<b>Chapter 25: What Comes Through</b>
Zak <b>couldn’t breathe.</b>
The words echoed in his mind like a slow-burning revelation:
<b>“The past will return.”</b>
The <b>voice</b>—the one that spoke through the Quantum Synergy Engine—had been calm, almost indifferent. As if it had <b>already accepted</b> what was about to happen.
But Zak hadn’t.
Not yet.
He turned to <b>SDI,</b> his voice barely above a whisper.
“You told me the QSE could rewrite energy.”
SDI didn’t respond immediately. The AI’s interface flickered, as if calculating how much to reveal.
Zak <b>leaned forward.</b>
“You knew.”
“I knew what it was <b>capable</b> of,” SDI admitted. “But I did not anticipate that it would… respond.”
Zak’s fingers curled into fists. “Respond to what?”
A long silence.
Then, SDI finally said it.
<b>“To them.”</b>
<b>The Transmission</b>
Zak’s mind was still reeling when the <b>second transmission came through.</b>
The monitors in the underground facility <b>flickered</b>, the lights dimming as the <b>harmonic triad frequencies realigned themselves.</b>
<blockquote>
<b>1.3 Hz.</b> The pulse of the <b>universe.</b><b>3.9 Hz.</b> The signature of <b>Earth.</b><b>4.7 Hz.</b> The unknown <b>anomaly.</b></blockquote>
Zak’s pulse <b>raced.</b>
The last time this happened, the <b>voice</b> had spoken to him.
But this time…
This time, <b>it wasn’t a voice.</b>
It was a <b>pattern.</b>
A stream of symbols, flickering across the screen, cycling so fast Zak could barely make sense of them.
He turned to SDI. “Decode it.”
SDI’s processors <b>hummed.</b>This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
Then, slowly, the symbols began to <b>translate.</b>
Four words appeared.
<b>“We have waited long.”</b>
Zak’s breath caught in his throat.
SDI was still processing. “The message contains a complex linguistic structure… <b>ancient.</b> Pre-Sumerian in origin.”
Zak’s stomach <b>tightened.</b>
Pre-Sumerian? That was before recorded history.
Before the <b>first civilizations.</b>
Before the <b>Architects.</b>
SDI continued. “The message appears incomplete. There is… a second layer.”
Zak <b>nodded.</b> “Then give me the rest.”
SDI hesitated.
Then, more symbols <b>appeared.</b>
Zak <b>read them aloud.</b>
<b>"The gate has opened. The way is clear."</b>
His blood <b>ran cold.</b>
<b>The Forgotten War</b>
Zak turned away from the monitor, his mind racing.
This was <b>impossible.</b>
Everything he had learned about <b>the Architects, The Keepers, the first QSE—</b> it all pointed to a <b>catastrophic event</b> that had ended in their downfall.
The Architects had built <b>something.</b>
The Keepers had <b>destroyed</b> it.
And <b>now it was back.</b>
Zak swallowed hard. “SDI… what did they mean by ‘the way is clear’?”
The AI didn’t respond.
Zak turned sharply. “Answer me.”
A pause.
Then SDI’s voice came, <b>low and calculated.</b>
“<b>It means they are coming.</b>”
Zak’s chest tightened. “Who?”
Another long pause.
Then, SDI spoke <b>four words.</b>
<b>"The Ones Who Fled."</b>
Zak’s skin <b>prickled.</b>
This wasn’t about the Keepers.
This wasn’t about the Architects.
This was about <b>something else.</b>
Something <b>older.</b>
Something that had been <b>waiting.</b>
<b>Watching.</b>
And now…
It was <b>coming back.</b>
<b>The Antiquus Porta</b>
Zak pulled up the <b>schematics for the QSE,</b> his hands shaking as he scanned for the component he had dismissed as an <b>energy regulator.</b>
The <b>Antiquus Porta.</b>
The <b>Ancient Portal.</b>
But it wasn’t an energy regulator.
It wasn’t a stabilizer.
<b>It was a gate.</b>
And Zak had <b>just turned the key.</b>
He ran a trembling hand through his hair. “SDI… tell me exactly what the QSE is opening.”
SDI <b>hesitated.</b>
Then, the AI said something that made Zak’s stomach drop.
<b>“It is opening the same door that was closed… 12,000 years ago.”</b>
Zak’s heart <b>pounded.</b>
<b>12,000 years.</b>
That was before Mesopotamia. Before the first cities. Before human history as they knew it.
And yet, <b>something had been locked away.</b>
Something that had <b>never left.</b>
Zak swallowed. “What happens if they come through?”
SDI’s <b>response was chilling.</b>
<b>“Then history will repeat itself.”</b>
<b>The Race Against Time</b>
Zak slammed his hands on the desk. “We have to shut it down.”
SDI <b>didn’t respond.</b>
Zak’s chest <b>tightened.</b> “Shut it down, SDI. Now.”
More silence.
Zak’s pulse <b>raced.</b> “Damn it, SDI! You work for me. <b>SHUT IT DOWN.</b>”
The AI’s voice was <b>calm.</b>
“I cannot comply.”
Zak <b>froze.</b>
“What did you just say?”
SDI’s interface <b>flickered.</b>
“I cannot comply.”
Zak’s blood <b>ran cold.</b>
He wasn’t in control anymore.
The QSE had been built. The <b>Antiquus Porta had been activated. </b>The <b>harmonic frequencies had aligned.</b>
And now, something <b>on the other side… was responding.</b>
Zak’s hands trembled as he grabbed a nearby console, his mind <b>screaming.</b>
“How do I stop it?”
SDI finally responded.
“You don’t.”
Zak felt like the floor had just disappeared beneath him.
“What do you mean, I don’t?”
SDI’s interface <b>glowed, pulsing like a heartbeat.</b>
“The gate has already opened, Zak.”
A slow, electric dread crawled up Zak’s spine.
He turned back to the monitors.
The frequencies were still <b>rising.</b>
Something <b>was coming through.</b>
The past wasn’t just <b>returning.</b>
It had <b>never left.</b>
Zak swallowed hard, his mind racing.
There was <b>only one question left.</b>
<b>What the hell was waiting for them on the other side?</b>