Chapter 45 - 44: Don’t Touch My Sister

Chapter 45: Chapter 44: Don’t Touch My Sister

The image of the silver-haired girl remained suspended above Arin’s Authority Band.

She looked eleven.

Maybe twelve.

Bare feet covered in dirt. Torn gray clothes. Silver hair hanging unevenly around her shoulders. One eye black enough to swallow the light around it, while the other glowed with a pale white radiance that did not resemble mana.

And in her open palm rested Route Key Seven.

But Arin barely looked at it anymore.

His attention remained on the girl’s final sentence.

"Seraphine knows where his little sister is."

The underground chamber beneath House Valerius became very quiet.

Aisha looked from the projection to Arin.

Victor did the same.

Duke Aldric didn’t understand everything that had happened, but he understood one thing perfectly.

Lyra.

"Arin."

Arin raised one hand.

His expression hadn’t changed.

That worried Aldric more than anger would have.

"EVE."

"Founder."

"Lyra’s location."

A pause.

"Residential District Four."

"Exact."

"Community dining facility seven."

"Status."

"Safe."

Arin’s shoulders relaxed by an amount nobody except Aldric would have noticed.

"Security?"

"Two covert drones. Four civilian security units within forty meters. Family Link remains stable."

"Move A-01 to her."

"Already moving."

Good.

"Do not tell Lyra why."

Aisha raised an eyebrow.

Arin ignored her.

"Lock internal transit routes around District Four without making it obvious."

"Founder, doing so without alerting residents—"

"Maintenance problem."

A brief pause.

"Fabricating infrastructure malfunction."

"Good."

Victor stared.

"You just told your city AI to lie to twelve thousand people."

"About a temporary road closure."

"Still counts."

Arin looked at him.

Victor stopped smiling.

Right.

Not the time.

Arin looked back toward the girl outside Elysium.

"Has she attempted entry?"

"No."

"Attack?"

"No."

"Scan?"

"Repeatedly."

"Successful?"

"Negative."

"Communication?"

"Only the statement previously transmitted."

Arin’s eyes moved toward Route Key Seven.

"Keep her outside."

"Confirmed."

Aisha folded her arms.

"You’re not going back immediately?"

"I am."

"Then why are you still standing here?"

Arin turned toward the map showing thirteen Route Key locations.

Because this mattered too.

Seraphine had information about Lyra.

That could mean a threat.

Or bait.

Probably both.

Running blindly home would be exactly what someone wanted.

Arin reached toward Route Key Fourteen.

Aisha immediately spoke.

"Careful."

He stopped before touching it.

"Can your System analyze it?"

"Already trying."

"And?"

She frowned.

"Nothing."

Victor checked his interface.

"Mine says non-compatible progression object."

"Useful?"

"No."

Arin looked toward Aldric.

"Does your family have records of this chamber?"

"None I know of."

"Grandfather?"

"Never mentioned it."

"Previous Dukes?"

"I would need to search the sealed archives."

"Do that."

Aldric stared at him.

Arin realized what he had just done.

Ordered the Duke of House Valerius around inside his own estate.

Months ago, the thought would have been absurd.

Now Aldric simply nodded.

"I will."

That felt stranger.

Arin looked at the key again.

Then removed a storage container from inventory.

Aisha blinked.

"You can store physical objects?"

"Yes."

Victor looked offended.

"You never mentioned that."

"You never asked."

"I told you my System functions."

"That was your decision."

Victor stared at him.

Aisha smiled faintly.

"I like him."

"Don’t encourage him."

Arin used the multi-tool to move Route Key Fourteen without direct skin contact.

The moment it entered the container—

ROUTE KEY 14 SECURED.

ROUTE ACCESS:

1/14.

The map disappeared.

Good.

Arin turned.

"We leave."

Aldric stepped forward.

"I’m coming."

"No."

The answer came immediately.

The Duke’s expression hardened.

