Echoes of Fate

The laboratory was as dark as thick ink, swallowing everything within it.

The pale golden glow in Lin Xiu's palm resembled a miniature star, its brilliant rays flowing languidly between his fingers like nimble threads.

At the same time, a searing heat shot out from the Nanocore at the back of his neck, like a fire serpent rampaging down his spine, making him shudder.

In the silence, he could clearly hear his Adam's apple bob. The sound was especially jarring in the stillness.

The Oracle System's buzzing had long since ceased, replaced by a far older, deeper resonance.

It was like a steady, powerful heartbeat, yet also like the mysterious hum of vibrating cosmic strings, lingering endlessly beside his ears.

"Quantum Cascade Resonance Link established." The mechanical voice suddenly exploded in his mind like thunder, leaving Lin Xiu dizzy.

He staggered and reached for the corner of the table, its surface cold and hard beneath his hand.

The holographic screen lit up automatically. Pale violet data streams flowed like dreamlike ribbons, and within them appeared a three-dimensional projection of the Mind Stone.

The projection flickered faintly, as though recounting secrets no one knew.

The six-sided Mind Stone glimmered with deep blue light across its surface, like a ghostly radiance in the depths of the night sky. Its patterns perfectly overlapped with those of the core at the back of his neck, as if an invisible but unbreakable thread had linked them into a Möbius ring.

The astonishing sight made his eyes widen in shock.

"That's impossible..." he murmured, lightly touching the holographic projection with his fingertips.

In an instant, ripples spread across the stone's surface. The sensation was like gentle waves of water, yet a sharp pain flashed through his retina, briefly blurring his vision.

The Oracle System interface turned completely gold. The orderly tactical grid had transformed into an intricate network resembling a star chart.

The words "Pre-Apocalypse Stage" flashed in the lower-right corner of his vision, each character carrying a scorching sensation like a branding iron that made his eyes ache.

The first birdcall sounded outside the window, its crisp note cutting through the silence of the night.

Just then, the terminal gave a soft chime. Though quiet, it struck Lin Xiu's heart like a heavy hammer.

Lin Xiu abruptly looked up, his gaze fixed on the screen.

The sender address of an anonymous email flashed across the display. Three bold characters hammered into his heart like three heavy mallets—"Come to the North District." His finger hovered over the tracking button for a full half minute, his knuckles whitening from the force, his nails nearly digging into his flesh.

The instant the IP location appeared, the Nanocore at the back of his neck suddenly shrank to the size of a needlepoint. A piercing pain shot through him, making him suck in a sharp breath.

The location read—Asgard Earth Liaison Station, coordinates precise to the centimeter.

"Prepare the decoy signals," he murmured to the air, his voice low and resolute.

Dark-gold nanoparticles poured from his cuffs, gathering before the terminal into three blurry humanoid figures like nimble sprites.

The figures flickered in and out of view, as though they might disperse at any moment.

After one last look at the still-resonating projection of the Mind Stone, Lin Xiu tore off his lab coat and draped it over his arm, the fabric soft and smooth against his skin.

He switched his armor to stealth mode. The sensation of metal adhering to his skin reminded him of his racing heart when drones had pursued him three days ago.

Back then, he had thought it was merely an accident. Only now did he understand that from the moment the Nanocore activated, every path had led to this night.

Filled with unease, Lin Xiu set out for the abandoned observatory in Brooklyn's North District.

The night was ink-black, and the streets were silent except for the echo of his footsteps.

Countless guesses and worries kept surfacing in his mind. He had no idea what awaited him.

The streetlights cast a dim yellow glow, stretching his shadow long behind him.

The roadside trees rustled in the night wind, as if whispering of unknown dangers.

The abandoned observatory in Brooklyn's North District was even more dilapidated than he remembered.

Its rusted dome stood half-open, revealing a corner of night sky studded with stars.

The stars resembled gems set into black velvet, glimmering faintly.

The wind swept scraps of paper past Lin Xiu's feet with a rustling sound, like the whispers of ghosts, making him shiver.

Standing midway up the stairs, he could clearly hear his own footsteps rebound through the empty hall. The sound echoed through the silent space, as if countless versions of himself were answering him.

Until—

"Ten minutes earlier than I expected." The voice came from the shadows beneath the dome, low and mysterious, as though it had risen from the depths of a ravine.

Lin Xiu looked up and saw Loki leaning against a telescope mount covered in verdigris.

His black robe hung like a waterfall, making him seem all the more mysterious in the faint light.

This time, he wore none of his signature mocking smile. Pale fingertips stroked the dagger at his waist, while the light reflected from its blade danced in his eyes like eerie flames, sending a chill down Lin Xiu's spine.

"You knew I'd come." Lin Xiu did not move. The armor beneath his skin trembled faintly, and the subtle vibration made him feel power filling his body.

