*Chapter 21: Shadows Over Earth*
*Year: 3120 BC*
*Location: The Citadel of the Timeless Phantom, Hidden Continent of Arkanis*
Beneath the earth's crust, veiled from time and untouched by sun or storm, rose the heart of the most elusive organization in existence — the *Timeless Phantom*. Its Citadel stood carved into the bones of an extinct mountain range, nestled in the mythical land of *Arkanis*, hidden from the mortal eye through advanced cloaking technology. To the world, the land did not exist. To the world, they did not exist.
The Citadel pulsed like a living machine. Walls of polished obsidian reflected the glow of ethereal lights. Arcane mechanisms hummed quietly — machines far beyond the understanding of any civilization on the surface. And within its halls moved the ones whispered about in myth — immortals cloaked in silence and purpose.
At the center of it all, beneath the Vault of Echoes, the *Council of Divisions* gathered in formation. These were not just agents; they were *Pluto's chosen*, the *First Subordinates*. Each commanded a faction that operated globally under secrecy, shaping history in shadows.
*Kaela*, the Supreme Operator, stood at the edge of a floating circular platform. Before her, the holographic map of the *known Earth* glowed, showing regions of interest: Kemet (early Egypt), Sumer, Mohenjo-Daro, and the forested northern tribes of proto-Europe.
"All cells report stability," she said, her voice cutting through the chamber. "No major deviant activity in the Nile valley. Vibranium extraction near the river delta continues under Uruk's supervision."
There was a shift as *Uruk* stepped forward — towering, armored in dark nanite-steel fused with raw vibranium veins. A creature of war and will, his voice was deep and deliberate.
"The locals revere me as a deity. It keeps them compliant. The priests of Kemet call the operation sacred. Let them."
A low chuckle rose from another — *Ilias*, slender, sharp-eyed, dressed in robes etched with glowing runes. "And here I thought you'd start your own pantheon."
"Perhaps I already have," Uruk growled.
Kaela continued. "Now, to our Mutant Division. Lucien—your compatibility rate remains the highest. Report."
From the shadows emerged a figure — not as imposing as Uruk nor as regal as Ilias — but with eyes that glowed with internal power. *Lucien*, trainer of anomalies, commander of the *Hidden Kin*, bowed.
"I've identified potential mutants emerging along the Indus river," he said. "Their gifts are raw — one controls heat, another hears thought. They are frightened, hunted."
"And you trained them?" Kaela asked.
"I taught them to fight. And to fear us. But also to trust."
Ilias scoffed. "Mercy has no place in our mission."
Lucien's response was calm, unshaken. "Neither does ignorance."
The tension broke when Kaela raised her hand. "Enough. Every faction has its methods. But we are bound by the same blood."
Around the chamber, the phrase stirred something primal. They all remembered — the ritual that marked their initiation.
The *Blood of Pluto*.
Not just metaphor. Every operative of the Timeless Phantom had been infused with Pluto's immortal blood, drawn from a single drop and endlessly replicated through advanced biotech. It enhanced them — strength, healing, longevity. Some even awakened latent powers. But more than that… it tied them to *him*.
The One Who Adapts.
And though Pluto rarely showed himself, his presence wove through their thoughts like a constant whisper. A protector. A judge. A god they could never truly know.
Kaela turned to the full council. "The world above stirs. Sumer has begun organizing city-states. Kemet's dynasties are forming. The Chinese river valleys gather under proto-warlords. If war erupts, we let it. If peace comes, we watch. Our mission is not to rule, but to prepare."
"And when they reach the stars?" Lucien asked.
Kaela's eyes turned toward the ceiling where a slow-moving projection of the galaxy rotated.
"Then we will stand at their edge and hold back the abyss."
****
*Chapter 21: Shadows Over Earth*
*Year: 3120 BC*
*Location: The Citadel of the Timeless Phantom, Hidden Continent of Arkanis*
Beneath the flickering starmap, the chamber's lower levels shifted. Faction operatives moved in silent coordination. The *Shadow Tactica*, led by *Ilias*, operated like thought incarnate — gathering intelligence through dream-implants placed among ancient priests and kings. They spoke in forgotten tongues, altered the outcomes of tribal wars, and erased entire records if needed.
In contrast, *Uruk's Warborn*, clad in composite armor resembling obsidian scaled beasts, stood ready in the Forge Wing. They had been deployed to the Zagros Mountains to put down an emerging Deviant nest—one that had burrowed too close to the heart of an early Sumerian kingdom. No mortal force could handle it. So Uruk crushed it with fire and blackened steel.
Each subordinate's domain reflected their nature:
- *Ilias's faction* specialized in *covert manipulation, diplomacy, and time-weaving tactics*. They influenced leaders, shifted alliances, and made empires collapse from within.
- *Uruk's division* handled *direct intervention, high-risk cleanup, and battlefield dominance*. Wherever Deviants gathered or alien traces emerged, he and his warriors cleansed it with brutal precision.
