Max delicately cleaned the dust from an aging computer terminal, its former glossy surface worn to a matte by the passing years. The screen came on hesitantly after a few tremulous tries, casting a ghostly blue light over the space. His heart pounded with uncertainty, not knowing what he might discover.

  As the system booted up, a folder titled "Max" caught his attention. Hesitantly, he clicked on it. A single video file appeared. Its timestamp suggested it had been recorded just months before his father's untimely death. Max's hands trembled slightly as he clicked "Play."

  The screen came to life with the face of his father, Dr. Alexander Cole. He appeared older than Max recalled, his face etched with a blend of determination and despair. His normally piercing eyes appeared subdued by the weight of secrets he bore.

  Dr. Cole spoke, his voice firm but with an undertone of desperation:

  "Max, if you're seeing this. it means I'm dead. And it also means that you've discovered the lab. I wish things hadn't ended this way, but there are some things you should know—things I never had the strength to say to you."

  Max leaned forward, listening to every word.

  "You've always known I was working on classified projects, but what you didn't know is that my research took me somewhere phenomenal—and perilous. The meteorite fragment you've probably seen by now isn't an ordinary rock. It contains energy unlike anything human civilization has ever experienced. This fragment. it has the potential to power cities, heal diseases, or." He paused, a shadow passing over his face. "Or annihilate everything we have."

  Dr. Cole inched forward, his voice lowering to a somber tone:

  "Max, there are individuals—powerful individuals—who would do anything to possess it. They don't care about its potential for good. They only view its power as a tool to control, to dominate. That's why I concealed it. That's why I never revealed it, not even to you."

  Max's throat constricted. His father's words were weighted with love and regret.

  Dr. Cole's tone softened, but his eyes were stern with determination:

  "You must defend it, Max. At any cost. I'm sorry to put this responsibility on you, but you're the only one I can trust. You possess your mother's heart and my determination. I know you'll do the right thing."

  The screen flickered for an instant, but his father's face stayed. His voice changed, and his eyes appeared to contain a profound sadness:

  "I wish I'd been there more for you, Max. I wish I'd let you know how proud I was of the man you are. But there wasn't time enough. There never is."

  Dr. Cole leaned back a bit, his voice softer now, with an exposure Max had only seen glimpses of in him:

  "If you ever wondered, let me tell you now—I did all of this for you. For your future. For a world I imagined you'd be proud to inhabit. Be wary, Max. The world will seek out this shard, and it won't rest until it obtains what it desires. But I have faith in you. I always have."

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  The tape cut off in mid-sentence, and Max was left gazing at the frozen image of his father's face. He could feel a whirlwind of emotions building inside him—grief, anger, resolve.

  Max muttered to himself, "I won't let you down, Dad. Not this time."

  Tears welled up in his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away, his gaze falling on the glowing meteorite fragment. For the first time in years, Max felt a clear sense of purpose.

  Realization and Determination

  Max remained frozen in front of the flashing screen, his father's recorded voice still lingering in his head. The burden of those last words—so burdensome, so intimate—crushed him like a tidal wave. His gaze was glued to the screen, but his eyes watered with unshed tears.

  For a second, he couldn't breathe. His father, the illustrious Dr. Alexander Cole, was no more, but his presence seemed more real than ever. Max's fingers shook as he put the diary down on the table, his brain running with the enormity of the revelation he had just discovered.

  "Why didn't you say anything?" Max whispered thickly, his voice cracking. His eyes shifted to the meteorite fragment burning with a hot blue light trapped in the containment unit. "Why did you leave me to discover this myself?"

  Tears poured out freely now, streaming down his face as long-held frustration and desire burst out in all their glory. He swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, attempting to stabilize himself. Glancing around the laboratory, he saw fragments of his father everywhere—half-built inventions, scribbled notes, even the lingering scent of his cologne in the air. It was overwhelming, but it also awakened something deep within him.

  He breathed shakily, his words barely above a whisper.

  "I never thought you were just a scientist. A genius, I know, but… this? This is way bigger than I ever thought."

  Max wandered slowly to the holding device, the tender, pulsing light of the meteorite fragment dancing across his features. He put his hand on the glass, gazing at the enigmatic object that had devastated his life in short order.

  "You trusted me with this," he muttered softly, his image in the glass looking back at him. "You believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself."

  The burden of his father's belief in him shifted something within Max. The dread and doubt that had afflicted him for years now started to dissipate, yielding to increasing resolve.

  Max withdrew from the piece and pressed his fists shut, his jaw tightening. He shifted his eyes from the screen to the vacant space where his father's image once was, where now a cold static of nothingness occupied.

  "I'll guard it, Dad," he said firmly, his voice firm now. "I won't allow anyone to abuse what you fought so hard to keep safe. I swear."

  He took a deep breath, and a flame of purpose flared in his chest. For the first time in years, the shadow of his father's legacy didn't overwhelm him. It felt more like a beacon—a road he was called to follow.

  Max started collecting the journal and equipment from the lab. As he walked, his gaze swept across the room, observing everything. Every invention and half-finished prototype spoke of a man who had devoted his life to something beyond himself.

  As Max prepared to leave, he stood at the door of the lab, glancing back. His hand hovered over the switch to turn the lights off.

  "I'll make you proud, Dad," he whispered, a small smile playing on his lips. "Whatever it takes."

  And with that, he threw the switch, and the lab went dark. But inside Max, a new fire burned hot—a resolve to live up to his father's legacy and guard the secret that would change the world.