AURA
The dim glow of Manhattan’s skyline cast fractured shadows across the polished floor of Marcus Black’s penthouse condo. The living room was immaculate, minimalist, but it was the far corner—a hidden alcove behind a reinforced panel of vibranium-infused steel—that held Marcus’s true obsession.
The Genesis of Eternity.
A hauntingly surreal painting, rumored to be Adolf Hitler’s last and most cryptic masterpiece, lay illuminated beneath a complex lattice of forensic lights. The canvas, cracked and brittle from age, was composed with paint Marcus believed had been infused with Erythium—the mythical God Element, the primal source from which all other super-elements descended.
Marcus stood over it now, his brow furrowed in intense concentration. Nearly 25 years had passed since he’d retrieved it. He had tested the painting with every method available: UV light, X-ray, polarized reflectance imaging, chemical spectroscopy—even resonance frequency mapping. Each technique revealed faint etchings, ghost images, invisible strokes.
But not the map.
There was a story—a myth, really—that Hitler had hidden the coordinates to a cosmic anomaly within this painting. It was said to be a star chart, a map not to a place, but to an event—a celestial convergence of power tied to the origin of Erythium itself.
Marcus often asked himself the same question:
How did Hitler even know about Erythium?
His mind raced back to 1938.
Egypt.
The catacombs beneath the Great Sphinx.
A secret gathering of occultists, military scientists, and mystics.
And him—a tall figure wreathed in shadows—Darkfire.
Back then, the world was busy dreaming of domination. But Darkfire spoke not of nations or empires…
He spoke of eternity.
The memory made Marcus’s jaw tighten.
Dr. Kammler.
Die Glocke.
The secret Nazi bell technology.
There were too many connections, too many signs.
But tonight was not the night to chase ghosts. Not yet.
Tonight was about Isabelle.
Hours Later – Columbia University, Graduation Ceremony
As her name echoed across the auditorium—“Isabelle Evermore, Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering!”—Marcus leapt to his feet, clapping and cheering louder than anyone around him. For a man who had lived through millennia, who had lost entire dynasties and civilizations, this moment struck deeper than any battlefield victory.
He hadn’t felt this proud since he was a father during the Kamakura period, living under the name Sasaki Kojiro, 1307 CE. Back when honor, family, and tradition meant something. Isabelle, in her brilliance and resilience, reminded him that life still held meaning.
Le Cirque – Midtown Manhattan
Dinner was flawless. Isabelle had been begging him for months to take her to the iconic restaurant, and tonight she glowed like royalty. But as the dessert tray arrived, Marcus slid a small envelope across the table.
“What’s this?” she asked, eyeing him with suspicion.
“Your future,” Marcus replied with a grin. “If you want your Ph.D., I’ll cover every cent. No more part-time contracts or sleepless grant applications.”
Her eyes shimmered with emotion, but it wasn’t just gratitude. It was something deeper—purpose.
“I have something to show you,” she said, nearly bouncing in her seat. “You’re gonna love this.”
Isabelle’s Apartment – Upper Manhattan
As they approached the door to her apartment, Marcus froze.
His instincts—honed across lifetimes—went on high alert. There was a weight in the air. A silence too dense, too calculated.
Then he saw them.
Scratch marks.
Tiny grooves carved into the lock’s housing. Not random. Not forced.
Professional.
He threw his arm out in front of Isabelle, gesturing for silence “Shhh”. She obeyed instantly.
“Go to 1421,” he whispered. “Take your key. Lock the door. Wait for me there. Don’t come looking.”
She opened her mouth, but the look in his eyes ended the conversation. She disappeared into the elevator, doors closing with a whisper.
Marcus turned back to the door. Inserted the key.
Click.
As he stepped inside, the lights blew. A deliberate trap. Darkness swallowed the room.
And then—they struck.
Shadows moved like wraiths. Quick, calculated. Two, no—three. Silent, armed, well-trained. Whoever sent them knew Marcus wasn’t just some academic.
But they had no idea who he really was.
He dispatched the first with a spinning heel kick that shattered bone. The second landed a blow to Marcus’s ribs before Marcus crushed his windpipe with a palm strike.
The third got lucky.
A device clamped to Marcus’s shoulder. A sudden burst of electrical energy surged through his body—thousands of volts, enough to drop a bear. Even his immortal physiology staggered.
They fled into the night.
Back in Apartment 1421
When Marcus entered, Isabelle gasped. His coat was torn. His skin smoked faintly. But he was alive.
“Why were they in my apartment?” she asked, voice trembling. “What did they want? My project?”
Marcus sat heavily on the couch, blood crusting the corner of his mouth.
“Your project?” he asked. “What’s your project, Isabelle?”
Her face lit up despite the tension. She reached into her bag and pulled out a sleek, handheld device no larger than a tablet.
“AURA,” she said, eyes gleaming, “is the Advanced Universal Resource Analyzer. It detects and maps super-elements—Supermanium, Amazonium, Marvelium, Inertron, all of them. Even theoretical ones. It uses vibrational resonance and multidimensional frequency scanning.”
Marcus blinked.
“You built a super-element detector… and didn’t tell me?”
She grinned sheepishly. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
His heart dropped.
Because now… everything made sense.
The break-in. The surgical precision. The fact they didn’t take anything obvious. They weren’t here for valuables.
They were here for AURA
