Ethan’s hands were still clenched long after Lorenz had left.
Even as the research lab returned to silence, his mind didn’t.
"You’ll show what kind of man you are soon enough."
Lorenz’s words echoed in his head, pressing against his thoughts like an unshakable weight.
It wasn’t just a warning. It was a ga. A test.
And Ethan wasn’t planning on losing.
But he needed to be careful. More careful than before.
---
Covering His Tracks
His tablet was still in sleep mode. The last thing he searched for—Section 4’s access logs—was already erased from the system.
Not by him.
By Lorenz.
That ant two things:
Lorenz had seen exactly what Ethan was looking for.
Lorenz had chosen to let him go.
For now.
Ethan’s fingers hovered over the device. If they were watching him now, then his usual thods wouldn’t work anymore.
He needed a new approach.
---
The Workaround
He grabbed his bag and moved. Not toward the exit, but toward the older research terminals at the back of the lab.
Most of the modern workstations were linked directly to Argon’s security network, but the older ones? The ones still connected to the internal archives but forgotten by most researchers?
They weren’t fully decommissioned.
Ethan had learned that on his first day.
So of the past interns’ credentials were still active—ghost accounts that hadn’t been shut down.
It was risky.
But if he wanted to find the truth about the artifact Lorenz had tried to bury, he had no choice.
He plugged into an unused station, logged in using a forgotten intern ID, and searched again.
This ti, no security alerts. No flags.
Just silence.
And then—
A file.
---
The Erased Discovery
> Research Report – 1993
Subject: Recovered Blade – Location Unknown
Lead Researcher: Dr. Evelyn Graves
Ethan froze.
"Graves?
He quickly opened the docunt.
But instead of a full report—it was damaged. Corrupted.
Most of it was unreadable. But a few lines remained.
> "The blade does not match any known tallurgy from its supposed era. Initial analysis suggests resistance to conventional degradation. Further tests will be required."
Ethan’s mind raced. This wasn’t just an ordinary historical find.
Another section caught his eye:
> "Recovered from an undisclosed site under unusual circumstances. Local accounts suggest the object had been buried intentionally—sealed within an unidentified containnt structure. Signs of forced entry indicate recent disturbance."
Buried intentionally.
Contained.
Soone had sealed this weapon away. And soone else had dug it back up.
Ethan scrolled further. More of the docunt was blacked out, but then—
> "Preliminary translation of inscriptions suggests the na 'Kusanagi.'"
His breath caught.
Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.
One of Japan’s three Imperial Regalia. The sword that, according to legend, had been gifted by the gods themselves.
But Kusanagi wasn’t supposed to be lost.
According to history, it was still enshrined in Japan today.
So if Argon had recovered a sword claiming to be Kusanagi…
Then either history was lying.
Or Argon had found sothing that should never have been found.
---
A ssage from the Past
Ethan scrolled to the final section of the report—one last fragnt before the docunt ended.
> "Final recomndations: Due to the object's unknown properties and its link to existing cultural relics, it is advised that further research be discontinued until proper containnt asures are established. The artifact will be classified under Section 4, with all external records altered."
He exhaled sharply.
"All external records altered."
They hadn’t just hidden it. They had erased it.
If this report was true, then the real Kusanagi was not where the world thought it was.
It had been found, studied… and then buried again by Argon.
His pulse quickened.
Dr. Graves had been the lead researcher.
She knew.
And now, Ethan needed answers.
Chapter 7B: The Keeper of Secrets
Ethan had two choices.
He could wait. Play it safe. Pretend he hadn’t just uncovered a buried truth about one of history’s most sacred artifacts.
Or—
He could go straight to the only person who knew the real story.
Dr. Evelyn Graves.
His decision was made before he even left the lab.
---
A Tense Approach
The next morning, Ethan waited outside Dr. Graves’ office, shifting his weight slightly as he glanced around.
Argon was busier than usual. Researchers and staff moved through the hallways in hurried steps, security personnel stationed at key checkpoints.
Was it just a normal day? Or was the increased security presence because of him?
Ethan exhaled slowly. Act natural. You belong here.
He knocked twice.
A pause. Then—
"Co in."
---
The Scholar and the Spy
Dr. Graves’ office was different from Aldrich’s.
