The second morning at Argon Heritage had a different air to it. Ethan walked through the entrance, adjusting his ID badge, feeling a quiet shift in his mindset. Yesterday had been a whirlwind of introductions, awe-inspiring exhibits, and a growing realization that this place held more than just history—it held secrets.
Today, however, was different. Today, the real work began.
The hallways were already buzzing with activity as researchers and interns moved between departnts. The scent of aged parchnt, polished wood, and faint tallic notes from preservation chemicals filled the air. It was the kind of atmosphere Ethan had dread of working in, yet sothing about it felt heavier now, as if the past itself weighed down these halls.
He pulled out his phone and checked his ssages. A new one had arrived from Li Wei.
Li Wei: First day of real work. Try not to get fired.
Ethan smirked and replied.
Ethan: No promises. If I disappear, assu I found sothing I wasn’t supposed to.
The response ca imdiately.
Li Wei: You say that like it’s a joke.
Ethan frowned slightly before putting his phone away.
Maybe it was a joke.
Maybe it wasn’t.
---
eting Professor Aldrich
The Artifact Verification & Preservation Wing was one of the quieter sections of Argon Heritage. Unlike the grand exhibition halls, this place was strictly for researchers—no tours, no public access. Here, historical artifacts were tested, authenticated, and sotis… hidden from the world.
Ethan arrived at Professor Aldrich’s study, a spacious room lined with bookshelves, maps, and neatly cataloged files. The professor, a man in his early sixties with sharp eyes and an aura of quiet authority, was flipping through a worn leather journal when Ethan stepped in.
"Carter," Aldrich said, not looking up. "You’re early. Most interns take a week before they figure out ti managent."
Ethan shrugged. "Didn’t want to get lost."
"Smart," Aldrich muttered, closing the journal and motioning to a stack of folders on the desk. "Let’s see if you can find sothing, then."
Ethan stepped closer, scanning the files. Each contained artifact verification reports. Most were standard—Roman coins, pottery, preserved texts—but others carried nas that weren’t so easily dismissed.
His eyes moved across the labels:
Suspected Fake: The Dagger of Charlemagne
Unverified: Golden Tablet of an Unknown Dynasty
Confird Fake: The Last Crown of Alexander
Testing in Progress: Muramasa Blade (Private Collection, Japan)
His fingers hesitated over the Muramasa entry. He had seen the sword in the Grand Exhibition Hall yesterday, but seeing it here, in a classified docunt, made it feel different.
Aldrich followed his gaze. "That one interests you?"
"I saw it yesterday," Ethan admitted. "It looked well-preserved for sothing so old."
Aldrich leaned back, watching him carefully. "Artifacts are like stories, Carter. Most of them have been rewritten, altered, or completely fabricated. Your job here is to separate the truth from the myth."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"You’ll start with inventory verification today," Aldrich continued, motioning toward a set of storage lists. "It may seem tedious, but even the smallest mistake in history can alter how the world rembers it."
Ethan took the file, flipping through its pages.
Then his eyes landed on sothing that made him pause.
Recovered Item: Unverified Katana (Unknown Origin)
Status: Secured Holding – Restricted Access
His grip tightened slightly on the paper.
Before he could ask, Aldrich spoke again. "You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Carter."
Ethan forced a chuckle, setting the file down. "Just surprised to see how many artifacts are in ‘restricted access.’"
Aldrich gave him a knowing look. "Legends," he said finally, "are only dangerous when people try to prove them real."
---
A Chance Encounter in the Archives
Ethan’s next task took him into the Preservation Wing, where delicate artifacts were kept under climate-controlled conditions. He moved between storage units, cross-referencing ID numbers with inventory reports, checking for missing or mislabeled items.
Most of them were mundane—fragnts of scrolls, ceremonial daggers, rusted coins—but sothing about this section of Argon Heritage felt different from the public exhibits. These weren’t just artifacts. These were pieces of history that the world either didn’t know about… or wasn’t ant to.
As he worked, he noticed a figure adjusting the lighting near a sealed manuscript case at the far end of the room. She was focused, carefully asuring the distance between the display’s light sources and the fragile parchnt inside.
Ethan hesitated before speaking. "You’re one of the new interns too, right?"
She turned, her dark eyes assessing him before nodding. "Renji Sakamoto."
"Ah," Ethan said, recognizing the na from the intern roster. "Ethan Carter."
She glanced at the report in his hand. "Inventory verification?"
"Yeah. Exciting stuff."
Renji smirked slightly. "You’d be surprised. Half of what gets stored here is misidentified or mislabeled."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "So you don’t believe in the authenticity of most of these artifacts?"
