In the cold, dimly lit heart of an underground military base, General Robert “Stonewall” Grieger examined a digital map glowing on the wall-sized display before him. The map’s shifting coordinates and markers reflected his calculated, precise mind, a mind that had navigated countless covert operations and top-secret missions for the Commission, an organization few civilians knew existed.

  “Overlay sequence,” Grieger commanded. In response, a soft blue grid appeared, tracing over the earth’s surface, pinpointing ancient megalithic sites worldwide: Stonehenge, the Pyramids of Giza, the enigmatic Easter Island statues, and countless others. He studied the map intently, his eyes narrowing as another sequence appeared—the exact locations featured in the new video game, Stone Chronicles: Veil of Titans. He leaned forward, his fingers resting on his chin, piecing together connections only he and a select few could understand.

  A knock at the door broke the silence.

  “Come in,” Grieger barked, not taking his eyes off the map.

  The door opened, and Sergeant Walsh stepped in, rigid and formal. “Colonel Jasper here to see you, sir.”

  “Send him in.”

  The sergeant stepped aside, and Colonel Theodore “Teddy” Jasper strode into the room with the casual confidence of a man who knew he had long-standing privileges with the general. Jasper’s tall, lanky frame contrasted with Grieger’s stockier build, and he held an easygoing expression, though his eyes scanned the room with a sharpness that came from years of military service.

  “What do you got for me, Bobby?” Jasper asked, using the nickname reserved for close associates.

  Grieger turned to him, gesturing at the map. “Hey, Teddy, have you seen this? We’ve got intel suggesting we may have to enter a virtual world to retrieve a device.”

  Jasper raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “Virtual world, huh? You talking about that game the kids are all over now? Stone Chronicles: Veil of Titans, right? I just bought that for my boys.”

  “That’s the one,” Grieger replied, his gaze darkening as he gestured to the screen. “You know they’re offering a $10 million prize to the first team to unlock the secrets of the game.”

  Jasper whistled, looking amused. “No wonder my boys are obsessed. I didn’t think a video game would have much to do with our work. What, did the developers get access to some classified data or something?”

  Grieger laughed, shaking his head. “Not exactly, but you’ll find this interesting. I happened to stumble upon this information because, as you know, my son’s on a team with your boys. I’ve been sponsoring the team for months now, thought it was a good way to keep an eye on things.”

  Jasper nodded, his face breaking into a wry grin. “Ah, well, if that keeps them doing something halfway constructive, I’m all for it. Better than them dreaming about sports careers or worse—getting too comfortable to ever consider the military.” He sighed. “They think they’re too privileged for that kind of life.”

  Grieger chuckled, nodding. “Yeah, your boys are on my son’s team. You’re welcome for the sponsorship, by the way.”

  The two men shared a laugh, the kind that held a rough camaraderie only years of shared secrets and service could bring. But Grieger’s expression soon turned serious, his gaze shifting back to the map.

  “Back to the business at hand,” Grieger said, his voice low and intent. “There’s something… more. A boy named Leo Adams has already found the first key in The Lost Megalith.”

  “Leo Adams,” Jasper repeated, brow furrowing. “That name sounds familiar. Didn’t his family have some… Commission history?”

  A silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken memories and classified files. Grieger folded his arms, nodding.

  “Leo’s father, Leonard Adams, was one of us—back in the day,” Grieger said, his voice carrying the weight of something buried. “He and his wife, Jennifer Casari, were involved in some high-level operations with us. Adams was assigned to special missions regarding unidentified aerial phenomena—UAPs—and retrieval missions with both the Pentagon and the CIA. His wife… she was in on it too. Brilliant, that one. It didn’t take long before they stumbled upon information that got them into trouble.”

  Jasper leaned forward, his face grim. “Trouble with who?”

  Grieger’s jaw clenched as he pulled up a classified file on his tablet, the screen casting a faint glow on his face. “Information suggests they stumbled onto something powerful—a device connected to an ancient technology that we’ve been monitoring for decades. They believed it was linked to the same technology hidden in the megalithic sites. When they found out, they decided to hide. They were… resourceful. Elusive. It took years, but we eventually caught up with them.”

