The dark wood of the staircase creaked beneath my feet with each movement. Every sound, no matter how small, seemed to echo through the silent house, so I moved slowly, holding my breath, trying to make as little noise as possible. The bluish light from the room cast eerie shadows around me, forming strange shapes that stretched along the walls.

My heart was pounding, and I could feel it thudding as I took the first step down. I paused, crouching, and peered between the railings. My mother was still, her face gently illuminated by the blue light that pulsed softly, like the glow of a distant star. Whatever she was holding was small, shining intensely, reflecting a light that seemed alive, almost liquid.

I stayed where I was, watching her in silence. She was turned slightly away from me, but there was something in the stiffness of her posture that unsettled me. The way she held the object, her hands firm but delicate, suggested it was important.

I descended another step, the wood creaking slightly. I held my breath, hoping she hadn’t heard. My gaze was fixed on her, trying to understand what I was witnessing. The bluish light seemed to pulse within the object, almost as if it had a life of its own, beating in sync.

Another step. The floor under my foot groaned, the sound muted but too loud in the night’s stillness. My mother moved slightly, her shoulders tensing for a moment, and I froze. I held my breath, my eyes locked on her, waiting for any sign that she was about to turn around and catch me. But she didn’t move further, refocusing on the object in front of her.

Carefully, I descended one more step and crouched down on the landing, inching forward until I was about five meters from her, still looking down from above.

The view was clearer now; I could see that the object was something marked with a symbol I recognized as ‘Euler.’ It seemed to blink in a pattern, in a language I didn’t understand.

I wanted to get closer, but I knew I had to be cautious. One false move, and all my effort to approach silently would be wasted, and I’d likely be put back to bed without understanding what she was doing.

I reached the last step and crept along the wall, the rough wood scraping against my hand. I was close enough now to hear her slow, controlled breathing.

I continued watching as my mother, still absorbed in what she was doing, placed the object on the table. From my vantage point, I could see that the item, once small and discrete, began expanding, revealing itself to be much more than it seemed. What had appeared as a black screen started to unfold, spreading beyond the table, as if it was unconstrained by normal spatial limits, growing to ten times its original size.

Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t ordinary—a book that had always sparked questions about its nature was now… a map?

The object fully unfolded, covering the table with a bright blue hologram.

A map. The map zoomed in, retracting its vast spiral of luminous points like a star chart, finally focusing on a single point. The lights slowly rearranged, forming detailed contours of the surface of Aurea, then homing in on a specific region west of Florem.

I was frozen, almost hypnotized by the sight. I had never seen anything like it. The structures on the map looked like ancient markers, perhaps precursors to something grander, spread across the globe, with multiple black towers scattered around. I was captivated, wanting to understand what it all meant.

My mother began to speak, her voice so low I could barely hear. Was she talking to someone? But there was no one there but us. I grew even more uneasy. The soft sound of her voice, almost a murmur, made me want to get closer, but getting too close risked being caught in the act.

Then, a small cube emerged from the hologram. It moved slowly, flashing a tiny red dot in a pattern that seemed to follow some kind of logic, something I couldn’t decipher. The cube seemed almost alive, and the way it blinked gave me the unsettling feeling it was aware of my presence.

Suddenly, the cube turned toward me. I froze, holding my breath, and for an instant, I had the distinct impression it was watching me. The red dot shifted, blinking a dark blue, almost like an eye looking back at me. My muscles tensed, but I chose to watch quietly and see how it would react. The cube turned back toward the map, and I relaxed a bit, though the fear that it would give me away remained.

The hologram zoomed in, focusing on the area where we were. The cube traced a trail of red dots across the map, leading to a distant black tower in Gaelia, our continent, approximately 1,500 kilometers away. At the top of this tower, a small red dot blinked like a beacon.

My mother, still gazing at the hologram, furrowed her brow and asked quietly, “Why should I go there?”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Go where? The cube blinked again, this time in a more complex pattern, as if trying to answer her question. It seemed like they were having a conversation, but in a language I couldn’t understand.

Then, I heard her voice rise, filled with frustration and weariness. “I’ve already said, I’m content taking care of my family here,” she said firmly. “I spent so long looking for something that would allow me to access an honor of Aurea’s ruler, exploring and facing every challenge within the complex, and I never found anything.”

She paused, drumming her fingers on the table’s surface. “And now, out of nowhere, you’re telling me you know where it is? No, thank you. I don’t even know who’s speaking for Euler’s Honor…” She hesitated, looking at the cube with distrust. “How do you expect me to embark on a journey to another country without any guarantee that the honor is there? Who is really speaking?”

The cube, previously motionless on the hologram, began to blink again, insistently. The red dot it emitted seemed to pulse almost urgently, as if it were trying to communicate something important, something my mother was listening to intently. It rotated slightly, moving back and forth across the projected map, as if demonstrating its determination to convince her.

She crossed her arms, still resisting, but the cube kept blinking, now faster, its light reflecting off her face. I could feel the tension in the air, a silent battle of arguments, perhaps.

Finally, she sighed, a heavy, resigned sound. “You want me to go to this tower, more than a thousand kilometers away, to search for something that I’m not even sure is there. And what else? You’re going to keep pressing until I give in?”

The cube responded with a calm blink. She hesitated, her eyes fixed on the small object. I could see the internal struggle in her face, the conflict between her responsibility as a mother and the mysterious pull this mission seemed to have over her.

