Chapter 21 – The White Bloom
Location: Hollow Passage – Near Core Access
Mike stood still, chest heaving. His hands glowed faintly—white light pulsing from his skin in slow, rhythmic beats.
It didn't burn.
It breathed.
Adam reached for him. "What's happening to you?"
Mike turned to his son. His voice was low, soft—like a hymn whispered in a collapsing temple.
"I saw it… the Red Lotus… eating the world."
Adam's eyes were wide. "Can we stop it?"
Mike looked at his hands.
The white bloom spiraled up his veins like ivy—curling into the shape of a lotus across his forearm. But the petals weren't sharp like the Red. They were gentle.
Alive.
"I don't think I'm supposed to destroy it," Mike said slowly.
"I think I'm supposed to remember what came before it."
FLASHBACK – Memory Born from the Lotus
A vision poured into Mike's mind:
A priest kneeling before Amun's altar.
His hands were covered in ash. His robes soaked in blood.
He had triggered the first Red Lotus.
He had watched it erase a city.
And then—he wept.
He walked into the desert.
Alone.
And in the shadow of the fire, he planted a seed.
A White Lotus.
"This will not bloom in power," he whispered.
"Only in resistance."
That priest's name… was Arshur.
Back in the Hollow
Mike staggered.
The realization hit like lightning.
"We're not here by chance, Adam.
This... this whole damn bloodline… it's a rebellion."
Adam whispered, "Mom said you were chasing stories. But you were chasing memory, weren't you?"
Mike nodded. "The Hollow tried to erase us. But something in our family chose to remember."
He stepped forward.
The air parted.
The path to the Engine chamber opened.
Symbols along the wall bent—not in fear, but in recognition.
"It's accepting you," Adam said.
"No," Mike said quietly.
"It's inviting me."
Location: Scarab Engine Chamber – Minutes Later
Sarah stood at the far edge, still trying to stop the Engine, surrounded by coils of glowing script and thrumming ancient code.
She turned as footsteps echoed.
Her breath caught.
"Mike…"
He stepped out of the shadows.
Glowing.
Not with power.
With purpose.
"I know what the White Lotus is," he said.
"It's not a weapon. It's a refusal. It's the choice not to repeat the cycle."
Sarah's eyes filled.
"Then let's break it."
The Scarab shuddered.
The Red Lotus above paused its pulse.
Somewhere, the Priests felt it.
Cut to: Giza – Surface
The Red Lotus trembled.
A crack appeared along one petal.
Tiny. Barely visible.
But it was there.
A fracture.
Cut back to the Hollow
Mike stepped onto the Scarab Engine's heart, his feet lighting the symbols beneath.
He didn't raise a hand.
He didn't shout.
He just whispered:
"No more."
And the White Lotus in his chest bloomed fully.
Soft white light filled the chamber.
Gentle.
Absolute.
Opposite of destruction.