Where Aldrich’s space was cold and commanding, Graves’ felt lived-in. Shelves lined the walls, filled with books that weren’t just for display. Stacks of research papers cluttered her desk, an empty coffee cup balanced dangerously on a pile of handwritten notes.
And there she was—Dr. Evelyn Graves, Argon’s leading historian.
She didn’t look surprised to see him.
"You look tired, Carter," she said, leaning back in her chair. "Didn’t sleep?"
Ethan hesitated. How much did she know already?
He decided to play it careful. "Research kept up."
Graves smirked. "That’s a dangerous habit around here."
Ethan pulled out a chair and sat. "Funny. That’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."
Her expression didn’t change, but he saw the slight tension in her fingers.
"Go on."
He leaned forward slightly. "I ca across a report. An old one."
A flicker of sothing—recognition? She didn’t interrupt.
"A research study from 1993," Ethan continued. "A classified artifact. Recovered under unusual circumstances. Lead researcher… Dr. Evelyn Graves."
That got a reaction.
Her jaw tensed, her fingers tightening on the pen she had been holding. But her voice remained calm.
"Where did you find that?"
Ethan didn’t answer. They both knew he wasn’t supposed to have seen it.
Instead, he watched her carefully.
"I know about Kusanagi."
---
The Weight of the Past
The silence stretched.
Then, Graves sighed, setting her pen down. "You don’t know about Kusanagi," she said quietly. "You know pieces of a story that was never ant to be told."
Ethan’s pulse quickened. She wasn’t denying it.
She ran a hand through her hair, looking tired in a way he hadn’t seen before.
"You think you’ve found sothing important," she murmured. "You think you’ve uncovered a great truth."
She t his gaze, her voice turning sharper.
"But do you know why it was hidden in the first place?"
Ethan held his ground. "Why don’t you tell ?"
Graves exhaled slowly. "Because so knowledge doesn’t belong in human hands, Carter. You should understand that before it’s too late."
Ethan felt his frustration rise. "That’s what Aldrich said. That’s what Lorenz hinted at. But neither of them told the truth. You were there. You studied it."
He leaned forward. "What happened in 1993?"
Graves hesitated.
Then, finally, she reached for her desk drawer, pulling out a small, worn leather notebook.
Ethan’s breath caught as she flipped through the pages.
"You want the truth?" she murmured.
She found the page she was looking for. Ran her fingers over the ink.
Then, quietly, she began to read.
---
The Forgotten Expedition (Told through Dr. Graves’ Notes)
"October 4, 1993—Expedition Log."
"We found it in the ruins of an old temple, buried beneath layers of collapsed stone and overgrowth. The locals knew of it—they spoke of it in whispers, calling it 'the sleeping blade.'"
"We assud it was folklore. Another myth blending into history."
"We were wrong."
"The inscriptions were clear—this was no ordinary relic. The etchings bore the na 'Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.' The air in the chamber was thick—heavy, as if ti itself had paused the mont we entered."
"And then the first incident happened."
Ethan felt a chill.
"One of our n—Tanaka—touched the scabbard. He barely held it for a second before collapsing. No injuries. No external wounds. But his pulse had dropped, and for three minutes, we thought he was dead."
"Then he woke up."
"And he started screaming."
Ethan’s grip tightened on the arms of his chair. This wasn’t just about a lost artifact anymore.
Dr. Graves turned the page, her voice quiet.
"We knew, then, that we had found sothing that shouldn’t have been disturbed."
"We retrieved the sword. Studied it under controlled conditions. But the more we learned, the more we realized—"
"Kusanagi wasn’t a weapon."
"It was a seal."
---
The Truth Buried in Ashes
Ethan’s blood ran cold.
Graves shut the notebook. "We should have left it there," she said. "But we didn’t. And we paid the price for it."
Ethan swallowed. "Where is it now?"
Graves hesitated. Then—
"Gone," she said. "We put it back. Re-sealed it. And burned every trace of what we found."
But Ethan knew that wasn’t the full story.
If it had simply been put back, then why was there still a classified file on it in Section 4?
Why had Argon erased its existence instead of letting it fade into legend?
Unless…
Unless soone had retrieved it again.
Recently.
And if that was true—then the seal had already been broken.
---
End of Chapter 7
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