I was motionless, almost forgetting to breathe, as I waited for her next move, knowing that, somehow, this would change everything for us.

“Alright, I’ll go,” she said with resignation.

Whatever the cube had conveyed, it had convinced her. It didn’t stop, continuing to blink, at a different rhythm.

“But why! I have to take my family. What? How is that a form of protecting them? No, no! I know, no one knows about Aurea’s Honor yet. Record? Tell me your real name.

I understand, yes, it’s very important, and if you’re truly from within the complex, then there’s a high chance this is true. I know how crucial this is for everyone, and to ensure that no one finds Aurea—after all, you know what’s out there, don’t you? I’m willing to keep this secret from everyone, for my family’s sake, but you know I must undergo the highest tests of the structures to attain the ruler’s honor, right? And I probably can’t do it alone...

So, will you give it to me for our mutual benefit? I see. In that case… I WILL leave as soon as possible.”

And then the cube blinked one last time.

The map disintegrated rapidly, and a black screen projected strange symbols in the center of the table. My body reacted before I could process what was happening; a sound escaped from my mouth, a small groan of discomfort as I trembled all over.

These symbols… they were different; I… recognized them. Curved lines and strokes merged to form patterns that made no sense to me as a living being, yet somehow stirred something within my mind.

It was cosmogenesis.

A sudden dizziness overcame me, and the floor seemed to dissolve beneath my feet. I tried to hold on, but it was useless. The symbols danced before my eyes, swirling and pulsing with an energy that felt alive.

The scene around me began to fade, and in its place, darkness took over. All that remained were the symbols, shining intensely in the void, and then, without warning, I was pulled into a vision.

“Kiel? Are you awake?”

Mechanical waves emitted by female organism in a state of cellular degeneration.

No, waves emitted by… Protector.

“Just sitting there again? Isn’t space beautiful? I know a research lab isn’t a cozy home, but these concepts seem to fascinate you, don’t they, little one? To know everything out there… I know that’s what you want.

Come on, say something; I know you’ve already deciphered our language. Let that world analysis of yours be a bit more sensitive.”

Circumstantial analysis: display of affection by a living entity.

Macrophysical analysis: Large metallic aperture, with silica compound allowing waves emitted by a large, high-mass body in constant microatomic fusion to enter.

“I know what you’re thinking—‘carbon amalgam creature emitting waves to communicate with cosmic creature.’ You don’t need that, dear.

Deep down, you’re just a child who knows a lot. Talk to me, stop staring at the star; it’s bad for your eyes. I know you think you should be navigating the galaxy, but that’s dangerous right now. I could tell you about the Great Abyss War and why you can no longer travel the stars alone, but that’s for bedtime.”

Initiating contact.

“Tell me, what is our purpose? I have orders to nurture life and protect creation, etched into my consciousness. Orders I don’t have to follow, since they’re more like a request. Who asked this of me?”

Resonant female voice: “That’s one of the mysteries of our universe, not even science can explain. I saved you, but took you from your home, and I have no regrets; the eternal void is a bleak place. As a scientist, I believe I have a duty—to uncover the universe and learn how it all began, to know everything… That’s my purpose, one I’ll probably never achieve, as I’ll die in half a century.

You must choose yours, too.”

Interceding:

“Could that be mine as well?”

Resonant female voice, interacting: “Yes, that can be your purpose. It’s in your blood, as a creature of the void.”

Opening up insecurities to Protector: “They said they feel uneasy around me, because I’m not from here, that I’m part of the so-called ‘Eternal Void.’”

Protective female voice: “There’s nothing wrong; I find your form pleasing. Only other void creatures can sense that you don’t belong here.

But let’s set that aside; I’m not good at easing insecurities. When I lost my daughter, I felt like a terrible mother, unable to say goodbye…

Shall we play? Or rest somewhere more comfortable than a storage bay. Stop hiding around the station; I’m old and tired. It would be refreshing if the care I give you was reciprocated.”

Initiating dialogue with Protector… Can I call you ‘mother’? I like that concept, and I want feelings that are less lonely.

Female voice: “Yes! Of course, you may.”

Concluding dialogue with Mother: “Thank you, mother.”

Reality swirled back around me in a vortex of cold colors and sounds, pulling me out of the abyss of visions. My heart was still racing, the echoes of those strange symbols resounding in my mind. I blinked several times, trying to shake off the dizziness and reconnect with the real world.

I was lying on the cold floor, my vision blurred. When my eyes began to focus again, I saw my mother’s figure in front of me, her face brimming with concern.

“Kiel! Kiel, are you alright?” She rushed to me, her voice thick with anxiety. Her hands held me by the shoulders, helping me sit up. I was still dazed, and her words felt like distant echoes, struggling to break through the fog in my mind.

“What happened? You… you fell down the stairs… did you hear?” The panic in her voice was palpable, and her eyes searched me, looking for any sign I was hurt.

I nodded slowly, still trying to process everything that had happened. “Yes… I heard.” My voice sounded weak, as if it wasn’t really mine. Everything felt so unreal, as if I were still trapped in the visions.

She pulled me into a tight hug, and I could feel the tension in her body. And for a moment, I stayed there, surrounded by her warmth, trying to find some point of stability amid the chaos in my mind.

“Kiel, we’ll have to travel. Something important to Mommy is far away… and I need this.” She affirmed, releasing me slowly while lifting my head gently, her hands on my cheeks, looking straight into my eyes with great care.