Hyperspace distorted around us like water parted by a red-hot knife. I sat clutching the purple crystal in my hand, which pulsed with a faint light, then grew still, like a living thing.
– What is this, Gena? – I asked, watching its light reflect off the Reptiloid's scales.
– I don't know, – he grumbled, not looking up from the controls. – This crystal could be a key, knowledge, possibilities, anything we desire. It's a technology of the Darkness.
– A key to knowledge?
– Perhaps to what the Archons are so carefully hiding.
I looked at the crystal, and at that moment, the voice sounded in my head again:
`They are afraid… of the Truth.`
I shuddered.
– Gena, it's talking to me!
– Who?
– The crystal! It… – I didn't get to finish.
The ship was thrown out of hyperspace with such force that I hit my head on the terminal panel.
`Damage: Critical. Hyperdrive disabled. Shields: 3%.`
– Damn! – Gena punched the panel. – We didn't make it!
I got up and looked at the screen. There, among the stars, hung a planet. Blue. Green. So familiar.
– Earth… – I whispered.
– Possibly, – Gena hissed. – But we can't stay here. They're looking for us.
– We're back! Where are we going?
– To the Moon.
I stared at him.
– What?
– My base is there. Hidden from enemy eyes.
I wanted to ask how he got a base on the Moon, but at that moment the implant in my head screamed:
`Scanning detected. Source: Unknown. Threat: Detection.`
Gena turned sharply.
– Petya, hide the crystal. Now.
I stuffed it into my suit's inner pocket, and the strange pressure in my head immediately eased.
– What was that?
– They're looking for it, – Gena hissed. – And if they find it…
He didn't finish. Instead, the ship shot forward towards the grey surface of the Moon.
The ship entered the Moon's thin atmosphere (or rather, the lack of it) with a shriek of overheating shields. Gena gripped the steering wheel, his scaly fingers squeezing the levers so hard the webbing between his claws crackled.
– Hold on! – he hissed, and the ship nosedived, breaking through an invisible layer of ancient protective fields.
I pressed myself into the seat, feeling the gravitational compensators whine under the strain. Craters drifted below, but one of them… was emitting. Its dark bottom shimmered as if covered in liquid metal.
– That's not just a crater… – I began, but Gena jerked the lever sharply, and the ship plummeted downwards like a stone.
– My humble abode.
The walls of the crater suddenly parted, revealing a hidden hangar. The ship flew inside, and multi-layered shields instantly slammed shut behind us, cutting off any traces of hyperspatial distortions.
We landed hard on the landing pad, and for a second, silence reigned, broken only by the crackling of cooling engines.
– Shields at zero, hyperdrive is dead… – Gena muttered. – But we're alive.
I unclenched my fingers—the crystal in my pocket was still pulsating, like a heart.
– Where are we? – I looked around.
The hangar was carved directly into the lunar rock, the walls covered in a web of ancient mechanisms and new, clearly Gena's, modifications. Blue screens glowed in the distance, and shadows of something… moving, darted across the ceiling.
– My base. Built on the ruins of something older. – Gena stood up, his pupils narrowing in the darkness. – The Archons don't know about it. Yet.
The base turned out to be small, just a few rooms carved into the lunar soil. But it had everything necessary: generators, food supplies, even a small ship dock.
– How did you build this? – I asked, looking around.
– Not me, – Gena replied, connecting our ship to the base's power system. – It was here before me.
– Who then?
– The Ancients.
I froze.
– Are you serious?
– Yes. And this isn't the only thing they left behind.
He walked over to a wall and ran his claw over an almost invisible panel. The wall slid open, revealing a passage into a dark tunnel.
– Let's go.
The tunnel led down. Deeper into the planet. We entered a circular room. In the center stood a pillar of black metal, covered with the same symbols as the ruins on that planet.
– What is this?
– An archive. Of everyone the Archons sent to Earth and those who were reincarnated over a hundred thousand years, – Gena answered. – Or… what's left of it.
He approached the pillar and placed his palm on it. The symbols lit up. And suddenly… The room disappeared. We were in space. But not ours. A battle unfolded before us. Giant ships, unlike any I had ever seen, fought each other. Some fired into the void, but were then torn apart from within.