- *Lucien's Hidden Kin* worked with *the anomalous, the gifted, the cursed*. Mutants, preternaturals, even human anomalies — they were located, rescued, trained or neutralized.
They all answered to Kaela. But Kaela answered to *something greater*.
In her private chamber, Kaela stood alone before a sealed orb—one that pulsed with deep silver light. Within it floated a single strand of blood, frozen in timeless stasis. The *Original Drop*.
Pluto's blood.
From it, all enhancements had been synthesized. But what no one fully understood—even Kaela—was how that blood still responded to the world. It changed. It *adapted* on its own.
She whispered to it. Not prayer. Something deeper. Something older.
"We serve him not because we must," she said. "But because the universe itself can't contain what he is becoming."
The orb pulsed once in silent acknowledgment.
****
Great! Here's the next section:
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*Chapter 21: Shadows Over Earth*
*Year: 3120 BC*
*Location: Across the Ancient World — Timeless Phantom Operations*
*Mesopotamia — Eridu Outpost (Controlled by Ilias)*
In the cradle of civilization, near the ruins of *Eridu*, Ilias walked among the priests dressed as one of their own. His face changed by a morphing veil, his words divine to the ears of mortals.
"The stars are restless," he told the high priest. "Build the ziggurat higher. Reach closer to heaven."
The city obeyed. What they saw as prophecy was simply strategy. The tower was no mere monument — it was a *signal amplifier*, hidden in plain sight, constructed to detect spatial rifts and Deviant traces.
One of his apprentices approached, whispering, "A new king rises in Uruk. Loud. Violent."
Ilias smirked beneath his hood. "Then we'll crown him louder. And kill him quieter."
Elsewhere, *Lucien* wandered the *Indus River Valley*, blending among farmers and craftsmen. He had discovered three more mutants — children born with traits too strange to hide. One had no shadow. Another could smell lies. The third simply made people forget.
He taught them discipline, control — and fear. "Power is a blade," he told them. "Hold it wrong, and it cuts you first."
And in the *Nile Delta*, *Uruk* watched the building of a temple with vibranium hidden in its foundation. He let them worship him. Statues rose in his likeness. But his focus was only the vibranium core buried beneath the sacred floor — a failsafe in case of planetary breach.
At night, operatives of Timeless Phantom met in ghost-channels and astral communes. They shared discoveries, confirmed suspicions, and sent encrypted messages through living stone networks the world had yet to dream of.
They called themselves many things across civilizations:
- *The Whispered Ones*
- *Gods of the First Light*
- *Ghosts of the Deep Sand*
But to each other, they were still *Timeless* — phantoms protecting the future.
****
*Chapter 21: Shadows Over Earth*
*Year: 3120 BC*
*Location: The Citadel of the Timeless Phantom — Command Hall*
Kaela stood before the central table as a new report came in, etched in glowing blue across a stone-like console.
*ALERT: INTERSTELLAR VIBRATIONS DETECTED — ORIGIN UNKNOWN.*
She narrowed her eyes. "Is it a Deviant?"
"No," replied the Voice Engine AI. "Pattern resembles Celestial decay. Faint. Fractured. Something was destroyed… out there."
Another subordinate entered. *Sura*, head of the *Silent Veil*, responsible for *data convergence and universal listening*. She rarely spoke unless necessary.
"We picked up whispers from the stars," she said. "Something passed through this galaxy. Something... hunting."
Kaela's jaw clenched. "Do we know its target?"
"Not yet. But we know who it fears."
The chamber dimmed. The central table shifted. A single figure appeared in hardlight projection — tall, still, draped in a flowing black cloak.
*Pluto.*
Not physically present. Not needed. Just his silhouette invoked a silence that choked the room.
Sura lowered her head. "Shall we respond?"
The figure didn't speak.
Kaela raised her hand. "No. He doesn't want the cosmos to notice us. We prepare silently. Like always."
She turned to the council. "Ilias, Uruk, Lucien — your factions will operate independently until we understand what's coming. Protect mutants. Fortify the signal towers. And begin quiet extraction of vibranium reserves from the Nubian mines."
"What of the mortals?" Uruk asked.
"They'll believe in gods," Kaela said coldly. "Let them."
Lucien stepped forward, his voice low. "And what of the mutants with unstable power?"
Kaela's answer was sharp. "Train the worthy. Erase the rest."
At that, a new voice echoed from the chamber's arch. An aged veteran, masked in silver, whispered with reverence:
"Does he—does Pluto still walk the Earth?"
Kaela turned slowly.
The female beside him, a commander of the Shielded Path, stepped forward.
"We obey," she said softly. "And protect him. That is our greatest privilege."
Silence followed.
Far beyond their words, deep in the catacombs beneath the Citadel, a door glowed faintly.
It had never opened.
Not once.
But tonight, it pulsed.
Awaiting.
Something.
Someone.
_____
A/N: sorry guys I known I told you I'd bring the world building, and I want him to just breeze past history,