She crossed her arms. "I believe history is full of stories. So are true. So are what people want to be true."
Ethan considered that. "Then what about the stories that were hidden because they were too true?"
Renji studied him for a mont. Then, almost as if testing him, she said, "Like the katana in restricted holding?"
Ethan kept his expression neutral. "I don’t know. Maybe."
She nodded slightly. "Then I guess we’ll find out."
---
Late-Night Reflections
That night, Ethan sat in his small apartnt, flipping through the inventory logs on his tablet. His mind kept circling back to the restricted artifacts.
Could they really be real?
And if they were, why were they here? Why weren’t they in national museums or private collections?
He exhaled slowly, staring at his ceiling. He had co here to study history. But sothing told him he was about to beco a part of it instead.
And he wasn’t sure if he was ready for that.
The First Cracks in History
The Artifact Verification & Preservation Wing of Argon Heritage was quieter than the rest of the facility, but silence here wasn’t comforting. It was thick, heavy—like a library where the books held more secrets than stories.
Ethan moved through the storage aisles, adjusting his ID badge as he scanned the day’s task list on his tablet. Today’s assignnt was simple but crucial: verify that every artifact in this section was accounted for and correctly docunted.
The process was routine—cross-check storage IDs, update conditions, note any inconsistencies.
Except inconsistencies were exactly what had caught his attention yesterday.
As he flipped through the digital records, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
A ssage from Li Wei.
> Li Wei: Try not to break anything today.
Ethan smirked and typed a response.
> Ethan: Can’t break what’s already broken. Pretty sure half of these artifacts are just overpriced paperweights.
> Li Wei: Spoken like a man who’s never had to handle a 2,000-year-old scroll.
Another ssage popped up, this ti from Aryan.
> Aryan: So when are you going to "accidentally" smuggle a legendary sword?
Ethan chuckled, shaking his head.
> Ethan: The second you wire a million dollars.
> Aryan: So next week? Got it.
A new notification appeared—Nadia was typing.
He waited, but her ssage never ca.
Instead, she erased it.
Ethan frowned slightly but put his phone away. He’d ask her about it later.
---
A Routine Check… Almost
Ethan started his verification work, moving through the secured storage aisles, checking artifact conditions and cross-referencing them against his list.
Most of them were mundane historical items—coins, scroll fragnts, ceremonial armor. Nothing that would cause a war between underground organizations.
But then he spotted a familiar na on the list.
Unverified Katana (Unknown Origin)
Status: Secured Holding – Restricted Access
The sa one from yesterday.
Ethan hesitated, staring at the entry for a mont before sighing. It wasn’t his job to question these things. He checked its location—still locked in holding—and moved on.
---
The Unmarked Case
A half-hour later, Ethan reached the last section of today’s verification list. The vault-style storage units here were reinforced with extra security—only used for high-value or unstable artifacts.
He crouched to check an inventory tag when his gaze landed on sothing strange.
A single, unmarked tal case sat among the properly labeled artifacts.
Unlike the others, it had no catalog number. No reference ID. No label.
Ethan flipped through his checklist. No entry. No description. No record.
Which ant, officially, this case didn’t exist.
He frowned. Even restricted artifacts had docuntation—so level of classification, even if the public couldn’t access it.
But this? This wasn’t even supposed to be here.
For a mont, his fingers hovered over the reinforced edge of the case.
Then his phone buzzed again.
A ssage from Nadia.
> Nadia: You’re staring at sothing you shouldn’t be, aren’t you?
Ethan’s pulse jumped slightly.
> Ethan: What makes you say that?
> Nadia: Just a feeling.
Ethan exhaled, glancing back at the case.
He wasn’t an idiot. He wasn’t going to try opening it. But still…
Why was it here?
And why did it feel like soone already knew he’d find it?
---
A Late-Night Call
That night, Ethan lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling of his apartnt. His tablet sat beside him, still open to the artifact database.
He wasn’t supposed to question things.
But the unmarked case wasn’t sothing small. It wasn’t a misfiled docunt or a mislabeled coin. It was deliberate.
His phone vibrated beside him, and he grabbed it without checking the caller ID.
Li Wei’s voice ca through. "You’re up late."
Ethan exhaled. "So are you."
A pause. Then, "You found sothing, didn’t you?"
Ethan hesitated before saying, "I don’t know what I found."
Another pause. Then, quieter, "Then maybe it’s best you leave it that way."
Ethan didn’t answer.
Because, deep down, he already knew he wouldn’t.
---
End of Chapter 2
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