The villa was quiet — the only sound was the hum of monitors.

  Kai sat still, eyes narrowed as he watched the screen — Darren’s feed shaky as he approached the towering corporate building.

  Onscreen, Darren hesitated at the glass door — just a fraction, but enough. He glanced down at his fake ID, fingers twitching.

  Felix muttered, “He’s stalling…”

  Kai didn’t respond. His eyes tracked every detail — Darren’s breathing, the way his shoulders stiffened.

  “You either break… or adapt.”

  Kai leaned forward slightly, silent.

  Darren finally exhaled and stepped in — his movements stiff, almost clumsy. The receptionist barely glanced at him.

  “Name?” she asked.

  Darren stumbled, voice too loud, “Uh— Devin Lane… new IT.”

  The woman blinked, unimpressed, but typed slowly.

  Kai’s eyes sharpened. “He’s panicking. Get it together, Darren.”

  Then something shifted — Darren’s gaze lifted. He stopped looking at the woman… and instead looked around.

  At the glass doors, the rushed employees, the coffee stains on the desk…

  Kai watched him adjust his breathing, square his shoulders.

  Darren cleared his throat, this time calmer. “Sorry — first day nerves.”

  The receptionist didn’t even blink. “Yeah, happens. Fifth floor — IT is down the hall.”

  Darren’s feed jerked once as he walked away — shoulders finally relaxing.

  Marcus wasn’t doing any better — the screen caught him nearly bumping into a plant in the lobby.

  Lina scoffed, “Smooth…”

  Kai didn’t react — eyes tracking every motion.

  Marcus approached the front desk. His words fumbled, but he smiled wide — that same harmless, awkward grin.

  The receptionist stared, then — surprisingly — waved him through.

  Kai leaned back slowly, eyes fixed on the monitors — Darren’s figure shrinking down the hallway, Marcus fumbling his way past a security desk.

  Silence filled the villa — only the faint hum of machines.

  Then, quietly — almost to himself — Kai murmured:

  “It always amazes me… how the world bends — piece by piece — until it fits the image I planted ahead.”

  His gaze didn’t waver. There was no pride in his voice — just a cold, fascinated truth.

  “They don’t even realize… they’re just catching up to what’s already been written.”

  Felix blinked, half-turning. “What was that, boss?”

  Kai didn’t answer — his eyes were already drifting toward the sealed door of his secret room.

  Kai stood quietly by the villa door — eyes lingering on the monitors one last time.

  Darren, clumsy but adapting.

  Marcus, awkward but smiling his way past obstacles.

  Kai thought to himself

  “They’ll be fine. They’ll succeed… because I had a hand in it.

  The image is already there — written, waiting.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  His jaw tightened.

  But success isn’t what matters. It’s what they learn crawling toward it. That’s where they become useful.

  Without a word, Kai grabbed his jacket. The others barely looked up — too focused on the screens.

  Felix muttered, “You leaving, boss?”

  Kai’s voice was calm, detached. “Yeah. Keep me updated.”

  But inside, the thought burned.

  I don’t need updates.

  The pieces are already moving. The world’s just catching up now.

  The door shut quietly behind him.

  Kai arrived home, entered his room, the weight of leadership slipping off his shoulders for the first time today.

  The house was silent — the kind of silence only night brought. Kai stood for a long time by his bedroom window, staring out at the city lights.

  The mission… the boys… everything was unfolding just as he’d imagined.

  And yet… something tugged at him. A pull — faint but persistent.

  Kai turned away, his eyes drifting toward the far corner of the room. The hidden door — almost invisible — waiting.

  It’s been a while, Kai thought. Maybe… it’s time.

  With a slow breath, he crossed the room, fingers brushing the barely noticeable groove in the wall.

  “Ut supra, ut infra,” he whispered.

  The air shifted. The wall trembled. And the passage opened.

  Cold air swept over him as he stepped inside. The soft golden glow of ancient symbols pulsed faintly on the stone walls.

  Something was different.

  His gaze landed on a single book near the center of the shelf — one of the blank ones that had always sat untouched.

  Only now… it wasn’t blank.

  A new title shimmered faintly in gold lettering, as if the book had finally decided to reveal itself:

  “Visus Temporis — The Sight Beyond”

  Kai stared — certain that days ago, this book had no name.

  Something… had changed.

  Slowly, he reached out, fingertips brushing the leather cover — cool to the touch, heavier than it should be.

  With deliberate care, Kai pulled the book from the shelf. The weight of it settled in his hands — solid, almost… expectant.

  For a moment, he stood there — the air thick, the silence of the hidden library pressing in.

  Then, slowly, Kai opened the book.

  The first page was blank — but as his eyes scanned downward, faint ink bled into existence, forming delicate handwriting. Familiar.

  His breath caught.

  It was his father’s handwriting.

  “To Kai — if you are reading this, it means you’ve come further than I ever expected. The mind, once opened, is hard to silence. You’ve learned to shape the past… now, it’s time to glimpse the future.”

  Kai’s jaw tensed as he read, his heart hammering quietly in his chest.

  “At this stage… you no longer need candles, nor drawn-out rituals. The body remembers now. The mind is ready. You’ve walked the path long enough — the smoky place will answer without coaxing.”

  Kai exhaled slowly, fingers brushing the edge of the page as if trying to feel his father’s presence through the ink.

