Edwin Lunar Chapter 90: Beyond the Galaxy

Read chapter 90 of Edwin Lunar by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

The silence inside the Original Orion Headquarters lasted several minutes after Wingard's recording ended. Nobody seemed capable of speaking. The revelation had shattered yet another assumption. For years the Observer had been viewed as an outside threat attempting to invade the galaxy. Now Wingard had claimed something completely different. The Observer wasn't trying to enter. He was trying to return. The difference was terrifying. Because it meant the Observer belonged somewhere connected to their galaxy. Somewhere connected to its past. Edwin stood staring at the empty platform where Wingard's hologram had vanished. His father's final expression remained etched in his mind. There had been urgency in it. Concern. Almost fear. And if Wingard feared something, then it was far beyond ordinary danger. Carl finally broke the silence. "I officially hate every mystery." Nobody disagreed. Groader slowly approached the platform. Unlike the others, he didn't seem surprised. Instead, he looked troubled. As though Wingard's words had confirmed something he already suspected. Edwin immediately noticed. "You knew something." Groader didn't answer right away. His gaze remained fixed on the stars beyond the station's windows. Finally he sighed. "I knew part of it." The room became silent again. Iris folded her arms. "Part of what?" Groader looked toward them. "Toward the end of the Great War, Wingard and Edlin discovered records that shouldn't have existed." "What kind of records?" Lucien asked. "Ancient ones." Groader activated a nearby console. The station immediately responded. Ancient holographic displays illuminated the room. Maps appeared. Thousands of years of historical data filled the air. Civilizations. Star systems. Builder structures. Forgotten empires. The scale was overwhelming. Then Groader zoomed outward. Farther. Farther. Beyond the known sectors. Beyond Dominion territory. Beyond every explored region. Eventually the entire galaxy appeared. A massive spiral of stars floating in darkness. Edwin had seen galactic maps before. But never one this detailed. Never one this complete. Then Groader zoomed out again. The room froze. Beyond the galaxy appeared something unexpected. A second galaxy. Then another. And another. An entire cluster. Billions of stars stretching beyond imagination. Carl stared. "I suddenly feel very small." "Good." Groader replied. "You should." The display continued expanding. The scale became almost impossible to comprehend. Then Groader highlighted a location outside the galactic cluster. Far beyond every known civilization. Far beyond every recorded expedition. A region of darkness. Empty. Silent. Alone. "What is that?" Edwin asked. Groader's expression hardened. "We don't know." The answer surprised everyone. Groader continued. "Ancient Builder records referred to it as the Void Beyond." The name immediately captured their attention. "The Void Beyond?" Iris repeated. Groader nodded. "The oldest records described it as a place outside reality." Carl blinked. "That doesn't sound good." "No." Groader agreed. "It doesn't." The room became quiet. Then Groader activated another file. An ancient recording appeared. Its quality was poor. Thousands of years old. Perhaps older. The image showed Builder explorers standing aboard a massive vessel. The recording was heavily damaged. Most of the audio was missing. Yet one sentence remained clear. A frightened voice echoed through the room. "Something is coming from beyond the galaxies." The recording abruptly ended. Nobody spoke. The atmosphere had changed. This wasn't merely history anymore. This was something larger. Something ancient. Something connected to the foundations of civilization itself. Groader turned off the recording. "That message is over twenty thousand years old." Edwin felt a chill run down his spine. Twenty thousand years. The Observer's story stretched far beyond the Great War. Far beyond Orion. Far beyond anything they had imagined. "What does