The chamber fell silent.
No one dared move after Caelum's revelation.
"Welcome home... my heir."
The words lingered in the air like an oath.
---
Artyom took a slow breath.
"I'm not your heir."
Caelum's expression remained calm.
"You don't have to accept it today."
A pause.
"But blood remembers."
---
Viktor stepped beside Artyom.
His voice was ice-cold.
"He already has a family."
Caelum's eyes shifted toward Viktor.
"And yet that family has buried him beneath secrets since the day he was born."
Neither man looked away.
---
Lucien broke the silence.
"The Custodians won't stop now. They've waited centuries for this bloodline to reveal itself."
Roman folded his arms.
"Then they'll learn what happens when they threaten the Volkovs."
Mikhail smirked.
"I've been waiting to hear that."
---
Dmitri's fingers flew across the terminal.
"The facility is no longer secure."
Nikola glanced toward the broken entrance.
"More movement."
---
Security cameras flickered.
Dozens of black vehicles surrounded the mountain.
Not the Custodians.
A different force.
Better armed.
Better organized.
---
Yelena frowned.
"They've blocked every exit."
---
An encrypted transmission appeared on Dmitri's monitor.
UNKNOWN SIGNAL RECEIVED
He opened it.
Only one sentence appeared.
> "The Sanctuary has been compromised."
---
Caelum's expression hardened for the first time.
"No..."
---
Artyom looked at him.
"What is the Sanctuary?"
---
Caelum answered quietly.
"The last place where the history of the First Family still exists."
He looked directly into Artyom's eyes.
"If it falls... your family's history disappears forever."
---
Andrei's voice suddenly echoed through the speakers.
"Caelum is right."
Everyone looked up.
"There isn't much time."
---
Roman frowned.
"Where are you?"
Silence.
Then Andrei replied,
"Somewhere I need to be."
---
Viktor's jaw tightened.
"You expect us to trust a voice?"
---
"I expect you to protect Artyom."
---
Artyom stepped toward the console.
"I'm done running from answers."
He looked at Caelum.
"Take me to the Sanctuary."
---
Viktor immediately answered.
"You won't go alone."
---
Mikhail grinned.
"Finally."
---
Dmitri closed his laptop.
"I've already mapped three possible routes."
---
Nikola checked his weapons.
"Let's move."
---
Yelena adjusted her gloves.
"If we're walking into the oldest secret in history..."
A faint smile crossed her face.
"...I'd rather not be late."
---
Caelum looked at the Volkov siblings.
Then at Artyom.
For the first time in decades...
Hope returned to his eyes.
---