Edwin Lunar Chapter 100: The Man Called Orion

Read chapter 100 of Edwin Lunar by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

The Forge fell silent. Not a normal silence. A heavy silence. The kind that appears before history changes forever. Ancient alarms continued echoing through the colossal structure. Golden lights flickered. Warning symbols covered every display. Across the Forge, systems that had slept for twenty thousand years were awakening. Because someone had arrived. Someone even the Architects feared. The Observer. Or rather— Orion. Edwin stood motionless inside the Memory Vault. His thoughts were still racing from Edlin's revelation. His mother had been part Architect. The Observer was her father. Which meant— The Observer was his grandfather. The realization felt impossible. The greatest enemy in history. The mastermind behind wars. The being responsible for countless tragedies. Family. Edwin clenched his fists. Nothing about this journey had gone as expected. Elyra suddenly turned toward the exit. "We have to move." Groader immediately stepped beside her. "Where?" "The Core Chamber." Her voice was tense. "The only place he cannot enter freely." That got everyone's attention. "You mean there's actually somewhere he can't just walk into?" Carl asked. Elyra nodded. "Yes." Carl looked relieved. "Best news I've heard all week." The group quickly followed her through the enormous corridors of the Forge. As they moved deeper into the structure, Edwin noticed something strange. The Forge wasn't merely reacting to the Observer. It was preparing. Massive sections of the structure shifted. Entire walls moved. Ancient defense systems activated. Golden energy flowed through colossal channels running beneath the floor. The Forge looked like a fortress waking up from a twenty-thousand-year sleep. Whatever was coming, the Forge considered it a threat. Eventually they reached a gigantic circular chamber. Everyone stopped. The room was enormous. At its center floated a sphere of pure golden energy. It dwarfed planets. Thousands of energy streams connected to it from every direction. The moment Edwin entered, he felt the same sensation as when he touched the Heart of Orion. Connection. Recognition. Power. This was the heart of the Forge. The true heart. Elyra looked toward the sphere. "The Core." Nobody spoke. Because words felt inadequate. The thing before them looked less like a machine and more like a miniature sun. Groader stared at it. "Is this powering the barrier?" "Partially." Elyra nodded. "The barrier draws energy from countless sources." She pointed toward the Core. "But this is the central anchor." The realization sent chills through everyone. This sphere was one of the reasons the galaxy still existed. One of the reasons the Watchers remained outside. One of the reasons civilization survived. Suddenly the entire chamber shook. Violently. Golden energy rippled across the Core. Everyone lost their balance. Carl nearly crashed into Lucien. "What now?!" Elyra looked upward. Her expression darkened. "He entered the Forge." The room froze. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. The impossible had happened. The Observer was inside. Groader immediately drew his weapon. Golden energy surrounded his body. The ancient warrior looked ready for battle. Yet deep down Edwin knew something. If the Observer truly wanted a fight, none of them would survive. Not even Groader. Not even together. This was a being who had fought Watchers. A being who had shaped galaxies. A being who had lived for twenty thousand years. Then a voice echoed through the chamber. A calm voice. A familiar voice. The same voice Edwin had heard in recordings. The same voice that haunted history. "Still preparing for war, Groader?" Silence. Absolute silence. The voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. Everyone heard it clearly. Groader's grip tightened. "Orion." For several seconds nothing happened. Then reality itself distorted. Space folded. Light bent. And a figure appeared. A man. Nothing more. No giant cosmic form. No overwhelming monster. No terrifying god-like appearance. Just a man. Tall.