The night was thick as ink. Sophia and Zhou Yuchen hid among the charred ruins of an old Buddhist monastery. The fires still smoldered, and the rising smoke veiled their presence in the jungle darkness.
The pendant on Sophia's chest grew warm—once again, the Stone of Destiny was guiding her path.
"We have to find my mother's second research partner," she said, eyes fixed on the dimming crescent moon. "Only he knows what Bai Yunshuang was hiding."
Inside a hidden cellar beneath the ruins, they found a tattered diary. The pages were filled with cryptic code names, some faded, others underlined in red.
One name had been circled repeatedly:
Project Echo – Operative X: Morris A. Blackwood
Zhou Yuchen read the name aloud, and Sophia frowned. "Morris? My mother never mentioned him."
Just then, the pendant vibrated. A residual image emerged from it—Su Lan's recorded hologram, flickering with static:
"Morris, you were once the person I trusted the most. But if you're seeing this message, it means I've lost that trust."
"The failure of Project Echo wasn't accidental. I suspect you betrayed us. The stone you hid may one day help Sophia uncover the truth."
The message ended abruptly.
Sophia's heart sank.
"She... stopped trusting even him," she whispered.
Zhou Yuchen took her hand. "Sometimes, trust isn't something we inherit—it's something we have to reclaim."
Days later, the two arrived at a black market auction deep in the Burmese jungle. Word had spread of a rare sapphire bracelet, said to come from a defunct polar research site.
Sophia recognized it immediately—it was the prototype bracelet her mother had worn just before her disappearance.
While the bidding war raged outside, Sophia slipped backstage and confronted the man preparing to sell the piece. His silver-gray hair and sharp features matched the name from the diary:
Morris A. Blackwood
He stared at her, stunned. "You look just like her... Su Lan."
Sophia's voice was cold. "Don't talk to me about blood. I only want to know one thing—did you betray her?"
Morris gave a tired smile. "You're still too young to understand."
He pulled a yellowed photo from his coat. In it were Su Lan, Morris, Bai Yunshuang, and another woman holding a baby.
"The four of us were the founders of Project Echo. But you... you're not the only child of the Stone."
Before Sophia could reply, the pendant flared with sapphire light. A burst of resonance dragged her into a mental vision—
She saw Su Lan cradling a baby inside the polar lab, shielding it with her body. Morris struck Bai Yunshuang with a cane, stopping her from injecting a fluid. A sapphire crystal glowed in the baby's chest.
"We tried to create a Guardian," Morris's voice echoed. "But only one child truly bonded with the consciousness structure."
Sophia's eyes flew open.
"You mean... that child wasn't me?"
Morris nodded solemnly. "No. It was another child—your brother. Someone you've never met."
Sophia's face paled.
Zhou Yuchen stepped closer. "Are you alright?"
"My mother never told me... she had another son," Sophia murmured.
Morris sighed. "She didn't have the chance. Bai Yunshuang took him. She called him 'The First Stargazer.'"
Sophia clenched her fists, steadying her breath. "Where is he now?"
Morris handed her a weathered manuscript written in ancient Latin. It resembled a worn religious codex, but its content was cryptic, almost prophetic:
"When the stars return, the old blood shall reunite."
Just as they prepared to leave, Polaris forces descended upon the auction house.
Gunfire erupted. Flames shot through the wooden ceiling. Sophia shielded the pendant with her hand, snatched the bracelet, and yelled, "Take Morris—he's our only lead!"
They fled through the chaos. Behind them, the auction house burned, and the Latin manuscript shimmered faintly red through the smoke.
Sophia could almost hear her mother's voice again:
"Find him. Find your brother—he is the beginning of your destiny."