Edwin Lunar Chapter 62: The Last Key Awakens

Read chapter 62 of Edwin Lunar by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

Silence ruled the First Gate Chamber. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. The final words of Edlin Lunar echoed endlessly through the minds of everyone present. "The Last Key is you." Edwin stood frozen before the ancient gateway. The ring on his finger felt heavier than ever. Carl was the first to break the silence. "...Why is it always Edwin?" Nobody answered. Because nobody had an answer. Commander Vael slowly stepped forward. His face had become unreadable. "The records were true." Headmaster Humming looked toward him sharply. "You knew?" "Only fragments." Vael stared directly at Edwin. "The Last Key was mentioned in Orion's forbidden archives." The chamber darkened as ancient holographic records appeared. A symbol emerged above the First Gate. Not Orion. Not Void. Something older. A circle surrounded by countless stars. The Astral Keeper lowered their head. "A relic from before the First Civilization." Even the oldest records barely mentioned it. And yet— Every prophecy connected to the Devourer mentioned the same thing. The Last Key. Edwin clenched his fists. "What am I?" The question echoed through the chamber. No one answered immediately. Then the First Gate responded. The ring suddenly erupted with silver light. BOOOOM. Energy surged through the ruins. Ancient systems awakened across the entire academy. Students above ground stopped as every tower of Noroel began glowing. Across the moon— Old Orion symbols appeared on walls, roads, and forgotten structures. Something buried beneath the academy was activating. Far beneath the First Gate Chamber. Deeper than Sector Zero. Deeper than the oldest ruins. A sealed vault opened for the first time in thousands of years. Ancient machinery came alive. And within the darkness— A silver sphere awakened. Back in the chamber, Edwin collapsed to one knee. Visions flooded his mind. Not memories. Records. Entire civilizations rising and falling. The birth of Orion. The creation of the Void gateways. The first appearance of the Devourer. Then— Something impossible. A civilization older than Orion. Older than humanity. Standing before a giant cosmic machine. A machine capable of sealing entire realities. One figure stepped forward and spoke. "The Key must live." Another answered. "Then let it be hidden among the children of stars." The vision shifted. A newborn child wrapped in silver light. A symbol glowing on his hand. The same symbol now glowing beneath Edwin's ring. The vision shattered. Edwin gasped. His heart raced wildly. Humming immediately stepped forward. "What did you see?" Edwin looked up slowly. Fear filled his eyes. "I don't think the Last Key is a title." Silence. Then: "I think it's something inside me." The room froze. Suddenly alarms erupted across the academy. WARNING MULTIPLE DISTORTIONS DETECTED UNKNOWN FLEETS APPROACHING Everyone turned toward the tactical displays. The Noor System appeared. Then dozens of new markers flashed into existence. Not Void. Not Dominion. Unknown. Carl blinked. "Oh good." He sighed. "More problems." Outside Noroel. Space tore open. Massive silver gateways emerged throughout the system. One. Ten. Fifty. Hundreds. Dominion fleets immediately entered battle formation. Weapons locked. Defense cannons activated. Nobody knew what was arriving. Then the first ship emerged. Ancient. Silver. Covered in Orion symbols never seen before. The entire command network fell silent. Another ship followed. Then another. And another. A fleet larger than any in recorded history appeared from the gateways. Thousands of vessels. All carrying the same symbol Edwin had seen in the vision. The symbol of the civilization before Orion. Back inside the chamber, the First Gate projected a single message. ANCIENT FLEET IDENTIFIED STATUS: RETURNED MISSION: PROTECT THE LAST KEY The room became silent. Even Vael looked stunned. "The Sentinel Fleet..." The Astral Keeper's eyes widened. "Impossible." The tactical displays zoomed toward the flagship. A transmission arrived immediatel