Present Day.
Earth.
The sharp sound of chalk striking a board echoed throughout Class 3-B.
"Mr. Adrian."
Professor Kareem adjusted his glasses.
"Since you're sleeping, perhaps you'd like to explain the age of the Sumerian civilization to everyone?"
Thirty pairs of eyes turned toward the back row.
There—
An eighteen-year-old boy with messy black hair slowly raised his head.
His amber eyes blinked once.
Twice.
Then—
"The earliest known Sumerian civilization dates back to around 4500 BCE, though proto-urban settlements existed before then. Their writing system developed into cuneiform and—"
"Enough."
Professor Kareem sighed.
The entire class burst into laughter.
"At least pretend to struggle."
Adrian scratched his cheek.
"Sorry, Professor."
"Your apologies stopped being believable years ago."
---
As the class ended, a girl with chestnut hair slammed a book onto his desk.
"You really slept through the entire lecture again."
Lucy crossed her arms.
"And still answered perfectly."
Adrian smiled sheepishly.
"I wasn't sleeping."
"You were snoring."
"Researching."
"Researching dreams?"
"Exactly."
Lucy sighed.
Sometimes she wondered how someone so smart could be so hopeless.
The two had known each other since childhood.
And even now, she still couldn't understand how Adrian's brain worked.
---
Their peaceful moment was interrupted.
Buzz.
Buzz.
Buzz.
Adrian's phone vibrated violently.
Caller ID:
Boss Luqman
Adrian immediately sat upright.
"Boss?"
Lucy's expression changed.
"Wait… Mr. Luqman?"
The call connected.
"Adrian!"
The familiar rough voice thundered through the speaker.
"Get over here immediately!"
"Boss?"
"Emergency expedition."
"What?"
"And bring Lucy."
Lucy's eyes widened.
"Me too?"
"Especially you."
"What happened?"
A brief silence followed.
Then Luqman's voice became serious.
"We found it."
Adrian froze.
"...Found what?"
"The ruins."
---
Thirty minutes later.
The two stood before the National Archaeological Institute.
Several jeeps were already waiting.
Researchers moved back and forth carrying equipment.
And standing in front of them—
A large man with a beard and a brown hat grinned.
"Finally!"
Boss Luqman spread his arms.
"Our geniuses have arrived!"
Adrian smiled.
"Boss."
The man hugged him tightly.
"Oof—"
"Look at you!"
"You've grown!"
"Boss, I'm eighteen."
"Still a kid."
---
Boss Luqman had been one of Adrian's father's closest friends.
After his father disappeared five years ago during an expedition, Luqman had practically become family.
He always claimed Adrian inherited his father's ridiculous instincts.
And today—
He looked more excited than ever.
---
"You were chosen for a reason, boy."
Luqman grinned.
"High trust."
"Excellent memory."
"And most importantly—"
He leaned closer.
"You're your father's son."
Adrian fell silent.
Even after five years…
Hearing those words still hurt.
---
"Enough emotional stuff."
Luqman clapped his hands.
"Everyone!"
Seven teenagers turned toward them.
"They're your age."
"Congratulations."
"You're babysitting."
"What?"
"West section belongs to your group."
Lucy burst out laughing.
"Good luck."
---
The team consisted of:
Roy.
Jule.
Gon.
Kion.
Sarah.
Mia.
And Ethan.
All around eighteen.
All selected personally.
And none of them looked particularly thrilled.
"He's our leader?"
Roy frowned.
"He looks younger than me."
"I am younger than you."
"See?"
---
As they prepared to leave—
Something caught Adrian's eye.
A photograph.
It had been taken from one of the newly excavated walls.
Strange symbols.
Strange numbers.
Strange patterns.
And suddenly—
His eyes widened.
"No…"
Lucy noticed immediately.
"Adrian?"
He grabbed the photograph.
"Where did this come from?"
Luqman blinked.
"East wall."
"Why?"
Adrian's breathing quickened.
"Those aren't random."
"They're coordinates."
Everyone froze.
"What?"
Lucy stepped closer.
"Coordinates?"
Adrian nodded.
"Every sentence begins with numbers."
"Look."
"08."
"9856."
"509."
"93."
"They form a location."
The room fell silent.
Boss Luqman's eyes widened.
"You're serious?"
Adrian nodded.
"I saw similar symbols months ago."
Lucy slowly remembered.
"Wait…"
"The message in the museum archives?"
Adrian nodded.
"We thought they were damaged text."
"But they weren't."
"They were directions."
---
Boss Luqman's expression became excited.
"Prepare the vehicles!"
"We move immediately!"
---
Far away.
Thousands of kilometers beneath the earth.
Hidden beneath endless layers of sand—
Inside an abandoned structure.
Darkness ruled.
Silence ruled.
