Edmund did not know how long he lay on the floor.
Time felt meaningless inside the strange silence that surrounded him.
His body was heavy. Not weak, but restrained. As if something unseen had wrapped around his consciousness, holding him still.
Then the voice returned.
[ Initial Synchronization Complete ]
Edmund's eyes snapped open.
Lines of translucent text hovered in the air before him. They were not glowing. They were calm. Solid. Real.
[ Host Edmund Ashcroft ]
[ Status Last Heir Confirmed ]
[ Physical Condition Critical but Stable ]
[ Mental Integrity Preserved ]
Edmund pushed himself up slowly, every muscle aching as though he had been asleep for years.
"This is real," he whispered.
The system responded instantly.
[ Reality Acknowledged ]
[ Beginning Phase One Survival ]
A warmth spread through his chest, dulling the pain in his limbs. His breathing steadied. His racing thoughts settled.
Fragments of memory surfaced.
Not visions.
Instructions.
Methods.
Procedures.
Edmund staggered to his feet and leaned against the desk.
"What exactly are you" he asked.
[ I am the Covenant Archive ]
[ I preserve Ashcroft authority until a worthy heir emerges ]
His throat tightened.
"My parents knew about you."
[ Affirmative ]
[ They chose not to awaken the system ]
[ Their authority was incomplete ]
Silence filled the room.
"So they died," Edmund said quietly, "because they tried to survive without you."
[ Conclusion Logical ]
The words did not comfort him.
They hardened him.
[ Unlocking First Covenant Memory ]
Edmund's mind exploded with clarity.
The Ashcrofts never built companies.
They controlled obligations.
Debt.
Favors.
Mutual destruction clauses.
The system displayed a final message.
[ First Objective Survive Publicly Die Privately ]
Edmund frowned.
"What does that mean."
[ You must appear finished ]
[ The enemy watches shadows not ruins ]
Understanding dawned slowly.
A predator does not hunt what it believes is already dead.
Edmund looked around the empty townhouse.
Then he smiled.
A cold precise smile.
"Then let them think the Ashcrofts are gone."