Chapter 61 The Override
Luna’s POV
The guardian core flickers. Just once. But it’s enough.
The silver dome covering the town dims for a split second, and the cracks in the sky react immediately.
They pulse brighter.
Like something on the other side just noticed the shield weakening.
My chest tightens.
“That’s bad,” Kai mutters beside me.
He’s staring up at the sky fractures, muscles tense like he’s expecting something to fall through at any second.
The guardian machine speaks again, its voice rough with distortion.
SYSTEM OVERRIDE ATTEMPT DETECTED.
The holographic map between us glitches. Lines blur. Symbols flicker.
And that fourth marker…right over the town center, it flashes red.
I stare at it.
“That’s not a breach,” I say slowly.
Kai glances at me. “Then what is it?”
Before I can answer…
The machine continues.
INTERNAL ACCESS SIGNATURE MATCH FOUND.
My stomach drops.
Because that means whoever is doing this isn’t just hacking from outside.
They’re using something the system recognizes.
Kai crosses his arms.
“Let me guess… Ethan again.”
The guardian core doesn’t respond right away. Its rings spin slowly, trying to stabilize.
Then the voice returns. MATCH CONFIRMED.
Kai exhales sharply. “Well. Called it.”
The sky cracks above the town pulses again, but the barrier holds.
For now.
I stare at the map.
The red marker flashes steadily over the center of town.
Not the rail yard. Not the mountains. But the exact middle of the city grid.
Kai notices something else.
“Wait,” he says. “That spot… that’s not random.”
He steps closer to the projection and points at the glowing map.
“That’s the old courthouse district.”
My mind clicks instantly. The courthouse. The oldest building in town.
Older than the school. Older than the rail yard.
And if the guardian core has been buried under this place for centuries…
Then that building would sit almost directly above its original access point.
Which means….
“He’s trying to take control of the system from the root,” I whisper.
Kai looks impressed. “Well, that’s terrifying.”
The guardian core suddenly pulses brighter. Its rings spin faster as it tries to resist the intrusion.
ACCESS DENIED.
For a second, the red marker flickers. Then it returns.
Stronger. And the voice changes. Not the guardian this time.
Another signal and another presence.
The holographic display distorts violently. Then a new image forms in the air.
A figure. Tall.
Standing in a dark room filled with flickering silver light.
Ethan.
Kai groans immediately. “Oh come on.”
Ethan smiles calmly from inside the projection.
Like he’s been expecting us to notice him.
“Hello, Luna.”
His voice echoes through the courtyard. Clear and confident.
I step closer to the hologram. “How are you inside the system?”
He tilts his head slightly.
“Did you really think I’d spend all that time studying the guardian network without learning how to use it?”
Kai mutters, “Pretty sure ‘use’ isn’t the word for this.”
Ethan ignores him.
His eyes stay locked on me.
“You did something impressive today,” he says. “You forced a breach collapse.”
I don’t answer. He continues.
“But you also did something very dangerous.”
My chest tightens slightly.
“The network burned out,” he says calmly. “And you absorbed the excess energy.”
Kai glances at me. “Wait… he knows that?”
Ethan smiles again. “Oh, Kai. I know a lot more than that.”
The guardian core interrupts suddenly.
UNAUTHORIZED ENTITY ATTEMPTING CONTROL.
Ethan rolls his eyes slightly. “Yes, yes. Still trying to block me.”
The projection flickers. Then stabilizes again.
He looks back at me.
“You see, Luna… when you absorbed the network energy, you didn’t just become an anchor.”
A chill runs down my spine.
“You became the system’s master key.”
Kai’s expression darkens. “…I really don’t like where this is going.”
Ethan spreads his hands slightly.
“The guardian core is designed to respond to the anchor authority. But right now…”
He gestures toward the massive machine behind us. “…its control hierarchy is confused.”
The guardian core pulses angrily.
STATEMENT INACCURATE.
Ethan smirks. “Partially inaccurate.”
The red marker on the map pulses brighter. And suddenly…. The guardian core’s rings slow down.
Just slightly.
The barrier over the town flickers again. This time longer and the sky fractures widen another inch.
Kai swears under his breath. “What did he do?”
Ethan answers casually.
“I simply requested access.”
I glare at him.
“You’re going to get people killed.” His expression doesn’t change.
“No,” he says quietly.
“I’m going to stop a war.”
The statement catches me off guard. Kai laughs harshly.
“By opening the sky?”
Ethan’s eyes flash briefly. “You’ve only seen the beginning of what’s coming.”
He looks back at me.
“The constructs aren’t invaders.”
My stomach twists.
“They’re collectors.”
The word hangs in the air. Cold and heavy.
Ethan continues.
“And once they finish scanning this world, they’ll erase it.”
Silence falls over the ruined courtyard.
Kai frowns. “…That sounds made up.”
Ethan shakes his head slowly. “They already tested the process on dozens of other worlds.”
My pulse speeds up. “You’re lying.”
“Am I?” He gestures upward. “Look at the sky.”
The cracks pulse again.
Bigger now. Something enormous shifts behind one of them.
Watching and waiting. Ethan lowers his hand.
“The guardian network was built to hide this planet from them.”
My heart skips. “Hide it?”
“Yes.”
He leans slightly closer to the projection.
“But the moment Luna activated the anchor fully… the signal changed.”
Kai slowly looks at me. “…You turned the lights on.”
Ethan nods once. “Exactly.”
The guardian core pulses loudly. INCORRECT DATA DETECTED.
Ethan sighs. “You’re still trying to protect them. Admirable.”
Then he looks at me again. “But the truth is simple.” His voice drops slightly.
“Your world has been discovered.”
The sky cracks above the town widens again. The barrier strains.
Kai runs a hand through his hair. “…Okay. I officially hate this guy.”
Ethan straightens. “But there is still a solution.”
I stare at him. “What solution?”
He smiles faintly. “You.”
Kai groans.
“Oh good. Of course it is.”
Ethan continues calmly.
“If you come to the courthouse, Luna… we can shut the system down properly.”
The guardian core immediately protests.
WARNING. ACTION WILL DISABLE PLANETARY SHIELD SYSTEM.
Ethan shrugs.
“It’s already failing.” He looks at me again.
“And if we don’t control the shutdown… the constructs will.”
Kai crosses his arms.
“So your brilliant plan is what exactly?”
Ethan answers without hesitation. “We rewrite the guardian protocol.”
My chest tightens. “And if we don’t?”
Ethan’s expression grows serious. “Then the next breach won’t stop at one arm.”
He gestures toward the sky. “It will be the entire fleet.”
Silence falls again.
Kai slowly exhales. “…Yeah.” He looks at me.
“We’re definitely going to the courthouse.”