The room felt smaller somehow.
Heavier.
Like the air itself was waiting.
Lucien didn't hesitate.
"System," he said. "Initiate summon."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then reality bent.
A single point in the center of the room warped inward, light twisting unnaturally as if space itself was being pulled apart. A low, grinding sound echoed, like something ancient resisting.
Adrian tensed. Rowan stepped forward, eyes locked on the distortion.
Marcus watched with quiet interest.
Then—
It snapped.
A figure collapsed onto the floor.
He gasped sharply, clutching at the ground, his breath uneven. His clothing was old—far older than anything common even in 1890.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
Confusion. Calculation. Fear.
"…Where am I?" he demanded.
Elara's eyes widened slightly.
"No… that's not possible."
Marcus leaned forward. "Oh, this just got interesting."
Lucien stepped forward, calm as ever.
"State your name."
The man hesitated, then answered, voice sharp despite the shock.
"Isaac Newton."
Silence filled the room.
Rowan let out a quiet breath. "We just pulled him out of the 17th century…"
Adrian shook his head slightly. "One of the greatest scientific minds to ever live."
Elara spoke softly, almost to herself. "Calculus. Laws of motion. Gravity…"
Marcus smirked. "Yeah. No pressure."
Newton looked between them, clearly unsettled but already thinking, already analyzing.
"This is not natural," he said. "Explain yourselves."
Lucien met his gaze directly.
"We brought you here."
A pause.
Newton's expression hardened. "Impossible."
The screen flickered.
*[NOTICE]Summon SuccessfulThe candidate possesses extreme intellectual capability
Recommended Role Assignment: Research Division]**
Lucien didn't look away.
"We are building something," he said. "Something that will define the future of this world."
Adrian crossed his arms. "And we need someone who understands the laws of reality…"
Rowan added, "So we can break them properly."
Elara finished, "And rewrite them if necessary."
Marcus gestured lightly toward Newton. "That's where you come in."
Lucien took one step closer.
"Isaac Newton," he said, voice firm and absolute.
"You have been chosen."
A brief silence.
Then—
"O5-6. Head of Research and Development."
Newton frowned deeply. "I will not accept a title I do not understand."
Lucien didn't flinch.
"You will," he said, "because what we show you next will change everything you believe about the universe."
The screen pulsed again.
[CONFIRMEDO5-6 DESIGNATION ASSIGNEDTHE SCHOLAR]
Newton slowly stood, still wary—but no longer dismissive.
His eyes drifted to where reality had torn open moments ago.
"…If that was your doing," he said quietly, "then the laws I discovered are… incomplete."
Marcus chuckled.
"Yeah," he said. "Way incomplete."
Lucien turned slightly, already thinking ahead.
"One of the greatest minds in history," he said.
"Now working for us."
He looked at the system.
"No mistakes," he added quietly.
"From here on… everything matters."