The moment Liam stepped through the ancient gateway, everything disappeared.
There was no sky.
No ground.
No sound.
Only darkness.
Then a single golden line appeared beneath his feet.
SYSTEM: PATH OF ORIGINS ACTIVATED.
Liam looked around. "Ava? Kafi?"
"I'm here!"
Ava's voice came from behind him. She emerged from the darkness, her wounds still visible but her eyes filled with determination.
Kafi followed, its armor glowing faintly.
"Location analysis complete," Kafi announced. "We are no longer within Technoville."
Liam frowned. "Then where are we?"
Syra appeared as a hologram.
"Approximately 12,000 years ago."
Liam's eyes widened.
"What?!"
Before Syra could explain, the darkness suddenly shattered.
A massive world appeared before them.
It was unlike anything Liam had ever seen.
Floating cities drifted between enormous crystal mountains. Rivers of blue energy flowed through the air instead of water. Strange creatures flew between glowing towers, while millions of people moved through streets made entirely of light.
Ava stared in amazement.
"This is impossible."
"No," Syra replied. "This is the world before Nexus."
A huge structure stood at the center of the ancient civilization.
A golden tree stretched toward the sky, its branches covered with glowing crystals.
Liam felt something pulling him toward it.
"What is that?"
Syra's voice became quieter.
"The Origin Tree."
Liam stepped closer.
Suddenly—
WARNING!
UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED.
A shadow appeared behind the tree.
Then another.
Then hundreds.
Black-armored soldiers emerged from the darkness, their weapons glowing with purple energy.
Kafi immediately transformed.
[Combat Mode Activated.]
Ava's aura ignited.
"Looks like we're not here alone."
The soldiers charged.
Kafi fired a massive energy blast.
BOOM!
Dozens were thrown backward.
Ava moved like lightning, striking one soldier after another.
Liam raised his hand.
"Syra, give me a weapon!"
[Request denied.]
"What?!"
"You must create your own."
Liam stared at his hands.
He remembered Code Weaving.
Closing his eyes, he imagined a weapon—not made of metal, but knowledge.
Golden symbols gathered around his arm.
A blade formed.
[New Skill Created: Knowledge Blade.]
Liam smiled.
"Finally."
He charged.
But just before he reached the enemy, every soldier suddenly stopped.
They dropped to one knee.
A figure stepped out from behind the Origin Tree.
An old man wearing a white cloak approached slowly.
His eyes were strangely familiar.
He looked directly at Liam.
"So," the old man whispered.
"The Successor has finally returned."
Liam lowered his blade.
"Who are you?"
The old man smiled.
"I am the first creator of Nexus."
He pointed toward the Origin Tree.
"And that…"
The tree began glowing brighter.
"…is where Syra was born."
Syra suddenly disappeared.
Liam froze.
"Syra?"
No response.
For the first time since Liam had discovered the Learning Realm, Syra was gone.
Then the old man whispered:
"Now you will learn the truth about your System."