Chapter 7: New Revelation City (Part 1)
With the "New Dawn" project's utter failure, the Stargate Corporation's power collapsed as if the floating city itself had fallen from the sky. The wave of resistance on the surface swept through every corner of the world, and people rose from the ashes of despair. They no longer feared the nobles high above. In the colonies, the Stargate hubs plunged into chaos; with no central authority, all material transport and communication were cut off. This was the moment a old world crumbled and a new one was born in a storm of agony. The people of the surface spontaneously formed a provisional council, made up of Evelyn and a few honest scholars and worker representatives. They began to take control of the Stargates and tried to restore order.
Chapter 7: New Revelation City (Part 2)
Aaron's name became a legend overnight, echoing across the entire solar system. He was hailed as a hero, a man who had single-handedly stood against a colossal empire. Countless surface dwellers flocked to his office, wanting to see the legendary "Son of the Stargate." The media swarmed him, broadcasting his story to every corner of the world. The newly formed provisional council extended an olive branch, hoping he would join them and use his gift to help rebuild the Stargate network. They saw him as a symbol of a new era, a bridge that could reconnect the surface with the sky.
Chapter 7: New Revelation City (Part 3)
Yet, Aaron refused all honors and invitations. He knew that what he had done was not for fame or glory. His only goal had been to seek justice for his father and stop the catastrophe that was about to happen. Now that his purpose was fulfilled, he just wanted to return to his small office and be left alone. More importantly, he was keenly aware of his own condition. The excessive use of his spatial sense had caused severe physical backlash. His body was weak, he often felt dizzy, and his most precious gift—the ability to perceive ripples—had become intermittent and imprecise.
Chapter 7: New Revelation City (Part 4)
Aaron looked at the old portable terminal in his hand, which held his father's journal. He knew his father's research was not just about fighting the Stargate Corporation; he had also been searching for a deeper secret. He recalled Cullen's last words to him: "Your father discovered the other side of the ripple. He's trapped! He's not dead!" These words had been like a needle piercing his heart. If his father was still alive, he had to find him. But if his father was trapped in some hyperspace, his current condition made it impossible to save him.
Chapter 7: New Revelation City (Part 5)
Lilith chose to stay. She joined the provisional council and used her knowledge of the Stargate Corporation's data to begin restoring the Stargates that had been damaged by the "New Dawn" project. She knew that Stargates were the foundation of human civilization and could not be abandoned because of one conspiracy. She was dedicated to making all research data on the ripples public, calling on scientists from all colonies to work together to find a safer, more sustainable way to teleport. She hoped to build a transparent Stargate network that served all of humanity, not a tool for a privileged few.
Chapter 7: New Revelation City (Part 6)
As for Cullen, he had vanished. No one knew where he had gone. He was like a ghost, neither returning to the floating city nor joining the surface resistance. Aaron knew Cullen was on his own path of redemption. He had once been the Stargate Corporation's coldest enforcer, his hands stained with the blood of the innocent. But he had ultimately chosen to help Aaron, betraying his former beliefs. Aaron believed that Cullen was not inherently evil; he had simply been blinded by the Stargate Corporation's ideology. Aaron hoped that one day, he could see Cullen again, not as an enemy, but as a friend.
Chapter 7: New Revelation City (Part 7)
Thanks to the provisional council's efforts, the Stargate operations within the solar system began to recover slowly. However, communication and transport to more distant colonies, like "New Revelation City" in the Alpha Centauri system, remained cut off. The "Ripple Conspiracy" made humanity realize that they could no longer expand blindly; they had to first solve their own technological problems. Scientists began to re-examine the ripples, no longer seeing them as a mere byproduct of teleportation but as a cosmic phenomenon that needed to be understood and respected.
Chapter 7: New Revelation City (Part 8)
Aaron returned to his small office and resumed his simple life. He declined all interviews and isolated himself. He poured all his energy into his father's journal, trying to decipher the last few pages. He found that in the final section, his father had drawn some strange patterns and formulas. These patterns looked like some kind of symbols, and the formulas were entirely different from existing Stargate technology. Aaron used his remaining spatial sense to try and perceive the "whispers" behind these symbols and formulas.
Chapter 7: New Revelation City (Part 9)
After repeated attempts, Aaron finally made a new discovery. The patterns and formulas were not meant to control the ripples but to "listen" and "resonate" with them. His father hadn't been trying to fight the ripples; he was searching for a way to coexist with them in harmony. He saw the ripples as the pulse of the cosmos, not the noise of a transmission. He was trying to find a way to synchronize Stargate transmissions with the cosmic pulse, achieving a new, safer way to travel. And this research might have been the real reason for his disappearance.
Chapter 7: New Revelation City (Part 10)
The story can have an open ending. Aaron's father might still be alive, perhaps he was teleported to a deeper part of the cosmos, waiting for Aaron to solve the ultimate mystery. Or perhaps Aaron will finally discover his father's true legacy—a completely new technology that allows humanity to coexist with the cosmic ripples rather than exploit them. Aaron's journey has just begun. He is no longer driven by revenge but by a quest for truth, to fulfill his father's unfinished mission, and to allow humanity to truly live in harmony with the cosmos.