– What is this?! – I tried to step back, but we were inside the hologram.
– War, – Gena whispered. – Their war.
– Whose?!
– The Ancients… and the Darkness.
At that moment, one of the ships exploded, and that very creature burst out of it. Black. Faceless. With huge eyes. It looked directly at us. And spoke:
`They will return. Be prepa…`
The hologram went out. We were back in the room. I was breathing heavily.
– Gena… what was that?
– A warning, – he replied. – And a key.
– To what?
– To understanding what the Archons are hiding.
He looked at my pocket, where the crystal lay.
– Give it to me.
I slowly took out the crystal.
– What are you going to do?
– What I must.
He took the crystal and inserted it into a recess on the pillar. The world around us exploded in bright light. The walls dissolved. And I saw. The truth. The truth was horrifying. The Archons were not the masters of the technologies and Earth. They were servants of another race. This race was called "The Darkness." The Darkness didn't just need planetary resources. They were beings from another dimension who devoured worlds. They consumed them to sustain their own existence. To have resources delivered to them, they created servants, the Archons, giving them soul manipulation technology. They, in turn, possessing the technology to create beings, created humans and infused them with what we call a soul. The soul is intelligent energy plasma with an entrancing white color. The soul is sentient, but it is not from our dimension. For many thousands of years, the Archons completely controlled humans and extracted our planet's resources. They dug huge pits on the planet, filled them with seawater, hiding their activities. Then another race came, and a war broke out in space.
When the vision disappeared, I collapsed to my knees.
– This… is impossible…
– No, – Gena whispered. – It's the truth.
– But why would the Archons do this? Why free us?
– Because they promised you, – Gena said. – Eternal life. Immortality, if you will. That's what your masters of the word say, in the temples of worship.
– You mean the churches? So, what now?
Gena removed the crystal from the pillar.
– Now… We must stop them.
– But how?!
He looked at me.
– We will awaken the Ancients.
– What?!
– Their technologies lie dormant on Earth. In secret places. If we find even one…
– But where?
Gena smirked.
– You've already been there.
I froze.
– The SVR special storage facility?
– Yes.
– But… The Archons are on the planet! They already know we're looking!
– That's exactly why they would never think we're crazy enough to return to the planet.
I took a deep breath.
– You're insane.
– Yes, – Gena agreed. – Petya, you have to understand. We have no choice.
He handed me the crystal.
– You must do this.
– Why me?
– Because… – he paused. – Because your father was one of them.
– I remember. But you never told me about him.
– He betrayed them. For you.
I squeezed the crystal until my fingers ached.
– So…
– So, only you can activate their technologies.
I closed my eyes.
– When do we leave?
– Soon.
Gena settled me in one of the rooms at his base, and I fell asleep. When I woke up and found Gena, the ship was ready for new flights.
– Hello, sleepyhead, – Gena greeted me with a smile.
– Did I oversleep a lot?
– You slept for over twelve of your Earth hours.
– Wow! – I was surprised.
– Alright. If you're ready. We can take off, – I nodded.
We headed to the ship. Checking all systems didn't take long. Sitting in the chair, I became thoughtful. How strange everything is. It turns out my father served two races. At some point, he realized humanity was in danger and decided to help. It's a pity we spent so little time together. I suddenly remembered our evening gatherings over crosswords and a cup of strong, tasty tea. At that moment, the ship roared. We rushed towards Earth.
Gena's ship entered Earth's atmosphere, leaving a fiery trail behind. The camouflage was working at its limit, but I still felt shivers running down my spine.
`Scanning… Archon scanner traces detected within a 200 km radius.`
– There are many of them here, – Gena muttered, gripping the steering wheel. – But they aren't expecting us here.
We were flying over Siberia, somewhere in the remote taiga. Our course was set for an abandoned complex—a former secret facility from the Soviet era, now listed as "mothballed."
– Are you sure there's something useful there? – I asked, watching the snowy peaks flash by on the screen.
– More than sure, – Gena hissed.
I wanted to ask what that meant, but at that moment the ship jerked violently.
`Energy impulse detected. Source: Unknown.`
– That's not the Archons, – Gena frowned. – It's something else.
