[The Pantheon - 108th Floor Master Suite]
It was 3:00 AM. The city below was asleep, but the Pantheon never slept. Exterior sensors scanned the sky for drones. Thermal cameras watched every street corner. DAWN processed 50 terabytes of security data every second.
Alex was sleeping in his king-sized bed, Luna stationed on the couch near the door, a dagger in her hand even while she rested.
Rustle.
Alex woke up. He didn't know why. There was no alarm. No explosion. Just a feeling. He turned on the bedside lamp.
There, on his pillow—right next to his head—was a black envelope.
Alex froze. He looked at Luna. She was instantly awake, eyes wide, staring at the envelope.
"Master," Luna whispered, her voice trembling. "I... I didn't sense anyone."
"Dawn," Alex said, his voice cold. "Who entered this room?"
"No one, Administrator," Dawn replied instantly. "Sensors indicate you and Luna have been the only occupants for 6 hours. Thermal logs are clear. Motion detectors are clear."
"Dawn," Alex picked up the black envelope. It felt cold, like ice. "There is a physical object on my pillow. Scan it."
"Scanning... Error. Object does not exist on sensors. Visual feed shows nothing."
Alex's blood ran cold. The envelope was there. He was holding it. But the AI couldn't see it. It was "Ghost Tech."
He opened the envelope. Inside was a single card made of a material that felt like human skin.
[THE INVITATION]
To: The Upstart (Alex)
From: The Council of Five
You have made a lot of noise, little boy. You bought a city. You killed a demon. You think you are a King. But a King does not rule without the permission of the Gods.
Location: Coordinates 48.8N, 123.4W (Point Nemo - The Pacific Ocean). Time: Tonight. Midnight. Requirement: Come alone. If you bring the AI, we will delete it.
Alex stared at the card. "They bypassed Dawn," Alex muttered. "They walked past Luna. They could have slit my throat while I slept."
"Master," Luna stood up, her face pale with shame. "I failed. I will commit seppuku to restore my hon—"
"Stop it," Alex stood up and burned the letter with a lighter. "You didn't fail. We are just playing a higher level game now."
Alex walked to the window. The city lights looked different now. They didn't look like his kingdom. They looked like a cage.
"Dawn," Alex ordered. "Prepare the Jet. Set course for the Pacific Ocean."
"Sir," Dawn hesitated. "That is the middle of the Dead Zone. There is no land there. No signals. If you go there, I cannot protect you."
"I know," Alex put on his jacket. He checked his System Panel.
[Current Balance: Infinite.] [Tycoon Points: 210,000.]
"I don't need protection," Alex said, checking his cufflinks. "I have my wallet."
[The Departure]
An hour later, Alex's Gulfstream G700 took off into the storm. He left Luna behind. The invitation said "Alone," and for the first time, Alex decided to obey the rules. Not out of fear, but out of curiosity.
He wanted to meet the people who thought they were Gods.