The Oracle System had already locked onto Loki's heartbeat—72 beats per minute, slower than a human's, but steady.

"It wasn't me who knew you would come." Loki pushed away from the mount. Each step felt as though he were treading upon the air between them, slow and heavy, as if stepping on Lin Xiu's heart.

"Fate did. Or rather..." He stopped three steps away from Lin Xiu. In his blue eyes surged a light Lin Xiu had seen on the laboratory's holographic screen, deep and mysterious, as if concealing endless secrets.

"It was that core behind your neck. It called me here."

Lin Xiu's fingers unconsciously reached toward the back of his neck. The heat there suddenly receded, replaced by a pulling sensation, as though someone were lightly tugging at his nerves on the quantum level. The feeling wrapped around him like threads, leaving him dazed.

"You said we were going to cooperate." He suppressed the questions rising to his throat, his voice slightly hoarse.

"And now?"

"Now, I want a bargain." Loki's voice suddenly lowered, like winter wind slipping beneath a collar, and Lin Xiu could not help but shiver.

"I can let you completely control the power of the mind, keep that damned system from being stuck at the Pre-Apocalypse Stage—so long as you help me reclaim the throne."

"Why should I?" Lin Xiu sneered, quietly gathering nanoparticles in his palm.

The particles glimmered faintly in his hand, as though ready to erupt with immense power at any moment.

"What does Asgard's throne have to do with a mortal like me?"

"Because you're the same as me." Loki suddenly reached out, his fingertips nearly touching Lin Xiu's brow.

A cold aura washed over him, making Lin Xiu frown.

"When fate chooses you, you think it is a gift. Only after awakening do you realize it is a shackle. You think that core fused with you by accident? No. It was created from the beginning to contain the Mind Stone—just like me. From the moment I was born, I was meant to become a footnote to Ragnarok."

As the last word vanished into the wind, the sky suddenly split apart.

A golden rift tore through it like a curtain cleaved by a giant axe, its light so blinding that Lin Xiu could barely open his eyes.

The shriek of Gungnir's spearpoint descended first, sharp as a blade tearing through the air.

The shockwave it created flung Loki's robe into the air, where it billowed wildly in the wind.

Lin Xiu was driven back two steps by the impact, his feet carving two trails across the ground.

When he looked up, he saw Odin standing at the center of the rift. The feathers on his golden helm snapped in the storm like war drums, making Lin Xiu's heartbeat quicken involuntarily.

When Odin's gaze swept over Lin Xiu, it felt as if tangible weight had pressed onto his spine, nearly crushing the breath from him. "Mortal, do not lay hands on the power of gods."

Almost at the same time, violet ripples spread across the night sky on the other side, their colors dreamlike and dazzling.

The Ancient One appeared atop a floating sphere of magic, her red cloak rolling behind her like flames, brilliant against the night sky.

The golden ring in her hand rotated slowly, reflecting countless overlapping New Yorks within it. The sight was like a maze, dizzying to behold.

"You all covet power that does not belong to you." Her gaze paused on Loki's face before shifting to Lin Xiu, sharp as a sword, as if it could see straight through his thoughts.

"You included."

Lin Xiu's armor automatically unfolded at that moment, metal clashing with a crisp, ringing sound.

The Dark-Gold Battle Blade of Tactical Assault Form sprang from his armguard, glinting with cold light.

Yet the blue core on his chest was no longer deep blue—it glowed gold in resonance with the Mind Stone. Every pattern seemed to come alive, slithering over the armor's surface like snakes, and the fluid movement made him feel filled with power.

The Oracle System's warning flashed frantically: "Energy overload warning! Quantum entanglement range expanding to 10 kilometers!"

"I am not a pawn." He heard his own voice, calmer than he had expected, carrying even the certainty he felt while calibrating instruments in the laboratory.

The instant he raised his right hand, the core on his chest and the Mind Stone projection erupted with brilliant light at the same time, dazzling as the sun and turning everything around him white.

Lin Xiu saw Loki's pupils contract sharply, Odin's spear blaze with even more blinding golden light, and cracks appear in the Ancient One's magic ring—then all sound vanished.

Space-time twisted into chaos like a crumpled sheet of paper.

Lin Xiu felt countless hands pulling at his consciousness, the force powerful and chaotic enough to make his head spin.

The Nanocore was burning, the searing heat making his entire body feel as though it were melting.

The projection of the Mind Stone was shattering, fragments scattering like snowflakes.

Loki's "Wait," Odin's "Insolence," and the Ancient One's "Stop him" blended together into an extremely high-pitched buzz that echoed relentlessly in his ears.

In the final moment, he saw his own palm. Within the pale golden orb lay the embryonic form of a Quantum Storm, like a cosmic flower blooming into existence. The beautiful yet mysterious sight stirred an inexplicable excitement within him.

Then darkness surged over him and swallowed him completely.