I looked at the screen. Below, among the forest, something purple was glowing.
– Is that…
– They're already here, – Gena hissed.
– Who?!
– Ta-dam! Pyotr, meet the Darkness. Darkness, meet Petya. – Gena said, pointing at me and laughing loudly.
We landed a kilometer from the signal source. Gena issued me a weapon—a compact energy pistol, which I holstered on my belt.
– Shoot only as a last resort, – he warned. – It will attract attention.
The forest was too quiet. No birds, no animals—just the crunch of snow under our feet. And then the light. Purple. Flickering. As if darkness itself had manifested in the air.
– What is that? – I whispered.
– A portal, – Gena answered. – They are awakening.
I stepped closer… and saw. Black shadows were emerging from the portal. Faceless. With black eyes.
`Anomalous activity detected. Threat: Catastrophic.` – the implant screeched.
– Gena… – I stepped back.
– Don't move, – he raised his paw as if afraid to scare them.
But it was too late. One of the creatures turned in our direction. And looked straight at me.
`Pyotr…`
The voice in my head was icy. At that moment:
– Petya, run! Run to the ship! – Gena roared.
I dashed back, but the creature disappeared—and materialized in front of me. Its hand pierced my chest. But there was no pain. Only cold spread throughout my body. I was paralyzed and couldn't move. The voice in my head whispered to me:
`Pyotr. You must wake up…`
And at that moment, the crystal in my pocket flashed. The creature howled and threw me back into the snow. Gena fired—an energy charge tore the shadow to shreds. There were many enemies, far too many.
– Petya! Give me the crystal! – Gena bellowed.
I pulled it from my pocket and threw it to Gena. He caught it mid-air—and slammed it into the armor on his chest. Gena's scales cracked. Gena's body was flooded with purple light. And then… He changed. His synthetic armor unfolded, revealing ancient mechanisms inside.
– Activation of protocol: "Guardian". – Gena roared.
The voice no longer sounded like his. It was the voice of something ancient, powerful. The creatures retreated. But not for long. They rushed at him. Gena… no, the Guardian—swung his arm, and space around him tore apart with bright weaves of energy. I felt a certain power filling me. But the creatures were already disappearing, being sucked into black holes that appeared and vanished in an instant. I was speechless. But the last creature managed to lunge at me. Its fingers dug into my temples. I saw.
I stood among the ruins of a city. But not ours. Giant towers, resembling crystals, pierced the sky with their spires. And above it all. It. The Darkness. Without form, without a name. It was devouring this world, and then I understood. This wasn't the future. This was the past, their past. If it breaks free from its confinement, the same will happen to Earth.
I came to in the snow. Gena was standing over me. The creatures were gone. The portal had closed.
– Did you see? – he asked.
I nodded.
– Then you understand… We are losing.
– What do we do?
– Find a very vile Archon.
– Which one?!
– The one who started this.
I asked:
– The Emperor?
– Yes.
– But how?!
Gena looked at me.
– You already know.
And I really did know. The crystal wasn't just a key. It was bait, and the Emperor was coming for it.
– You're suggesting using me as bait?!
– No. – Gena shook his head. – Gena put his paw on my shoulder and continued. – I'm suggesting you become a Hunter.
Gena's ship, battered and smoking, struggled through the Moon's gravitational field. The sensors screamed, warning of critical damage, but we could already see it—the hidden base, disguised as an ordinary crater.
– Hold on tight! – Gena hissed, gripping the controls.
The ship nosedived sharply, and for a moment I saw the crater's surface part, revealing a hangar hidden beneath a layer of holographic camouflage. We landed with a dull thud, and for a second, there was silence, broken only by the crackling of the cooling hull.
– Well, home sweet home, – Gena muttered, unfastening his harness.
I stood up, feeling the artificial gravity engage under my feet. The hangar wasn't large, but it was clearly not built by Gena alone—the walls were covered in ancient symbols, and some of the equipment looked as if it had been assembled from the wreckage of something alien.
– You said the base was built on ruins… whose? – I asked, examining the strange mechanisms.
Gena didn't answer immediately. He walked over to a panel on the wall and ran his claw over almost imperceptible indentations.
– The Ancients'.
The wall slid open, revealing a passage into a dark tunnel.
