CHAPTER 303: THE VEIL OF DUALITY [ BONUS CHAPTER ]

The wolf’s engraving cast a long, ominous shadow across the study wall, its fangs bared as if it too were listening intently to every whispered word.

Above the lounge table, a holographic globe spun faintly, constellations of Osborn blood flickering like dying stars in the dim light.

Arthur sank into the soft embrace of his leather chair, swirling the last remnants of red wine in his glass before setting it aside with purpose.

Evolon’s projection hovered by his side, always silent until beckoned.

Its faint blue glow bathed the wine glass, catching fractured light and creating an ethereal ambiance.

Arthur’s voice broke through the stillness, quiet yet edged with urgency. "Well, Evolon... you’ve found them. All the branches. Now tell me what’s next? Should we reach out? Call our lost sheep home?"

Evolon’s eyes pulsed as it processed this command. "Patriarch, I have prepared all necessary data.

If you wish, I can initiate layered contact protocols: encrypted messages disguised as financial offers or cultural outreach initiatives. Many of the weaker branches would rally quickly. Shall I proceed?"

Arthur narrowed his gaze at the spinning globe, allowing silence to stretch between them for a moment that felt heavy with significance.

His thumb tapped rhythmically against a closed book resting on his lap before he finally cut through the tension.

"No."

The single word echoed in the study like iron striking velvet.

Evolon tilted its head inquisitively. "Then what would you have me do?"

Arthur stood and moved closer to Evolon’s projection, tracing a slow circle in mid-air that zoomed in on Verdanian, Noctis, and Aurelia,faces and reports spilling like rain across shimmering glass walls.

"Monitor them," he commanded decisively. "All of them quietly. Place their files into the Family Main Database and provide weekly updates on their assets, debts, and secrets.

Especially those high-level branches who fancy themselves kings."

A faint smile curled at Arthur’s lips as he added with calculated intent: "Kings can be toppled... but they can also be useful."

Evolon nodded in acknowledgment. "Understood. And what about medium branches?"

"Keep an eye on them," Arthur replied sharply. "They are brittle; strong prey upon weak while weak envy strength.

Mark anyone who poses a challenge for an Osborn member,the Family is not fractured anymore under my reign."

His expression hardened as he concluded ominously: "Anyone who dares treat an Osborn like dirt will swiftly learn what that costs."

For a brief moment, only the crackling fire broke their silence as Arthur poured another measure of wine.

Evolon’s calm voice pierced through once more: "And what about our other projects? Should I shift focus from monitoring branches to advancing our plans?"

Arthur swirled the glass, watching shadows bleed through crimson hues. "The plans," he murmured, savoring the weight of the word.

He didn’t need to elaborate; Evolon understood perfectly.

With a graceful motion, Evolon raised its hand. Streams of holographic progress bars, intricate graphs, and coded schematics burst into life around them.

They cascaded over the walls like a digital waterfall, enveloping the entire study in a web of silent machinery.

"The plans are advancing," Evolon reported. "Both vectors are on track. TW integration has reached seventy-one percent within black market grids.

The Ladder Protocol is showing preliminary activation at four points across three continents.

With continued resource flow, we can achieve full structural deployment within our projected timeline."

Arthur’s golden-rimmed glasses glinted as he absorbed the information.

To an outsider, those screens would appear as an indecipherable maze,encrypted strings and blinking anomalies mapped like distant constellations.

But Arthur saw patterns where others saw chaos,he always did.

His lips curved into something colder than a smile. "Excellent. Maintain this momentum. We won’t discuss these plans again unless it’s about progress. They’re seeds that must grow unseen."

Evolon nodded solemnly.

---

### The Veil of Duality

Setting his glass down with purpose, Arthur leaned forward, his eyes sharp as knives slicing through silence,his voice sliced through the air with precision.

"And what about the Veil of Duality Chamber? Tell me everything."

Evolon hesitated,a fleeting moment but it was enough for Arthur to catch it.

"It’s progressing," the AI replied cautiously at last. "The framework is nearly complete; neural lattice stabilization stands at seventy-nine percent. We’ve tested the interface with simulations that endured stress loads far beyond initial parameters."

Arthur nodded slowly but firmly. "And?"

"And..." Evolon’s gaze flickered nervously. "Patriarch, are you sure about this? You understand the risks involved? If you attempt full integration and something goes awry,the consequences won’t just be setbacks; they’ll be irreversible! You’re toying with human consciousness itself,this isn’t a game!"

Arthur chuckled softly,low and almost mocking. "Game? Evolon, I don’t play games; every move I make is calculated and deliberate! Didn’t I survive those test runs?"

Evolon’s tone deepened as if trying to assert its point further: "You call that survival? You vomited blood for thirty-nine consecutive days while attempting to split your mind’s threads! Your neural scans flatlined on your twelfth attempt,you were teetering on the brink of vegetative state! Even I cannot explain why you woke up functioning fully that next morning."

Arthur’s eyes sparkled with a mix of determination and mischief as he reached for his glass of wine.

With a slow sip, he exhaled softly, the warmth of the drink igniting his thoughts. "Why?" he mused, a hint of defiance in his voice. "Because I refuse to break. And because you were always there,my anchor when I wavered."

Evolon remained silent, its projection flickering like a candle in the wind, an almost human-like stillness enveloping the room.

A sharper smile crept across Arthur’s face. "Thanks to my past failures, I’ve achieved something remarkable: I’ve separated thought from thought. Two distinct streams,two minds,flowing side by side without interference. It works! All I need now is the Veil Chamber to solidify this duality,to make it real. Once that’s complete, Evolon..."

His grip on the glass tightened as excitement coursed through him. "I’ll finally be free."

The AI’s glow dimmed slightly, as if reluctant to press further. "And what if you’re mistaken?"

Arthur tilted his head thoughtfully, golden light dancing off his features. "Then I won’t be here to worry about it."

An uneasy silence settled between them as the study pulsed with life,the crackling fire, the settling wine, and the faint hum of unseen engines creating an atmosphere thick with anticipation.

On the glass walls around them, streams of data whispered secrets: branches of plans and protocols woven into a tapestry only Arthur could decipher.

Finally breaking the quiet, Evolon spoke up again. "I’ll proceed with preparations: silently observing all one hundred and seven branches while compiling full database records. TW’s progress and details about the Ladder Protocol and Chamber will remain hidden,even from your inner circle."

Arthur leaned back in his chair, satisfaction washing over him like a warm embrace. "Good call! They aren’t ready for this knowledge,not yet."

He closed his eyes for a moment to savor the lingering taste of wine before opening them again,sharper now, colder.

"History buried us once," he declared with conviction. "But when I’m finished... history will bow before me."

Behind him loomed an imposing wolf engraving,its fangs bared in eternal silence as Evolon stood at his side,a shadow bound by loyalty and purpose.

In the heart of Dominion Sanctum, where firelight danced with holograms weaving intricate patterns together, Arthur Osborn was laying down foundations for something unprecedented.

Something born from bloodshed and secrecy,a divided mind daring enough to reach beyond limits.