  “What happened?” Jasper’s voice was a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

  Grieger hesitated, his gaze darkening. “We managed to capture Jennifer. But it didn’t go as planned. Leonard was out of reach at the time, but Jennifer… she put up a fight. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I don’t know what she knew, or what she could do, but it was almost as if something… something beyond us was protecting her. When we finally got our hands on her, she wasn’t the same. She didn’t talk, didn’t respond. She became… different. It was as if she’d vanished without ever leaving.”

  Jasper shook his head, incredulous. “And the boy?”

  “Leo was just a baby back then,” Grieger replied, his voice carrying the weight of old memories. “Leonard went into hiding with him, kept them both off the grid. We had our tracking resources tied up for years, chasing any hint or rumor, but he always seemed to stay one step ahead.”

  Jasper listened intently, his face drawn in curiosity.

  Grieger continued, the words heavy, as though each one pulled up pieces of a story he’d buried. “But finally, years later, we got a break. A small town hospital reported a man fitting Leonard’s description. He was in the ICU—injuries from a car accident. He had no ID, but it was him. Problem was, by the time we found him, Leonard’s memory had been affected. He’d suffered head trauma, and he was fading. They thought it was from the accident, but… I suspect otherwise.”

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  Jasper frowned. “Otherwise?”

  “His mind was deteriorating rapidly, but it wasn’t just the accident,” Grieger said, his voice dropping. “His memories were slipping away, like pieces of his past being erased. He had early-onset Alzheimer’s. By the time we made contact, he was a shell of himself. We’d finally found him, and yet the memories we needed were lost.”

  “What about the kid?” Jasper asked.

  Grieger sighed, rubbing his hand over his jaw. “Leo was still young, too young to be useful to us. He barely knew anything about his father’s past. The poor kid had been raised on the run, never staying in one place long enough to call it home. He was polite, quiet, didn’t ask questions. The hospital staff said Leonard had been muttering about spies and shadows, insisting that they stay hidden, that his boy was ‘important’ and needed to stay safe.”

  Jasper leaned back, his eyes narrowing. “So, the boy really was the key all along.”

  “Exactly,” Grieger replied. “But without Leonard’s mind intact, we were left with nothing concrete to act on. The only option left was to keep an eye on the kid, watch and wait. We needed to know if Leonard’s suspicions about his son’s importance were true.”

  Jasper shook his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “You were thorough as always, Bobby. You even uprooted your whole life to move here and keep him under surveillance?”

  Grieger chuckled dryly, glancing at the digital map that glowed dimly in the room’s dark shadows. “Didn’t have much of a choice. My sons go to school with Leo; they play on the same sports teams, even share some classes. We’ve been close enough to see him up close, to keep tabs without drawing suspicion.”

  “Smart,” Jasper murmured, nodding in admiration. “Smart move. Keep him close, integrate him into your life.”

  Grieger nodded, his expression hardening. “We’ve kept him in our line of sight all these years. And I thought that would be enough. But then, the damn game had to release that Lost Megalith challenge. Now Leo has the first key, and suddenly every interested party has a vested interest in his whereabouts.”

  The room fell into silence, the digital map casting a cold blue glow over them as the enormity of Grieger’s strategy sank in.

  After a long moment, Jasper spoke, his voice a whisper. “And now the boy’s playing the game?”

  Grieger nodded. “And not just playing it, Teddy. He’s the first to unlock one of the keys. This game… it’s linked to what Jennifer and Leonard were searching for. Whoever designed this version of Stone Chronicles is either incredibly lucky or knows more than they’re letting on.”

  Jasper took a deep breath, processing the revelation. “So, what’s the plan?”

  Grieger’s face hardened, his gaze turning cold and determined. “We need to monitor him, track his every move in that game. If he unlocks the remaining keys, he’ll have access to information we can’t let fall into the wrong hands. Meanwhile, we need to find this game developer. This isn’t just a game, Teddy. This is a matter of national security.”