Nothing had moved for centuries.
Then—
The transparent cube pulsed.
Once.
And for the first time in 562 years—
A robotic female voice echoed through the darkness.
---
[Anchor Candidate Detected]
[Distance: 10.3 Kilometers]
[Awaiting Contact]
---
And somewhere…
Beyond space.
Beyond time.
Something smiled.
And opened its eyes.
The desert sun blazed mercilessly.
Five jeeps raced across the endless sea of golden sand, leaving trails of dust behind them.
Inside the lead vehicle—
Adrian stared at the photograph.
His eyes never left the strange symbols.
Lucy sat beside him, watching him with concern.
"You've been looking at that thing for thirty minutes."
Adrian didn't answer.
"Adrian."
"Hm?"
"You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"That face."
"What face?"
"The 'I just discovered something terrifying' face."
He blinked.
"I have such a face?"
"Unfortunately."
---
Meanwhile, in the second jeep—
Roy folded his arms.
"I still don't understand why that guy's leading us."
Jule shrugged.
"Boss Luqman trusts him."
"Boss Luqman trusts everyone."
Gon laughed.
"Maybe he's secretly a genius."
Kion looked out the window.
"Or maybe we're all crazy for following him into the middle of nowhere."
---
Three hours later—
The convoy stopped.
Everyone stepped outside.
Nothing.
Nothing but sand.
No ruins.
No mountains.
No signs of civilization.
Roy frowned.
"This is it?"
Adrian slowly climbed out of the jeep.
His eyes scanned the area.
"No."
His voice was calm.
"We're close."
Lucy crossed her arms.
"You sound awfully confident."
"I am."
"Based on?"
Adrian smiled.
"Instinct."
Everyone groaned.
---
Boss Luqman laughed.
"Ha!"
"Just like his father!"
"Always with those weird instincts."
---
Adrian knelt down.
He picked up a handful of sand.
Then his eyes narrowed.
"Hmm."
Lucy blinked.
"What?"
"The wind."
"The wind?"
"It doesn't match."
Everyone stared at him.
"The sand around us should be smoother."
"But over there—"
He pointed toward a distant dune.
"The shape is unnatural."
---
Ten minutes later—
Everyone stood atop the dune.
And then—
Silence.
Roy's eyes widened.
"No way…"
Half buried beneath the sand—
Was rusted metal.
Not stone.
Not rock.
Metal.
Ancient.
Corroded.
But unmistakably artificial.
Boss Luqman's mouth dropped open.
"Impossible."
"This area was supposed to be untouched."
Adrian's heartbeat quickened.
"Everyone."
"Start digging."
---
An hour later—
CLANG.
Sarah's shovel hit something.
"Found something!"
Everyone rushed over.
Slowly—
A massive circular door emerged from the sand.
Covered in rust.
Covered in symbols.
And at its center—
The same strange language from the photograph.
Lucy swallowed.
"Adrian…"
"Please tell me you can read that."
He slowly stepped forward.
His pupils contracted.
"No."
"But…"
His voice trembled.
"I recognize it."
"What?"
"I've seen this language before."
"Where?"
Adrian's expression became strange.
He couldn't answer.
Because he genuinely didn't know.
He had never seen these symbols in his life.
And yet—
They felt familiar.
As though…
He had known them once.
---
Boss Luqman smiled.
"Well?"
Adrian inhaled deeply.
Then—
He placed his hand on the center mechanism.
Nothing happened.
Roy sighed.
"So much for—"
CLICK.
Everyone froze.
The rusted gears moved.
After centuries—
The giant door awakened.
---
RUMBLE!!
Sand shook.
Ancient machinery groaned.
And slowly—
Very slowly—
The door began to open.
Darkness greeted them.
A staircase.
Leading downward.
Far downward.
Lucy unconsciously grabbed Adrian's sleeve.
"...Tell me we're not going down there."
Adrian smiled.
"Oh, we're definitely going down there."
"You're smiling."
"Am I?"
"That's your dangerous smile."
Boss Luqman laughed loudly.
"Move out!"
"History awaits!"
---
None of them noticed—
Deep below.
Far beneath the staircase.
Inside a forgotten chamber.
The transparent cube glowed faintly.
And a cold, mechanical female voice echoed once more.
Darkness.
Endless darkness.
The beam from Adrian's flashlight pierced the ancient staircase as the group slowly descended.
One minute.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Yet the stairs continued.
Roy swallowed.
"How deep are we going?"
"No idea," Adrian replied.
"But this place is much larger than I imagined."
Lucy hugged herself.
"Tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this place is creepy."
"You are not," Sarah immediately answered.
Boss Luqman laughed.
"Relax!"
"What's the worst that could happen?"
Everyone stared at him.
"Don't say that!"
---
Twenty minutes later—
The stairs finally ended.
