Edwin Lunar Chapter 68: The Choice of the Key

Read chapter 68 of Edwin Lunar by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

Silence spread across the Final Expanse. The ancient warning remained suspended above the Final Gateway. FINAL SEAL PROTOCOL AVAILABLE. ACTIVATION REQUIRES THE SACRIFICE OF THE LAST KEY. No one spoke. No one moved. The silver sky itself seemed frozen. Edwin stared at the message. His life. That was the price. Far above them, the Devourer watched. Millions of eyes opened within the endless darkness. Waiting. Patient. As though it already knew the outcome. Another strike slammed into the Final Gateway. BOOOOOM! New cracks spread across the colossal structure. Ancient Builder systems screamed warnings. The prison was failing. Time was running out. Carl stepped forward first. "No." Everyone looked at him. His hands trembled slightly. "I don't care what some ancient machine says." His voice grew louder. "There has to be another way." Edwin smiled weakly. "Carl—" "No." Carl pointed directly at him. "You don't get to do the heroic sacrifice thing." For once, there was no joke in his voice. Only fear. Real fear. "We didn't come all this way to lose you." Iris looked at the warning silently. Then at Edwin. Her usually calm expression cracked. Only slightly. But enough. "We will find another solution." Lucien nodded. "As long as we're breathing." Edwin felt something tighten in his chest. Not fear. Gratitude. Nearby, Edlin Lunar stood completely still. She had spent years protecting the Final Gateway. Years alone. Years believing she might never see her son again. And now the universe was demanding him back. Her eyes filled with tears. "No." The word barely escaped her lips. Aether lowered his head sadly. "The Builders designed the Key as part of the seal." Edlin rounded on him instantly. "Then the Builders were wrong." The ancient being remained silent. Another impact struck. The Devourer's tendrils descended from the heavens. Entire floating islands vanished. Reality shattered around them. The Final Gateway's integrity dropped further. 82%. 78%. 74%. The numbers appeared across ancient displays. Every second mattered. Suddenly the ring flared brightly. Golden light erupted around Edwin. The world disappeared. He stood alone. A vast silver plain stretched endlessly before him. The Devourer was gone. The Expanse was gone. Only silence remained. Then someone appeared. A man wearing ancient silver armor. Not Wingard. Not Aether. Someone older. Much older. The first Builder. The creator of the Last Key. The man looked at Edwin quietly. "You have grown beyond our predictions." Edwin folded his arms. "You designed this." The Builder nodded. "We did." Anger rose inside Edwin. "So I was born just to die?" The ancient figure remained silent for a long moment. Then shook his head. "No." Edwin frowned. "What?" The Builder looked toward the endless horizon. "When we created the Key, sacrifice was the only answer we knew." The silver plain shifted. Countless visions appeared. Failed civilizations. Lost wars. Destroyed realities. The Builders had tried everything. Nothing stopped the Devourer permanently. Nothing except the Final Seal. "But history changes." The Builder looked directly at Edwin. "And so do people." More visions appeared. Carl. Iris. Lucien. Wingard. Edlin. Every person Edwin had helped. Every person who had helped him. The Builder smiled faintly. "Our calculations never included one variable." Edwin stared. "What variable?" The Builder's answer came softly. "Hope." The silver plain shattered. Edwin returned to reality. Back to the Final Expanse. Back to the battle. Only seconds had passed. But something had changed. The ring burned brighter than ever before. Not with power. With understanding. The Final Gateway suddenly activated. Ancient Builder symbols illuminated across the sky. A hidden message appeared. One that had remained locked for thousands of years. Because only the Last Key could reveal it. Aether's eyes widened. "Impossible." The message expanded. Revealing a second protocol. One the Builders had buried. One they never