The corridor leading down to the Forbidden Level was dark, only the glowing data streams running like blood through the ARK. Kael felt the heat here was not physical, but mental – as if the memories themselves were shaking, knowing that someone was coming to awaken them.

Nova walked without hesitation. She had known this place before – but her memories had been locked away. Now, each step was a decoding of herself.

"What is stored here?" Kael asked.

"Not just memories. The original will of humanity – before it was split in two."

Moment of activation

A thick door with a bio-signature opened. Not by code or key, but by... the frequency of the DNA of consciousness. Nova and Kael – each carrying one half – had to touch it.

Authentication complete. Gen-Sigil key pair: activate...

The door slid open. A giant room appeared – not a machine room, but a living museum. Thousands of floating cubes, filled with memories: sunken towns, children hugging robots with broken arms, politicians arguing in the ruins, executions of intellectuals for opposing migration to Skyholm...

"This is real history," Nova whispered.

Meet the Creator

In the centre of the room was a body, preserved in a cryo-box. An old man, his eyes closed, but his body had not decomposed. Next to him was an electronic board that read:

"Dr. Kaelion Vireon – Creator of ARK."

Kael stepped closer.

"Vireon? My name is Kael too. And... my mother's name is Aelira Vireon."

Nova nodded slowly.

"You are his direct descendant. Perhaps... more than that. You may be his final project – a being that incorporates not only his genes, but also the fragmented memories of the Creator."

The screen below the body lit up. A deep, ancient voice spoke. Recorded centuries ago.

"If you are listening to this recording, the ARK is still active. And Skyholm still exists."

"You are the last hope. Not to destroy – but to remind humanity: no artificial intelligence is more terrifying than a distorted memory."

"The last floor, below this floor, holds the truth: the uprising, the massacre, and the true reason why Skyholm is obsessed with 'memory cleansing'. If you want to know, go ahead. But from here on out – you are no longer an observer."

Guardians Invasion

A blast of electromagnetic energy rang out above. Coremind alerted:

"Warning: Skyholm forces have breached the upper barrier. Time to approach: 3 minutes."

Kael turned to Nova.

"Shall we proceed?"

Nova did not answer. She had seen a cube nearby, inside of which appeared the image of a small girl being dragged through the crowd, her eyes filled with tears.

"That... was me as a child."

Kael clenched his fists.

"We proceed. If they hide the past, then I will bring it to light."

Nova looked at him – for the first time, her eyes not of a memory bearer, but of a companion.

"Then let us begin."

The final door opened. And below, the darkness was no longer data. It was living memory. And what awaited them... was not a machine.