by Lianne Vail
[Lev’s Note]: I didn’t go looking for trouble. My sister did. She had to translate the page with the stupid alien hand. She ignored my advice, asked the wrong questions, and found something that had been buried for centuries. Enigma.The shadow behind every missing person, burned record, and altered history.The reason no one leaves this planet. Totally worth hearing about. Mystery, crazy powers, my escapades, and Teorin’s near failures—now fully documented for future training purposes in one helpful archive! So if you want to understand how I ended up connected to alien documents, ridiculous tabloids, and two brothers tearing open old wounds, keep reading. But since it takes a second to get to my story, here’s the Archivist’s official (and less clever) synopsis: Marcus left to survive and to uncover exactly what happened to his father. Teorin is the brother left behind to grieve. Now Teorin’s assigned to retrieve a drive people would kill for. One that contains a truth Marcus desperately needs, even if it costs him his brother. In a world scarred by solar storms, power is universal. Answers are not. And the people who go looking for them rarely get to choose what they lose. The Enigma Protocol is a character-driven science-fiction mystery told through firsthand accounts, recovered documents, and archived records. There you have it. I will be in the comments, answering questions when it suits me. You can just read the story if you prefer, but I am highly entertaining. And if you are very flattering, I might give you some answers. So ask. The archive might answer back. Schedule:📅 Weekly chapter on Fridays📅 Archived documents (primary and supplemental) on Tuesdays when applicable📅 Chaos Annex (surprises) Status:📖 Arc 1: No Brother of Mine - COMPLETE (26k words/100 pg)📖 Arc 2: Echoes of the Past - COMPLETE (50k words/185 pg)📖 Currently in Arc 3: Traitors to the Clan (~96k words/350 pg)🖊️ Book One: 4 arcs, ~240k words/875 pg — Fully Drafted ⚡ What to Expect:- Great for readers who love connecting clues and theory-crafting- Character-driven, gritty investigation- Archive format with prose and authentic documents- Slow-burn mystery with layered reveals & foreshadowing—best for readers who enjoy discovery over direct exposition- Optional interactive meta layers; plot stands alone- Biologically based powers (light, heat, memory, pressure, time)- EMP-scarred tech, alien ruins, and factions fighting for control of ancient secrets- Found family, fractured loyalties- Multi-POV cast with growth arcs and long-term payoff (two leads early, female POV begins in Arc 2) -Content Warning: details on potentially sensitive themes For fans of: The Expanse · Mistborn · Annihilation · The Queen's Thief ⚠️WARNING: Characters may break containment. Want to meet your host? Lev is waiting in the Welcome Page—an optional in-universe introduction. (He also writes fan fiction. Featuring himself. You’ve been warned.) Prefer to Binge Offline? Download the Free Arc 1 Ebook on Itch.io
| # | Title | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Prologue | 0 |
| 1 | ARC 1: Archivist's Foreword | 0 |
| 2 | 1: No Mincing Words (Marcus) | 0 |
| 3 | 2A: Article—Student Disappearance | 0 |
| 4 | 2: Disappearances (Teorin) | 0 |
| 5 |
| 3: Silent Agreements (Marcus) |
| 0 |
| 6 | [BONUS] Welcome to Enigma Protocol (Optional) | 0 |
| 7 | [BONUS] Archive Sampler: A POV Tasting Flight | 0 |
| 8 | 4: Shimmering Sky (Teorin) | 0 |
| 9 | 5: Complicity (Marcus) | 0 |
| 10 | 6: Rising Heat (Teorin) | 0 |
| 11 | 7: Scattered Pieces (Teorin) | 0 |
| 12 | 8: Old Wounds, New Scars (Teorin) | 0 |
| 13 | 9: Awakenings and Revelations (Teorin) | 0 |