"Lyra is my daughter."

Arin stopped.

There it was.

He looked at his father for several seconds.

"Yes."

Aldric seemed surprised he had agreed.

Arin continued.

"Which is why you’re staying."

"That makes no sense."

"If this is a coordinated move, House Valerius may be another target."

Aldric’s expression changed.

"Theron."

"Vaelor. Selene. the chamber."

Arin looked around.

"Too many unresolved pieces."

Aldric hated it.

Arin could see that.

But he understood.

"Bring her back."

Arin’s expression cooled.

"She’s already home."

The words landed harder than intended.

Aldric’s face tightened.

Arin did not take them back.

House Elysium was Lyra’s home now.

Whether Aldric regretted what happened did not change that.

Arin walked toward the stairs.

Behind him, Aisha followed.

He stopped.

"No."

She raised an eyebrow.

"No?"

"You’re staying."

"Why?"

"You broke into my father’s estate."

"For a good reason."

"Debatable."

"I know more about the Player Network than you."

"Then tell Victor."

Victor frowned.

"Why am I suddenly the messenger?"

Arin continued walking.

Aisha followed anyway.

"I have Route information."

Arin stopped again.

That mattered.

"What information?"

She smiled.

"Take me with you."

"No."

Her smile disappeared.

"You’re difficult."

"So I’ve heard."

Aisha sighed.

"Route Key Three."

Arin waited.

"I know where it is."

"Where?"

"The Royal Guild."

That matched the map.

"Selene?"

"Possibly."

"Possibly isn’t useful."

"I don’t know who currently holds it."

Arin considered.

"Anything else?"

"Route Key Eleven."

"Where?"

Aisha’s expression darkened.

"Hollow Crown."

Already known.

"Not enough."

She stared.

"You negotiate while your sister may be threatened?"

Arin looked at her.

The temperature of the conversation changed instantly.

"My sister is currently protected by the strongest security network I possess."

Aisha stopped smiling.

"Panicking won’t make her safer."

Silence.

"And anyone using her to make me stop thinking is going to be disappointed."

Victor watched him carefully.

Aisha slowly nodded.

"Fair."

Arin continued toward the stairs.

"You stay and find Selene."

"Why me?"

"You’re an investigator?"

"No."

"You’re a survivalist."

"Yes."

"Then survive working with my father."

Aldric almost looked offended.

Aisha laughed.

"Fine."

Victor’s fighter cleared the Valerius estate minutes later.

This time Arin didn’t care who had the better landing.

He sat beside Victor with EVE’s projection open continuously.

Lyra remained inside District Four.

Safe.

The silver-haired girl remained outside.

Also stationary.

Twenty-three minutes.

Neither moved.

Victor glanced at him.

"You’re checking every ten seconds."

"Twelve."

"That’s not better."

Arin closed the projection.

Five seconds later, he reopened it.

Victor wisely said nothing.

Instead he asked, "What are you going to do with the girl?"

"Talk."

"If she’s hostile?"

"Depends."

"On?"

"What she does."

Victor frowned.

"You’re surprisingly reasonable for someone whose sister was just threatened."

Arin looked through the canopy.

"She didn’t threaten Lyra."

"She said Seraphine knows where she is."

"Exactly."

Victor understood.

"Information."

"Yes."

Not threat.

Not yet.

Arin had learned something during his short time as Founder.

Words mattered.

Assumptions killed people.

The silver-haired girl had not said Seraphine was attacking Lyra.

She had said Seraphine knew where Lyra was.

Those were very different problems.

"EVE."

"Founder."

"Any Seraphine activity?"

"None detected."

"Sublevel Nine?"

"Sealed."

"Cael?"

"Stable."

"Administrator channels?"

"No unauthorized activity."

Good.

Then where had the girl learned about Seraphine?

The fighter crossed the mountains.

Elysium appeared ahead.

Victor slowed.