  “But heed this warning: glimpsing the future is not witnessing what will be… only what might. Each thread seen is one of many.”

  He turned the page — the text continuing, now more instructional.

  “Focus not on the future itself — but on a moment you wish to see. Anchor it with desire. Do not search blindly… the future is vast and cruel to wanderers.”

  Kai leaned back against the cold stone wall, heart pounding as possibilities spun in his mind.

  The future…

  How far could he push this now?

  Kai’s eyes stayed locked on the page a moment longer — then, without hesitation, he turned it.

  The next chapter appeared slowly, as if the book itself was waking up. Words bled through the yellowed paper — elegant, deliberate.

  “The Art of Foresight — To See What May Come”

  Kai took a slow breath and began reading.

  “To glimpse the future is to walk a thread stretched thin between possibility and madness. What you see is not truth — it is potential, shaped by countless choices yet to be made. Beware mistaking what might happen… for what must.”

  “The key is not to observe the whole — but to select a single point. A moment. A thread of desire that pulls you forward. Focus there — anchor your will.”

  Kai’s brow furrowed. Focus on a single moment… not the vast unknown.

  “The ritual is no longer needed — but discipline is. You’ve shaped memory. Now you must shape possibility. Desire becomes your anchor. See the outcome you wish to find — and the future will peel open for you, one glimpse at a time.”

  “But know this — each glimpse burns. You may not feel it at first, but with every thread pulled, the future resists. To see too far… is to lose yourself.”

  Kai’s fingers curled around the leather binding, his mind racing.

  So… it wasn’t limitless. There was a cost. But wasn’t that always the case?

  He turned the page again, heart hammering.

  “Begin where the desire is strongest. Close your eyes. Name the moment you seek. Picture not how you get there — but the end you wish to witness. If the world allows… it will show you.”

  “The smoky place will answer — not with words, but with images, sensations, fragments. Do not chase them. Watch. Learn. Leave.”

  “And above all… never seek what you are not ready to face.”

  Kai’s throat felt dry as he leaned back.

  The book didn’t offer more — just blank pages waiting, as if daring him to try.

  For a long moment, he sat there — the weight of the knowledge sinking in.

  See the future… but not the whole. Just a thread.

  Kai smirked faintly. A useful tool… or a curse waiting to happen.

  Still… he knew himself well enough.

  Of course, he was going to try.

  Kai closed the book slowly, his fingers tracing the worn edges of the cover.

  The air was still — the faint ticking of the old wall clock the only sound.

  His gaze drifted lazily toward the darkened TV screen, mind elsewhere. They’re still out there…

  His jaw tensed. I already know how this ends — but what are they learning while walking through it?

  That’s what matters.

  Silvergate Corporate — Darren’s Feed

  Darren’s shoulders stiffened as he carried a stack of meaningless documents down the hall, trying hard not to look like he didn’t belong.

  Blend in… blend in… you’re supposed to be here.

  A man in a suit passed him — barely a glance. Darren kept his head down, walking naturally toward the copy room like he’d done this every day.

  Once inside, he let out a slow breath — hands trembling.

  Okay… I made it this far.

  He looked at his reflection in the printer glass. No one saw me.

  Astrelia MedTech — Marcus’ Feed

  Marcus nearly tripped over a cart being wheeled down the hallway. He muttered a quick apology, adjusting his ID badge.

  No one cared. No one even paused.

  The realization hit him hard. They really… don’t see me.

  He forced himself to walk slower, shoulders relaxed, copying the lazy pace of the interns around him.

  He passed a group of scientists deep in conversation — formulas scribbled on tablets, their world too busy to notice a ghost walking past.

  The clock ticked. Outside, the city kept breathing — alive, indifferent.

  Kai stayed where he was, knowing he couldn’t see them… couldn’t guide them now.

  Only trust.

  He thought about his fathers note the words lingering in his mind. “You don’t need the ritual anymore… once the mind remembers the way.”

  A slow breath left him. Maybe it was time to try.

  For a moment, Kai simply sat there — focusing. Not on any object, not on any ritual. Just… on the memory of the feeling.

  That distinct shift — the moment his mind detached, floating above it all.

  Remember…

  A wave of dizziness hit him — like the ground slipped away. Then — swoosh — everything snapped.

  Kai opened his eyes… but he was already standing, staring back at himself seated on the chair.

  There was no fear. No hesitation. Just… a quiet realization.

  I did it.

  He glanced down at his hands — translucent, weightless — then back at his still body.

  The freedom in that moment was staggering.

  Testing it, Kai focused — shaping a single thought. Felix calling… checking in… telling me everything’s fine.

  The image formed perfectly in his mind — Felix’s voice, calm and clear.

  With a faint smirk, Kai pulled himself back — the world rushing past as he slipped back into his body.

  His eyes snapped open. Breath steady. No candle. No ritual. Just… will.

  Before he could even process the rush of it — his phone buzzed.

  Kai stared at the screen — Felix.

  Picking up, his voice was level. “Yeah?”

  Felix’s voice came through — just as Kai had imagined. “Hey, boss. Just checking in. Darren and Marcus — still good. No problems.”

  Kai leaned back, a faint smile curling at his lips. So it worked.

  “Good,” Kai said quietly. “Keep me updated.”

  He ended the call and sat there for a long moment — staring at nothing.

  The line between imagination and reality… it was fading.

  And Kai — for the first time — felt truly limitless.

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