Chapter 96: The Council of Elders

The Triton sub docked into a massive underwater airlock. The water drained away with a loud hiss, and the pressure stabilized.

"Atmosphere breathable," Alex confirmed, checking his sensors. "Oxygen levels higher than the surface. It’s... pure."

Jackson unlocked the hatch. "Stay sharp."

They stepped out onto a platform made of smooth, white obsidian.

They weren't in a dark cave anymore. The underwater city was illuminated by the bio-luminescence of the walls themselves. It was beautiful, silent, and intimidating.

"We have been expecting you."

Three figures glided towards them. They didn't walk; they hovered inches off the ground on magnetic discs.

They wore flowing white robes. Their skin was translucent, showing purple veins underneath. Their eyes were completely white—blind, yet seeing everything.

These were The Elders. The founders of The Order.

"I am Sol," the central Elder spoke without moving his lips. The sound resonated in the air. "Welcome to Sanctuary."

"Sanctuary?" Jackson kept his hand near his hidden pistol. "You sent assassins to kill my wife. You kidnapped my father. You call that a sanctuary?"

"Necessary evils," Elder Sol said calmly. "We do not seek power, Jackson Sterling. We seek survival."

He waved his hand. A holographic projection appeared in the air. It showed a strand of human DNA... unraveling. Rotting.

"The human race is dying," Sol explained. "Pollution. Radiation. Genetic stagnation. In two hundred years, humanity will be infertile. Extinct."

Serenity gasped. "So... you created the Element to fix it?"

"To evolve it," Sol corrected her. "The Element rewrites the genetic code. It is the next step in evolution. We tested it on Stefan. On Arthur. They were weak vessels. They failed."

"But you, Aurelia..." Sol floated closer to Serenity. "Your bloodline stabilized it. And your daughter... Aurora."

A giant image of baby Aurora appeared in the hologram.

"She is the perfection we have waited for," Sol’s voice trembled with fanatical reverence. "The first Eternal. Her blood can cure the genetic rot. She can save billions of lives."

"So what?" Jackson stepped in front of Serenity, blocking Sol’s view. "You want to thank her?"

"No," Sol shook his head sadly. "We need to extract the Source. The process is... fatal."

"You want to sacrifice my baby?" Serenity’s voice shook with rage. "To save the world?"

"It is a simple calculation," another Elder spoke up. "One life to save seven billion. The math is undeniable."

Jackson laughed. It was a cold, dark laugh that echoed through the alien city.

"Math," Jackson spat. "You calculate lives like stocks."

He pulled out his gun and aimed it directly at Sol’s forehead.

"I don't care about your evolution. I don't care about the world," Jackson’s eyes burned with the fury of a father. "If the world requires the death of my daughter to survive... then let the world burn."

Sol sighed. "Disappointing. Selfishness is a human flaw."

"It's not a flaw," Serenity stood beside Jackson, her locket glowing brightly. "It's love. And love is something you lost centuries ago."

"Then you leave us no choice," Sol raised his hand. "Judgment is passed. Take the samples by force."

The floor beneath them rumbled.

From the shadows of the city, statues began to move. They weren't statues. They were Sentinels—ancient bio-mechanical golems made of stone and machine.

"Run!" Alex yelled.

Jackson fired three shots at Sol. The bullets stopped in mid-air, frozen by a force field.

"Back to the sub!" Jackson ordered.

But as they turned, a massive Sentinel smashed the docking bridge. The path to the submarine was cut off.

They were trapped in the underwater city, surrounded by gods and monsters.

"Alex," Jackson looked around frantically. "Is there another way out?"

"There is an energy exhaust port," Alex pointed to a tower in the distance. "But we have to fight through an army of stone robots to get there!"

"Then we fight," Jackson reloaded. "For Aurora."