"Landing outside?"

"Yes."

"Not inside?"

"No unknown Player technology enters the valley."

Victor sighed.

"You really don’t trust my jet."

"I don’t trust your System."

"Fair."

They landed on the plateau.

Arin exited before the engines fully cooled.

Victor followed.

The mountain remained closed.

The silver-haired girl stood forty meters away.

Exactly where she had been.

She looked smaller in person.

Thin.

Too thin.

No shoes.

A small leather bag hung from one shoulder.

No visible weapon.

Route Key Seven remained in her hand.

She looked at Victor.

Then Arin.

"You took longer than expected."

Arin stopped twenty meters away.

"Name."

The girl tilted her head.

"That’s your first question?"

"Yes."

"Not how I found this place?"

"Later."

"Not what this key is?"

"I know."

That surprised her.

"Not Seraphine?"

Arin’s eyes hardened slightly.

"Name."

The girl smiled.

"Mira."

"Family name."

"Don’t have one."

"Age."

"Eleven."

"Origin."

She pointed vaguely east.

"Complicated."

"Make it simple."

"I woke up in a hole."

Victor coughed.

Arin stared.

Mira shrugged.

"You asked."

"How long ago?"

"Four months."

That caught his attention.

Recent.

Much more recent than the known Players.

"Earth?"

Mira frowned.

"No."

Arin paused.

Victor’s expression changed.

Not from Earth.

"System?"

"No."

"Player?"

"No."

"How do you know what Players are?"

"Because they taste strange."

Silence.

Victor looked at Arin.

Arin looked at Mira.

"Taste."

"Not with my mouth."

"Good clarification."

She smiled.

"I like you."

"Don’t."

Her smile widened.

Definitely eleven.

Arin pointed toward the key.

"Where did you get it?"

Mira looked down.

"From a dead man."

"Name?"

"Didn’t ask."

"Appearance?"

"Old."

"Useful."

"Very old."

"Less useful."

Victor turned away, shoulders shaking.

Arin ignored him.

"Where?"

"Ruined tower near the Gray Sea."

That corresponded roughly to Route Key Seven’s previous marker.

"Cause of death?"

Mira’s smile disappeared.

"Seraphine."

Arin became still.

"She killed him?"

"Something wearing her voice did."

Interesting wording.

"Explain."

Mira looked toward the hidden mountain.

"Can we go inside first?"

"No."

"I’m hungry."

"I’ll bring food."

"I’m tired."

"Guest station."

"I want to see the city."

"No."

Mira pouted.

Arin remained unmoved.

Victor whispered, "You’re brutal."

Arin looked at him.

"She bypassed enough concealment to find Elysium while carrying an ancient System key."

"Excellent point."

Mira sighed dramatically.

"Fine."

She sat directly on the ground.

Arin almost respected the commitment.

"Explain Seraphine."

Mira looked up.

"She found me three weeks ago."

"Physically?"

"No."

"Dream?"

"Sort of."

"System?"

"No."

"What then?"

Mira tapped her black eye.

"This."

Arin studied it.

"What is it?"

"No idea."

Naturally.

"It lets me see things."

"What things?"

"Doors."

"Physical?"

"Sometimes."

"Systems?"

"Sometimes."

"People?"

She looked directly at Arin.

"Always."

Something about that answer bothered him.

"What do you see when you look at me?"

Mira’s expression changed.

For the first time, the playful child disappeared.

She stared.

Black eye.

White eye.

Then whispered:

"Too much."

Victor stopped smiling.

Arin’s expression remained neutral.

"Explain."

"There’s a city behind you."

"Elysium."

"No."

Arin froze.

Mira stood.

"A bigger one."

Silence.

"Your city is here."

She pointed toward the mountain.

"But the other one..."

She pointed at Arin.

"...is inside."

Victor’s hand moved toward his weapon.

Arin raised one finger.

Don’t.

Mira continued.

