the Keeper was placed in you—it's a system error. The one who was supposed to die… but survived.

– But why me?

– Because… – he didn't get to finish as a voice sounded in my head from the implant.

`Incoming signal. Source: Unknown.`

The terminal screen exploded with static. And then, a voice, my voice…

`Find me… before it's too late.`