Edwin Lunar Chapter 82: The Observer's Shadow

Read chapter 82 of Edwin Lunar by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

The room remained silent long after Humming spoke. No one moved. No one spoke. The name hung over them like a storm cloud. The Observer. For years, it had been a distant figure. A mysterious cosmic entity that appeared during moments of crisis. An ancient being that seemed to know more than anyone else. A guide. An ally. At least that was what everyone had believed. Now that belief was beginning to crack. Edwin stared at the holographic reports floating above the table. Every altered record. Every contradiction. Every missing piece of history. All of them pointed toward the same impossible conclusion. Someone had manipulated the truth. Someone with access to every level of the Dominion. Someone powerful enough to rewrite history itself. And somehow, the evidence pointed toward the Observer. "It doesn't make sense." Carl finally broke the silence. "Why would the Observer do any of this?" Nobody answered immediately. Because nobody knew. Humming slowly walked toward the window. His expression was distant. Older. For the first time since Edwin had known him, the headmaster looked tired. Not physically. Emotionally. As if old wounds were beginning to reopen. "You need to understand something." The room became quiet again. "The Observer wasn't always a mystery." Everyone looked at him. "What do you mean?" Edwin asked. Humming folded his arms. "When I was young, stories about the Observer already existed." The room froze. Even Iris looked surprised. "That long?" Humming nodded. "Longer." "The oldest records mentioning the Observer are older than the Great War." "Much older." Edwin's eyes narrowed. "But Volume—" He stopped himself. This wasn't a story. This was his reality. "Then who is it?" Humming slowly shook his head. "I don't know." The answer surprised everyone. "You don't know?" Carl asked. "I know what it is called." Humming replied. "I know what it can do." "I know that it appears whenever history changes." "But I do not know what it truly is." A chill ran through the room. For decades Humming had been one of the most knowledgeable people in the galaxy. If even he didn't know... Then who did? Later that evening, Orion returned to their private dormitory. The atmosphere felt heavy. None of them were thinking about classes anymore. Or training. Or rankings. The mystery had become personal. For Edwin especially. Every new discovery connected back to Wingard. To his father. To the life that had been stolen from him. Carl collapsed onto a couch. "My head hurts." "From thinking?" Iris asked. "Exactly." "That's unfortunate." Carl pointed at her. "You're enjoying this." "I am." "You scare me." "I know." Lucien sat quietly nearby. As usual, he seemed calm. But Edwin had known him long enough to notice the subtle signs. Lucien was concerned. Deeply concerned. Edwin moved toward the window. Outside, Noroel Academy glowed beneath the night sky. Students continued moving through the campus. Most had no idea what was happening. No idea that history itself might be a lie. No idea that one of the galaxy's greatest heroes might have been framed. No idea that another hero might still be alive. The thought made his heart race. Groader. For years he had been remembered as a traitor. Yet every new clue suggested otherwise. If Groader truly was innocent... Then what else had been hidden? His eyes drifted toward the ring on his finger. The silver band reflected the moonlight. Wingard's ring. A symbol of the Lunar family. A relic connected to countless mysteries. Recently it had become more active. More responsive. Almost alive. As if it sensed something approaching. Something important. Suddenly the ring pulsed. A faint golden glow appeared. Edwin immediately straightened. The others noticed. "What is it?" Iris asked. "I don't know." The glow intensified. For a brief moment, strange symbols appeared around the ring. Ancient symbols. Symbols Edwin had seen before. Inside the hidden archive. Inside Wingard's recordings. Inside Builder ruins. Then th