Levon emerged out of the portal on his chair, blinking against the sudden rush of wind on his face. The towering pillars before him, stark and massive. He was outside—on solid ground.

Whispers drifted toward him.
“Why did he land outside? He was supposed to arrive in Epistia like everyone else.”
“I don’t know,” another voice murmured. “Let’s walk up to him.”

Two figures approached.
“Levon Cho, from the Virgo Supercluster?”

Their words snapped him back to reality. They looked human. Too human. One was old, his hair white as snow. The other seemed younger—mid-fifties at most. A third man stood further back, silent, watching, his black coat matching theirs.

“Virgo Supercluster?” Levon echoed, stunned. “I’m from the Solar Syste—” He froze mid-sentence, the thought slamming into him. The Milky Way is part of the Local Group… the Local Group is part of Virgo… wait—am I outside it? Is that even possible?

His mind spiraled, mapping galactic distances in an instant. He had always believed he would encounter aliens one day—but somewhere close. The Milky Way, maybe Andromeda. Not this far. Not beyond the Virgo Supercluster.

“Since you asked if I’m from Virgo,” Levon muttered, scratching at his scalp as his eyes darted, “then I must still be within the Laniakea structure, right?”

The two men shared a glance, then looked at the third figure. The silent one gave a small nod.
“Come with us,” the younger man said gently. “We’ll explain everything inside.”

They unstrapped him from the chair and helped him to his feet.

Levon’s eyes swept the scene. Children laughed in the grass. Families picnicked. It was… normal. Like Earth. But the architecture ahead made him falter. Pretty, yes, but crude. Old-world. Earth now had sky-rings, flying ships, shimmering cities—and this looked medieval in comparison.

They gave us immortality. They built the chair that threw me across half a billion light years in seconds. They tear open space itself. And this… this is what they live in?

Questions burned out of him.
“Why do you look human? How am I breathing? Is there oxygen here? I don’t see domes like the Mars colonies—”

“Please,” the man in his fifties said with a patient smile, “we’ll explain everything. Just follow us. You’re at the main gate now, entering Adoratia. The eastern quarter. You’ll see our great temple soon.”

Levon barely heard him. “How can we even understand each other?”

The man sighed. “Patience. You were sent here. We’ll take care of you.”

Two guards loomed at the gate, armored and menacing, but they let the group pass without question. To the west, a colossal structure rose, topped with the carved figure of a woman.

“That is the Matria,” said the man. “The temple where we thank our Mother for all she has given us.”

“Temple?” Levon frowned. “With all your advancements, you still… pray?”

“We thank the Mother,” the man replied simply.

At last, the third man spoke. His voice was quiet, commanding.
“Come.”

He lifted his hand, and space cracked open before them. A portal shimmered into existence, identical to the one that had brought Levon here.

Levon’s breath caught. “How did you—”

“We’ll explain later,” the man cut him off. Another gesture, and the portal shifted, swallowing them whole.

Darkness for a heartbeat. Then light.

Levon found himself in a cavernous laboratory. Dozens of figures in black coats bustled about, their hands busy with machines and constructs he couldn’t comprehend. His thoughts spun too fast to settle.

“We’re in Orchidia now,” said the man with a calm smile. “The main lab In Epistia, West side of the city.”

Levon’s mind cracked under the weight. Sweat dripped down his face as he dropped to his knees, clutching his hair with both hands. He had thought he could handle what was on the other side of the portal. He was wrong.