The moment Danny read the words "Payment Due: Child Unborn", his entire world collapsed.
Claire stood at the doorway, her trembling hands resting over her belly, her face pale as the realization hit both of them at the same time.
She was pregnant.
And somehow… the Fate Exchange knew.
"No… this can't be," Danny whispered, his fingers crushing the old contract, but it refused to burn, tear, or fade.
The ink glowed faintly in the dark, as if it were alive—binding him once more to a destiny he thought he had escaped.
His phone vibrated violently again.
📧 FROM: Unknown Sender"Congratulations, Agent Wong. The Final Debt Collection has been activated. Estimated Collection Date: Upon Birth. Prepare Accordingly."
Claire stumbled forward, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Danny… what does this mean? Are they coming for our baby?"
Danny's mind raced.
He had destroyed the Architect. Broken the Abyss. Freed the souls.
So why… why was this contract still binding?
And then it hit him.
This wasn't his debt.
This was a generational curse, a contract tied to his bloodline long before he was even born.
His thoughts spun backward—memories he didn't even know he had began surfacing.
His grandfather, a man shrouded in mystery, always warning about "the price of promises made long ago."
The missing family heirlooms.
The stories of every firstborn son in his family dying young… or disappearing without a trace.
The debt had never been about him. He was just the latest in a long line of sacrifices.
And now, it wasn't his soul they wanted.
It was the life of his unborn child.
Danny stood up abruptly, his jaw clenched.
"Not this time. I don't care what contract my ancestors signed. I'll end this… even if it means walking back into Hell itself."
Claire grabbed his arm, her voice trembling.
"Danny… what if this isn't just about us? What if this child is… different?"
Her hand moved to her belly again.
A faint warmth pulsed under her palm.
Danny's eyes widened.
In that moment, he felt it too—something ancient, powerful… awakening within their child.
Not just life.
Something more.
A force that made the very air vibrate with unseen energy.
His phone lit up one final time that night.
📧 FROM: Unknown Sender"The Child of the Last Debt. The Architect's Replacement. Bloodlines must be balanced. Are you ready to choose, Danny Wong?"
The screen flickered and went black.
Suddenly, the walls of their house groaned, the temperature plummeted, and a low hum filled the air.
A portal began forming in the center of their living room—its swirling darkness tinged with faint crimson light.
From the other side, a figure began to emerge.
Not the Architect.
Not the Final Hunter.
Something far older.
A tall, hooded being wrapped entirely in chains of molten gold, each link inscribed with the names of Danny's ancestors.
And beneath the hood, a voice echoed—not in words, but directly into Danny's mind.
**"Choose, Danny Wong. One life for another.
The child…
Or yourself."**
Claire screamed as the floor beneath her cracked, energy pulling toward the portal like a hungry maw.
Danny stepped forward, standing between her and the approaching entity.
His body shook from the pressure, but his resolve hardened.
"No more deals!" he shouted into the void.
The being tilted its head.
"Then you have chosen. The Final Debt will be collected… when the time comes."
The portal closed, leaving behind only a faint, echoing laughter that made Danny's skin crawl.
But Danny understood now.
They weren't after just his child's life.
They were after the child's power—the heir to a legacy forged by generations of sacrifice.
And this child…
Would either become the next Architect.
Or the one to destroy the Fate Exchange forever.
🎬 [End of Chapter 20 – The Final Prophecy Revealed]