Chapter 40: The Fourth Witness

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The whisper refused to leave Rasheed’s mind.

Find me.

It echoed through every quiet moment.

Every time he closed his eyes…

He heard it again.

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The city, however, had already moved on.

The shattered crystal in the park became another headline.

Another mystery.

Another story for tomorrow’s newspaper.

People forgot quickly.

Heroes couldn’t afford to.

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The bookstore opened late that morning.

The Librarian stood at the front door.

Waiting.

Not for Rasheed.

For someone else.

The bell rang.

Dr. Sato entered.

Neither looked surprised.

“It’s been a long time,” she said.

“It has.”

She looked around the empty shop.

“So…”

“You really survived.”

The Librarian smiled.

“So did you.”

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Upstairs…

Hidden behind the shelves…

Rasheed froze.

Dr. Sato?

She knew the Librarian?

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“I didn’t come here for memories,” Dr. Sato said quietly.

“I came because the fragments are behaving differently.”

“They’re calling.”

“I know.”

“And David?”

The old man stared toward the window.

“Still fighting.”

Her shoulders relaxed slightly.

“So he’s alive.”

“Barely.”

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Rasheed’s heart pounded.

Dr. Sato knew about his father.

How much had Helix been hiding?

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Across the city…

Omar reviewed footage from the park.

Frame by frame.

Every civilian stumbled after the pulse.

Except…

Three people.

Himself.

A girl carrying a sketchbook.

And…

The hooded boy.

He zoomed in.

The image sharpened.

A familiar backpack.

A familiar pair of trainers.

He frowned.

“I’ve seen him before…”

But where?

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Meanwhile…

Mr. Vale returned to the abandoned observatory.

The bronze compass lay motionless.

For the first time since stealing it…

The needle split.

One half pointed toward the Second Vault.

The other…

Toward Rasheed.

Vale laughed softly.

“So the Pulse Core really chose him.”

One of his lieutenants hesitated.

“Should we capture him?”

Vale’s smile vanished.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because if we force the door…”

“…it will never open.”

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That evening…

The Librarian unlocked another room beneath the bookstore.

Smaller than the first.

Dustier.

Older.

In its center stood a round table.

Four chairs.

Three were occupied only by age.

One remained untouched.

Rasheed looked around.

“What is this place?”

“The Founders’ Room.”

He pointed to the chairs.

“David.”

“Myself.”

“The third scientist.”

Rasheed looked at the final chair.

“And this one?”

The old man’s expression softened.

“It was never meant for us.”

He reached beneath the table and removed a sealed envelope.

The paper had yellowed with time.

Across the front…

David’s handwriting.

To My Son.

Rasheed’s breath caught.

“You… you had this all along?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you give it to me?”

“Because your father left instructions.”

The Librarian placed it gently in Rasheed’s hands.

“You weren’t ready.”

“…Am I now?”

The old man nodded.

“You’ve become the kind of man he hoped you’d be.”

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With trembling fingers…

Rasheed broke the seal.

Inside…

There wasn’t a letter.

There was a photograph.

Taken inside Project Chrona moments before the accident.

Three scientists smiled at the camera.

David.

The Librarian.

The third scientist.

This time…

His face wasn’t scratched away.

Rasheed stared.

He didn’t recognize the man.

But written on the back of the photograph…

In David’s handwriting…

Were six words.

We were never alone that day.

The room fell silent.

Rasheed slowly looked up.

“What does this mean?”

The Librarian didn’t answer immediately.

Instead…

He walked toward the old blackboard on the wall.

Then, with a piece of white chalk…

He wrote four names.

David Adewale

Elias (The Librarian)

Dr. Ibrahim Kareem

…

Then he stopped.

He drew a fourth line.

But instead of writing a name…

He simply wrote:

?

Rasheed frowned.

“There were four scientists.”

The Librarian nodded.

His voice barely above a whisper.

“No…”

“There were four witnesses.”

The lantern flickered.

Outside…

Thunder rolled across the city.

Somewhere…

Someone had survived the accident.

And no one had looked for them.

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