"Varena... Am I imagining things, or was Glac different? Our encounter was brief, devoid of extended conversations or scientific accounts irrelevant to us. Actually, I had never seen him outside the laboratory before."

"He seems to be anticipating something, but I believe he'll be alright."

"There's something else bothering me..."

"... What is it, Novah?"

"Our moon isn't moving, nor are the stars. We should have exited the forest by now... it's as if time has stopped. And as if that weren't enough, I feel like we're being watched."

"Novah!! Behind you!!"

In Glac's laboratory, strange humanoid figures shrouded in dark cloaks materialized. Some appeared misshapen and mechanistic, as if controlled. Others seemed to be struggling with some mental process, contorting their bodies. Yet among all the creatures, a few stood out. They appeared to be assessing the surroundings and Glac, who was speaking softly:

"I should have left this world before. But how could I... my intervention on Novah... didn't go as planned... I needed more time... it's not ready yet... how did they get here so fast..."

Glac's reflections were interrupted by one of the distinctive beings:

"Was it you who barred our entry? It takes a superior existence for that... but it no longer matters. As soon as your camouflage failed, it gave away your exact location. To enter, we only needed to overwhelm you, so we brought everything we found along the way."

"An intriguing technology, I must say. It only confirms my suspicion of whom you've allied with. However, our presence here won't bode well for the local system. If you've made it here, I imagine you're more advanced than the planet. It won't be able to handle this, in fact, it's already failing."

One of the more robotic beings touched Glac's arm to intimidate him, an action that disintegrated him completely. The most distinctive shadowy figure seemed surprised at first, but then smiled and commented:

"I suspected someone important was hiding here. But I didn't expect it to be one of the immortals from Destiny."

"I can 'die'... but to me, it's a dull and consequence-free journey, it's just a place. It's a sad reality, not having a purpose within the system anymore, not being able to evolve, not being able to be reborn."

One of the beings in the room fired a powerful dark blue ray enveloped in black shadows towards Glac, who simply dodged by disappearing into thin air. Reappearing instantly in front of the individual who had launched the ray, Glac lifted him by the throat, revealing a hybrid being made of biological and synthetic parts beneath the cloak. Bright blue lights traversed Glac's body, passing through his hand and then to the individual, who, in a blue glow with the sound of static, began to disintegrate into small energy spheres. Glac seemed displeased with the situation and said:

"I release you from your past choices, return to balance and evolve."

"We have no power over you, unfortunately, but we will interfere with this planet until a significant error occurs. If nothing happens, at least we'll have one less planet and perhaps one more vulnerability." said the most distinctive figure among them, who seemed to be the leader.

"You, external agents, why have you joined this cause? If you're here, you know the truth, why bring such a negative toll on the world? And end so many lives and existence projects? There are other ways to seek an exit."

"And do you believe in that? How long have you been wandering among systems seeking a flaw? An exit to the real world? We want power and freedom without leaving our current existence or entering this tasteless game of evolutions, deaths, and rebirths. All to end up trapped like you. We want a shortcut."

Glac knew, evolution didn't mean harmonizing with everyone in the world or being a benefactor. Evolution means perfecting your own characteristics. He knew he couldn't let anyone leave that room alive.

Glac smiled, closed one eye, and pointed directly at the being he was conversing with.

"There are some technologies so advanced they seem like magic, but some are truly magical."

The room began to glow, a static noise grew louder, the agents from the other world were trapped, their attempts to escape futile; then the noise stopped, the computers halted, the holographic monitors vanished, the air grew dense, everything stopped for an eternal and suffocating moment.

Glac, on the surface, beside the trees, lamented the loss of his research, lamented everything that had happened and would happen, as he looked at the huge empty crater amidst the forest, now occupying the place of his laboratory.

As he looked at the creatures lurking in the forest, worried, he thought and spoke:

"Novah!! Varena!!"