  Jasper nodded, his expression darkening with understanding. “I’ll get our people on it. We can run a full surveillance operation, monitor his activity in real time. And if he leads us to the device…”

  “We take it,” Grieger finished, his tone brooking no argument. “If there’s a chance that this device could compromise our operations or end up with the rebels, we need to act now.”

  With a final look at the map, Grieger dismissed the display, the room falling into darkness once more. He turned to Jasper, his eyes glinting with cold determination.

  “We’ll start with Leo Adams. Whatever secrets his parents were hiding, whatever legacy they left him, we’ll uncover it. And we’ll make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

  Leo’s Uncertainty with the Rebellion.

  Meanwhile, miles away, Leo sat in a dimly lit room, still reeling from his recent encounter with the Wesirians. The initial shock of being kidnapped had worn off, but he still felt uneasy, caught between the mysterious allure of the rebels and a lingering mistrust.

  He looked across the table at Maera, who watched him with a calm, steady gaze.

  “Why did you have to kidnap me?” he asked, the bitterness creeping into his tone. “You could have just… I don’t know, reached out like normal people?”

  Maera tilted her head, her eyes never leaving his. “Because we needed to get to you before the Commission did. They would have used you, Leo, just as they used your parents. We wanted you to have a choice—a real choice.”

  He looked away, still skeptical. The idea of trusting a group that had dragged him from his home wasn’t exactly reassuring.

  Seeing his doubt, Maera stood, gesturing for him to follow. “Perhaps I can help you understand. Come with me.”

  She led him down a narrow corridor into a large room filled with shipping connexes.They walked through the first isle and she opened one of the containers. It was filled with artifacts: monolithic tablets, ancient scrolls, and objects with strange inscriptions and engravings that glowed faintly in the low light. Each item seemed to radiate an energy he couldn’t quite explain, and as he stepped closer, he felt a pull, as though the artifacts themselves were reaching out to him.

  Maera gestured toward the objects. “Let go, Leo. Let yourself feel the connection.”

  As he moved down a small isle inside the connex between and among the artifacts, visions began to appear—blurry, fragmented images that slowly sharpened, becoming scenes from a past he couldn’t remember but somehow knew. He saw flashes of Atlantis, a city gleaming with crystalline towers and advanced machinery that hummed with life. He saw temples in Egypt, massive structures lit by an otherworldly glow, and cities in Mesoamerica where beings of light moved among the people, guiding them, teaching them.

  Finally, his gaze fell on a small, simple pendant—a pendant he recognized instantly. It had belonged to his mother, a locket she’d worn with photos of her and his father. He reached for it, his hand trembling, and as his fingers brushed against it, a surge of energy coursed through him, filling his mind with a flood of images.

  He saw his mother, Jennifer, young and vibrant, speaking to a being made of light, its form shifting and glowing with a wisdom that went beyond words. He saw her holding him as a baby, a look of fierce protection in her eyes. He saw her taken, a struggle, and then darkness.

  When the vision faded, he found himself clutching the pendant, breathing heavily, as though he’d lived through each moment. He looked up, and Maera was watching him, her expression soft with understanding.

  “Your mother,” Maera said, her voice barely above a whisper, “was one of us. She was… my predecessor, the one who kept the knowledge alive, the one who knew the truth of Eirata.”

  Leo stared at her, realization dawning. “You… you knew her?”

  Maera’s form shimmered, a shift in her presence, and suddenly he felt an unmistakable familiarity in her gaze.

  “She is me, Leo,” Maera whispered, her voice filled with a mixture of sorrow and love. “I am Maera now, the Hasmadah of the Wesirians. But once, I was Jennifer Casari. This was the only way to save me, to keep our knowledge alive. Eirata’s consciousness flows through me, but so does hers. I am both, Leo.”

  Leo’s heart pounded, the weight of the truth settling over him like a revelation. He felt as though he were seeing his mother for the first time in years, and yet she was something more, something beyond human.

  He reached out, his voice breaking. “Mom…?”

  She placed her hand over his, a warmth spreading through him that felt like an embrace. “I’m here, Leo. I always have been.”

  Leo’s world spun, but for the first time, he felt a sense of purpose, a connection that went beyond the game, beyond the trials. He was ready to face whatever came next.

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