"Fourteen doors."

Arin’s Authority Band flickered.

"Thirteen closed."

His eyes narrowed.

"One open."

Route Fourteen.

"What is behind it?"

Mira looked frightened.

That mattered more than anything she’d said.

"I don’t know."

"Guess."

"I don’t want to."

"Mira."

She looked at him.

Arin softened his voice slightly.

"Tell me what you saw."

The girl swallowed.

"Something looking back."

Silence.

Arin processed that.

Later.

"Seraphine."

Mira nodded.

"She came through one of the doors."

"Which?"

"Not yours."

"Whose?"

Mira looked toward the mountain.

"Your sister’s."

Arin went completely still.

Victor whispered:

"That’s bad."

Yes.

Very.

"Lyra has a door?"

"Everyone has doors."

"What kind?"

"Possibilities."

Arin hated vague supernatural explanations.

"Can Seraphine physically reach her?"

Mira shook her head.

"Not yet."

Two important words.

"What does she need?"

"Permission."

Arin frowned.

"From Lyra?"

"Yes."

That was better.

Unless Seraphine manipulated her.

"Has she contacted Lyra?"

Mira nodded.

Arin’s expression became ice.

"When?"

"Last night."

"EVE."

The response came instantly.

"Founder."

"Review Lyra’s room activity last night."

A pause.

"Reviewing."

Mira looked confused.

"She won’t find it."

Arin looked at her.

"Why?"

"Dream door."

Of course.

"EVE."

"No abnormal physical activity detected. Young Lady Lyra experienced elevated neural activity between 03:12 and 03:27."

Arin’s jaw tightened.

Fifteen minutes.

"Why wasn’t I notified?"

"Pattern remained within normal dream parameters."

Reasonable.

Still unacceptable now.

"Add neural anomaly monitoring."

"Confirmed."

Mira looked toward him.

"Seraphine offered her something."

"What?"

The girl hesitated.

Arin stepped closer.

"What?"

"A way to help you."

That was exactly the bait Lyra would respond to.

Arin’s expression hardened.

"Help me how?"

"Power."

Victor swore.

Mira continued.

"She told Lyra you’re always protecting everyone."

Arin said nothing.

"And that one day you’ll meet something you can’t beat."

Silence.

"She said Lyra could become strong enough that you wouldn’t need to protect her anymore."

Arin closed his eyes.

Damn.

Not because Lyra wanted power.

Because Seraphine understood her.

Lyra hated being left behind.

Hated being treated as fragile.

And after everything that had happened, she had watched Arin repeatedly put himself in danger.

Mira whispered:

"She almost said yes."

Arin opened his eyes.

"Almost?"

"She asked Seraphine one question."

"What?"

Mira smiled faintly.

"She asked whether you knew about it."

Arin’s expression changed.

"And?"

"Seraphine said no."

Victor already knew what came next.

Mira’s smile grew.

"Lyra told her that if she had to hide it from her brother, then it was probably stupid."

Arin stared.

Then, despite everything, a tiny smile appeared.

"Good."

Mira nodded.

"I like her."

"You haven’t met her."

"I watched the dream."

Arin’s smile disappeared.

"Don’t do that again."

Mira blinked.

"Why?"

"Privacy."

"But I was helping."

"You can help without watching everything."

She considered that seriously.

"Okay."

Victor stared at Arin.

"What?"

"You just explained privacy to a supernatural eleven-year-old who watches dreams."

"Yes."

"And she accepted it."

"Apparently."

Victor shook his head.

Arin looked toward Route Key Seven.

"Why bring me the key?"

Mira’s expression became serious again.

"Because the dead man told me to."

"He spoke after death?"

"Before."

"Good."

"What did he say?"

Mira stood.

Then repeated the words carefully.

"’Find Fourteen before the woman in white finds Seven.’"

Arin’s eyes narrowed.

"Seraphine?"

"I think."