And everyone froze.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Before them—
Was a city.
Not ruins.
Not tunnels.
Not caves.
A city.
Towering metallic structures stretched into the darkness.
Broken highways floated above the ground.
Strange vehicles lay abandoned.
Glass.
Steel.
Metal.
Things that should not exist beneath the desert.
Boss Luqman's jaw dropped.
"No..."
"No..."
"This can't be real."
Even Adrian stood speechless.
His heartbeat accelerated.
This wasn't ancient.
This wasn't medieval.
This wasn't even modern.
It was...
Future.
---
Lucy whispered,
"Adrian..."
His eyes widened.
He had seen this architecture before.
Not physically.
But somehow...
He recognized it.
As though fragments of forgotten memories were trying to surface.
---
Kion adjusted his glasses.
"Guys."
"Tell me I'm hallucinating."
Everyone followed his gaze.
Above them—
Artificial stars.
Thousands of tiny lights embedded into the ceiling.
Creating a false night sky.
Mia's knees nearly gave out.
"This place..."
"Who built this?"
No one answered.
Because no one knew.
---
Then—
Buzz.
The lights turned on.
Everyone screamed.
Rows upon rows of glowing blue lines illuminated the city.
Machines awakened.
Ancient screens flickered.
Unknown symbols appeared everywhere.
Boss Luqman nearly fainted.
"We've hit the jackpot!"
Roy grabbed him.
"Sir!"
"Priorities!"
---
Adrian slowly walked forward.
The symbols on the walls...
They looked familiar.
Terrifyingly familiar.
Without realizing it—
He began reading them.
"Sector 7..."
Everyone froze.
Jule blinked.
"You can read that?"
Adrian stopped.
"What?"
"You just read those symbols."
"I did?"
"But..."
"I've never seen this language before."
Lucy stared at him.
No.
That wasn't true.
She had known Adrian since childhood.
And this wasn't the first time.
He had always understood things that nobody else could.
---
Suddenly—
Ethan shouted.
"Guys!"
Everyone turned.
At the center of the city—
Inside a massive circular chamber—
Something transparent floated in midair.
A cube.
Perfectly clear.
Perfectly silent.
And somehow—
Beautiful.
Adrian's breathing stopped.
His pupils contracted.
His soul trembled.
The cube.
It was the same cube.
The one from his dreams.
The dreams he had been having since he was ten.
Dreams he never told anyone about.
Dreams of stars.
War.
And voices.
---
Boss Luqman slowly approached.
"Incredible..."
Lucy immediately grabbed his arm.
"No."
"Something's wrong."
Even Roy nodded.
"I agree."
"That thing gives me bad vibes."
---
But Adrian...
Couldn't hear them.
Something was calling him.
Not with words.
Not with sound.
Yet...
He understood.
---
Come.
---
His body moved on its own.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Lucy noticed immediately.
"Adrian?"
No response.
"Adrian!"
Boss Luqman frowned.
"Kid?"
Still no response.
His eyes remained fixed upon the cube.
---
Twenty meters.
Ten meters.
Five.
Then—
He raised his hand.
Lucy panicked.
"ADRIAN!"
She grabbed his wrist.
At that exact moment—
His fingers touched the cube.
---
Everything stopped.
Literally.
Silence.
No sound.
No wind.
No breathing.
Nothing.
Boss Luqman froze.
Roy froze.
Lucy froze.
Even Adrian froze.
Time itself had ceased.
But unlike the others—
He could still think.
"What..."
His voice echoed in the void.
"What is happening?"
Then—
The transparent cube shone.
And a gentle female voice echoed throughout eternity.
---
[System Online]
[Temporal Lock Activated]
[Anchor Candidate Accepted]
---
Adrian's eyes widened.
"Who are you?"
---
[Current Reality Stability: 8%]
[Emergency Restoration Protocol Activated]
[Resuming Interrupted Story...]
---
Interrupted story?
Before Adrian could understand—
The darkness around him vanished.
And suddenly—
He saw them.
Seven figures.
Standing beneath a broken sky.
Their expressions frozen in shock.
As if only a second had passed.
The old man.
The Elf Queen.
The Beast King.
The Sword Saint.
The Gunmaster.
All staring directly...
At him.
And the old man—
Whose tears had remained frozen for 562 years—
Finally smiled.
---
"...Welcome."
"Anchor."
---
To be continued...
[Anchor Candidate Confirmed]
[Time Since Last Contact: 562 Years]
[Primary Objective Unchanged]
[Restore Reality]
---
And for the first time in centuries—
Something else awakened.
Not the cube.
Not the facility.
But something hidden deeper.
Something that had survived.
Something that had been waiting.
And as ancient eyes slowly opened—
A single thought echoed through the darkness.
---
"...At last."