The message glowed on every screen.
TARGET IDENTIFIED: ARTYOM SOKOLOV
ELIMINATION PROTOCOL INITIATED
Silence.
Then chaos.
"Move!"
Viktor's voice cut through the room.
In an instant, he was in front of Artyom.
Mikhail stepped to his right.
Nikola disappeared into the shadows.
Dmitri pulled up every security feed.
Yelena reached for the emergency controls.
The Volkov siblings moved like they had rehearsed this moment their entire lives.
Artyom blinked.
Everyone...
was protecting him.
Again.
The facility lights turned crimson.
A mechanical voice echoed through the corridors.
"Protocol active."
"Primary objective: eliminate the First Family heir."
Lucien's face darkened.
"No... this shouldn't be happening."
Roman's eyes narrowed.
"You knew about this."
Lucien looked furious.
"I knew there were people hunting the bloodline."
A pause.
"I didn't know they infiltrated Origin."
Suddenly, the walls trembled.
Heavy footsteps.
Metal against metal.
Getting closer.
Dmitri checked the cameras.
His expression changed.
"We have company."
The main monitor lit up.
Figures emerged from the darkness.
Tall.
Armored.
Featureless black helmets.
No insignias.
No names.
Even Roman's face hardened.
"Who are they?"
Lucien whispered one word.
"The Custodians."
Silence.
"The what?" Mikhail asked.
Lucien's eyes never left the screen.
"The people who erased the First Family."
Artyom froze.
"They've been waiting for centuries."
A pause.
"For the last descendant to appear."
The first blast shook the door.
Then another.
Crack.
Yelena looked up.
"They'll be inside in seconds."
Andrei's voice came through the speakers.
"Take the western tunnel."
Dmitri frowned.
"How do you know about it?"
Silence.
Then:
"Because I built it."
Everyone looked up.
Roman looked genuinely surprised.
"You built an escape route?"
Andrei replied quietly,
"I always planned for this day."
Another blast.
The door bent inward.
Mikhail cracked his knuckles.
"Can I hit them now?"
"No."
Viktor's answer was immediate.
"We leave."
Mikhail looked offended.
"We're seriously running?"
Roman finally spoke.
"This isn't retreat."
His eyes moved toward Artyom.
"It's preservation."
The third blast exploded.
The door gave way.
The first Custodian stepped inside.
Then another.
And another.
They said nothing.
Moved silently.
Cold.
Precise.
One of them raised a weapon.
Before it could fire—
A knife flew through the air.
Thunk.
Straight through the weapon.
Everyone turned.
Nikola emerged from the shadows.
Expression unreadable.
"They're annoying."
Another Custodian entered.
Then ten more.
Dmitri looked at the numbers.
"There are over fifty."
Even Mikhail stopped smiling.
Lucien looked at Artyom.
"They won't stop."
"Why?"
Lucien's voice was quiet.
"Because your existence proves they failed."
The lead Custodian finally spoke.
Its voice sounded distorted.
Almost mechanical.
"Deliver the heir."
Viktor stepped forward.
Cold.
Terrifyingly calm.
"No."
The Custodian tilted its head.
"Then you are enemies of the Order."
Roman laughed.
A short, dangerous laugh.
"That's hardly new."
Suddenly—
The entire facility went dark.
Then emergency lights activated.
A hidden wall opened behind Artyom.
A tunnel.
Andrei's voice returned.
Urgent.
"Go. Now."
Artyom looked at the tunnel.
Then at the people standing around him.
Protecting him.
Choosing him.
Again.
He opened his mouth.
"I can't leave you—"
Viktor grabbed his wrist.
Firm.
Warm.
For once, his voice was gentle.
"You still don't understand."
Artyom looked at him.
Viktor's eyes didn't leave his.
"We're not protecting you because of your blood."
A pause.
"We're protecting you because you're you."
Artyom forgot how to breathe.
Another explosion shook the room.
The lead Custodian raised its weapon.
And Lucien's expression suddenly changed.
He stared behind them.
At the tunnel.
At something hidden in the darkness.
For the first time—
Fear crossed his face.
He whispered:
"No..."
Everyone turned.
A pair of pale eyes opened inside the tunnel.
Watching them.
Watching Artyom.
Then a voice emerged from the darkness.
Calm.
Ancient.
And impossible.
"So... the last child of my family is alive."