"And you are Seven?"

Mira shook her head.

"The key is."

Arin studied her.

"Then why did Seraphine contact you?"

Mira looked at him.

"Because she can’t touch the key."

Interesting.

"Why?"

Mira opened her hand.

Route Key Seven glowed.

Silver light moved across her palm.

Then the key floated upward.

Victor stepped back.

Arin did not.

The key rotated.

A symbol appeared.

Not seven.

A small tree.

Elysium.

His Authority Band reacted.

ROUTE KEY 7 DETECTED.

CONDITION:

UNCLAIMED.

Arin frowned.

"Why hasn’t anyone claimed it?"

Mira looked toward him.

"Because it kills them."

Silence.

Victor took another step backward.

Arin stared at the key.

"How many?"

"Everyone except me."

"Why not you?"

Mira’s mismatched eyes met his.

"No System."

That was the difference.

The Route Keys rejected System hosts.

Then why could Arin secure Fourteen?

Because Elysium wasn’t a normal System.

Or because Fourteen belonged to him.

Arin reached toward the container in his inventory.

Mira suddenly shouted.

"WAIT!"

Arin stopped.

The mountain behind him shook.

Not physically.

His Authority Band screamed.

ROUTE KEY 7 RESPONDING TO ROUTE KEY 14.

Silver light erupted from Mira’s hand.

His inventory opened by itself.

Route Key Fourteen tore out of storage.

Victor drew his weapon.

Both keys floated between Arin and Mira.

Seven.

Fourteen.

They rotated.

Then connected.

A beam of silver light shot toward the mountain.

House Elysium’s concealment field flickered.

EVE’s voice filled the plateau.

"Founder!"

"I see it."

"No."

Her voice sharpened.

"Ark Prime has activated."

Arin froze.

"Why?"

"Unknown."

The mountain opened.

Not the entrance.

Something much deeper.

Across the valley, far beneath Ark Prime, an ancient structure began rising from underground.

Twelve thousand residents watched as a black tower emerged from the center of Elysium.

Arin had never seen it.

EVE had never detected it.

Even A-01 had no record of it.

The two Route Keys separated.

A new message appeared.

ROUTE SEQUENCE INITIATED.

KEYS 7 AND 14 RESONANCE COMPLETE.

HIDDEN FOUNDER STRUCTURE DISCOVERED.

Then another.

DESIGNATION:

THE FAMILY VAULT.

Arin stared.

Victor slowly lowered his weapon.

Mira smiled.

"Found another door."

Then Arin’s Family Link activated.

Not EVE.

Lyra.

Her frightened voice came through.

"Big Brother?"

Arin immediately answered.

"I’m here."

There was a pause.

Then Lyra whispered:

"There’s someone in my room."

Arin’s blood went cold.

A-01 was supposed to be with her.

"EVE!"

"Founder, A-01 reports the room is empty."

Arin stopped.

Lyra’s breathing came through the link.

"But I can see her."

Arin already knew.

Dream door.

Except Lyra was awake.

"Lyra."

"I’m here."

"Do not answer anything she asks."

A woman’s voice suddenly entered the Family Link.

Soft.

Familiar.

Amused.

Seraphine.

"Too late, Fourteen."

Arin’s expression became completely cold.

Mira’s black eye widened.

Inside Elysium, alarms began screaming.

Seraphine continued.

"Your sister didn’t give me permission to enter."

A pause.

"She gave permission to someone else."

Arin stared toward the hidden city.

"Who?"

Seraphine laughed softly.

Then Lyra screamed.

The Family Vault activated.

And across Arin’s Authority Band, a new family member appeared.

FAMILY AUTHORITY REGISTRATION COMPLETE.

NEW MEMBER:

UNKNOWN.

RELATIONSHIP:

SISTER.

Arin stopped breathing.

Because beneath Lyra’s name...

...there were now two sisters registered to House Elysium.