– Let's go.
The tunnel led down, deep into the Moon. The further we went, the stronger the feeling that we weren't alone. The air was filled with a barely audible hum, as if mechanisms that weren't supposed to stop were working somewhere. We entered a circular room. In the center stood a black pillar, covered with the same symbols as the ruins on that planet.
– The Archive, – Gena explained. – It holds knowledge about everyone the Archons have reincarnated over the last hundred thousand years.
He placed his palm on the pillar. The symbols flashed.
We found ourselves in space. But not ours. A battle unfolded before us—giant ships, unlike any I had ever seen, fought each other. Some resembled crystalline structures, others—living organisms.
– This is war, – Gena whispered. – Their war.
– Whose?!
– The Ancients… and the Darkness.
At that moment, one of the ships exploded, and out of it burst—a black, faceless creature with huge eyes. It looked directly at us and whispered:
`They will return… Be ready…`
The hologram went out. We were back in the room.
– What was that?! – I could barely catch my breath.
– A warning.
Gena looked at the crystal in my hands.
He took the crystal and inserted it into a recess on the pillar. Everything around exploded with light.
I saw. The Darkness—a race from another dimension, devouring worlds. They created the Archons to harvest resources for them. And to keep humans from resisting—they gifted them the technology of soul reincarnation. The soul is a sentient being, stolen from another world. And Earth… was merely a prison planet for them.
I collapsed to my knees.
– This… is impossible…
– No, – Gena hissed. – It's the truth.
– But then why do the Archons…
– Because the Darkness will return. And when it does… they will need new vessels.
Gena removed the crystal from the pillar.
– Now you understand why they're hunting for this.
– Yes. And you want to use me as bait?!
Gena shook his head.
– No.
He placed a heavy paw on my shoulder.
– I want you to become a Hunter.
I looked at the crystal. It pulsed in time with my heartbeat.
– Alright.
`Activation of combat protocol: "Hunter".` – the implant stated.
The implant's voice sounded cold, emotionless. I stood in front of a mirror in the lunar base and looked at my reflection. The body was mine, but completely different. Thin silver lines appeared under my skin—nanofibers woven into the muscle tissue. A faint blue light pulsed at my temples—the neurointerface synchronizing me with the technologies of the Ancients.
– Like it? – Gena grated his teeth in a semblance of a smirk.
– I feel like a hero from a cheap sci-fi action movie, – I grumbled, clenching and unclenching my fists. The sensations were strange—as if my muscles had turned to steel, yet they felt alien.
– These aren't just implants, Petya. This is the legacy of the Guardians. Your father… – Gena fell silent.
– What about my father?
– He was one of them. Not just an Archon. He was a Guardian.
I turned sharply.
– You're lying.
– No. – Gena came closer, his yellow pupils narrowing. – He was hiding among humans to watch the Archons.
My brain refused to process it. My father—the one who was always away at work—an alien spy?
– Then why did he… – my voice betrayed me with a tremor, – why did he die?
– Because they found him.
`Incoming signal detected. Frequency: Emergency.` – the implant reported.
The implant's voice interrupted us. A holographic screen flashed on the base wall—the distorted face of a man in military uniform.
– Pyotr?
I recognized him immediately. It was my father's friend, General Sokolov. They served together in the SVR special storage.
– How did you…
– No time! – the general's voice was breaking up from interference. – They're already here! The entire special storage…
At that moment, the hologram went out.
– What was that? – I turned to Gena.
– A trap, – the reptiloid hissed. – But we need to go there.
– You just said it's a trap!
– Yes. It's their trap. But our opportunity.
He handed me a black disc the size of a palm.
– What is this?
– The Key to the Gate.
The disc was cold. Too cold for ordinary metal.
– What Gate?
– The ones hidden beneath the special storage. The ones that lead directly to him.
– To whom? Gena. Why do I have to pry every bit of information out of you like pulling teeth?
Gena bared his teeth.
– To the Emperor of the Archons.
A few hours later, the ship was ready. Gena checked the systems, I loaded the weapons.
– Are you sure he'll take the bait? – I asked.
– He's already coming.
I sighed.
– Then let's go.
The engines roared. The Moon was left behind.