| 14 | 10: Sentimentality (Marcus) | 0 |
| 15 | [BONUS] Crumbling Foundations (Teorin's Find) | 0 |
| 16 | [BONUS] Glossary Home: Official Terms & Unofficial Comments | 0 |
| 17 | [BONUS] Glossary: Characters and Political Groups | 0 |
| 18 | [BONUS] Glossary: Affinities and Aralin | 0 |
| 19 | [BONUS] Glossary: Key Terms | 0 |
| 20 | [BONUS] Glossary: Document Index | 0 |
| 21 | [BONUS] Sensitive Content Warning | 0 |
| 22 | [BONUS] Lev’s Landing Pad (Crash Expected) | 0 |
| 23 | 11A: Media Record-He Didn't Go Home | 0 |
| 24 | 12: Opening Possibilities (Kara) | 0 |
| 25 | 13A: Media Record-A Pattern Repeated | 0 |
| 26 | 13: Society Life and Eclairs (Lev) | 0 |
| 27 | ARC 2: Article—The Statherium Crisis | 0 |
| 28 | 14: Turbulence and Truths (Teorin) | 0 |
| 29 | 15: The Enigma (Teorin) | 0 |
| 30 | 16: Familiar Voices and Flames (Kara) | 0 |
| 31 | 17: Don't Push Your Luck (Marcus) | 0 |
| 32 | 18: Explanations and Conspiracies (Teorin) | 0 |
| 33 | 19: Flies to Honey (Marcus) | 0 |
| 34 | 20: Shopping and Ice Cream (Kara) | 0 |
| 35 | 21: Worries (Lev) | 0 |
| 36 | 22: Crazy Spy Novel Nonsense (Lev/Teorin) | 0 |
| 37 | 23: Tightropes (Marcus) | 0 |
| 38 | [BONUS] Novem Dossier-Marcus Davorn | 0 |
| 39 | 24: Before Us (Kara/Teorin) | 0 |
| 40 | 24M: Ancient Manuscript—Botanist's Notebook Pages | 0 |
| 41 | 25: Stolen Moments (Marcus/Teorin) | 0 |
| 42 | 26: Suspicions (Lev) | 0 |
| 43 | [BONUS] Field Manual – Shockwaves vs. Pulses | 0 |
| 44 | 27: You Can Stay (Marcus) | 0 |
| 45 | 28.1: Thieves (Kara) | 0 |
| 46 | 28.2: Thieves (Lev) | 0 |
| 47 | 28.3: Thieves (Teorin) | 0 |
| 48 | 28.4: Thieves (Marcus) | 0 |
| 49 | [CHAOS] Welcome to The Chaos Annex | 0 |
| 50 | ARC 3: Article—Geran Davorn Obituary | 0 |
| 51 | 29R: Da Silva Dossier-Jeron Blakor | 0 |
| 52 | 30: I Had a Plan (Teorin) | 0 |
| 53 | 31: Surfacing (Teorin) | 0 |
| 54 | 32: Every Door Closed (Teorin) | 0 |
| 55 | 33: Touch of Fire (Lev) | 0 |
| 56 | 34: More Than a Coincidence (Teorin) | 0 |
| 57 | 35A: Article-Tragedy or Targeted Elimination? | 0 |
| 58 | [CHAOS] The Gala-Alleged Events 1 | 0 |
| 59 | 36: Flight Risk (Marcus) | 0 |
| 60 | 37: Ties That Bind (Isi) | 0 |
| 61 | 38: Not a Cell (Kara) | 0 |
| 62 | [CHAOS] The Gala, Take 2-Field Log 1 | 0 |
| 63 | 39.1: The Enemy of My Enemy (Kara) | 0 |
| 64 | 39.2: The Walls Drip Secrets Here (Kara) | 0 |
| 65 | 40D: Directive — Kalin Bay Circular (Protocol Application) | 0 |
| 66 | 41: You Think I'm Callous (Lev) | 0 |
| 67 | 42: Failures (Teorin) | 0 |
| 68 | 43: Maps (Teorin) | 0 |
| 69 | 44R: Report—The First Burst | 0 |
| 70 | 45: Duplicity (Kara) | 0 |
| 71 | 46: Tenacity (Kara) | 0 |
| 72 | [CHAOS] My Revenge (Or Lianne's Terrible First Draft) | 0 |
| 73 | 47: Clarity (Kara) | 0 |
| 74 | [CHAOS] My Revenge 2 (Or Prelude to a Fanfic) | 0 |
| 75 | 48: Solidarity (Kara) | 0 |
| 76 | 49A: Article—Tabloid Coverage of Lev Tanel (Paired Set) | 0 |
| 77 | 50: Waiting (Teorin) | 0 |
| 78 | 51.1: Cracks (Lev) | 0 |
| 79 | 51.2: Cracks (Teorin) | 0 |
| 80 | 52.1T: Trevor's Drive (Rafinin's Video Log) | 0 |
| 81 | 52.2J: Trevor's Drive (Mara's Account) | 0 |
| 82 | 53: Marginal Trust (Isi) | 0 |
| 83 | 54: Crack of Dawn (Kara) | 0 |
| 84 | [BONUS] Honors & Distinctions of the Archive | 0 |
| 85 | 55: The Cost of An Eyeroll (Marcus) | 0 |
| 86 | [CHAOS] Alleged Events 2: The Rooftop | 0 |
| 87 | 56.1: Meant to Be Lived In (Marcus) | 0 |
| 88 | 56.2: Meant to Be Lived In (Kara) | 0 |
| 89 | 57: Fame and Fortune (Teorin) | 0 |
| 90 | 58: Scene of the Crime (Isi) | 0 |
| 91 | 59.1: Sort of Things Friends Do (Marcus) | 0 |
| 92 | 59.2: Sort of Lines You Don’t Cross (Marcus) | 0 |
