Almost half a day had passed since Maru's call.
Through the transporter gate, Yumi arrived in Ramalith, accompanied by Lin and Sky.
The desert seemed unnaturally still. No wind, no glow. Just a sandy expanse as if time itself had stopped.
Suddenly, human-like beings formed from the ground, but they were made of sand. No faces, no voices. Just silent gestures telling them to follow.
When Yumi exchanged a quick glance with Lin, his face was still, but his eyes were pulsing with a strange feeling, like being drawn to something he couldn't describe.
Sky, beside him, tilted his head slightly toward the sand, as if it was saying something to him... Then he smiled softly and said in a low voice:
"Looks like he's made a lot of preparations for you."
After a few minutes of walking, a great sandy gate appeared, leading to the entrance of the pyramid where the others were.
There, inside, they were waiting for them: Maru, Lan Lan, and Ashen.
Skye was advancing lightly, fiddling lightly with one of the energy plates, and saying to Yumi:
"I thought Kaldoran was cold, but this sand seems to have a warmer way of welcoming."
Lin stood silently, watching, but his gaze met Ashin's, who didn't speak.
The meeting was silent, but full of feeling.
Maru led them to the elaborate wooden building near the pyramid, to a room with a light projection.
He began by showing the map they had seen on the island, then attached it with his own analysis that he had extracted from the data.
"What we know is only a surface layer," he said, running his fingers over the interface: "What we know is only a surface layer."
A complex diagram of spheres, universes, and galaxies appeared:
-Cosmic spheres contain an enormous number of universes, and each universe has its own galaxies and its own time, these spheres are grouped in a system called dimensional spheres, existential layers that differ in shape and laws
- Each dimensional sphere belongs to a fundamental element such as: Sphere of Equilibrium, which is the sphere we belong to, Sphere of Darkness, Sphere of Light
There are dozens of other spheres
As for categorizing the spheres, Maru said, "Worlds are categorized based on the number of mythical entities present in them. When there are three entities, it's called a first-class world, which is the strongest and most cohesive. Two gives the world a second-rate world; medium strength. Only one makes it third-rate; relatively weak. If there are none, it's called a world of chaos - a world without clear laws, subject to fluctuation."
He continues: "Then there is only one world... above all categories. The center of everything. Our world is a zero-degree world: The equilibrium dimensional sphere."
The communicator suddenly rang.
Maru opened a shared line, and Rin and Hua's faces appeared on the screen.
Rin said, the sound of waves behind him: "We found a fragment of Lin... in one of Azurain's limbs."
Hua added, pointing at him: "His name is Rylan. Quiet... like he can't speak."
Moments later, another call came in from Celestia and Sichu. Behind them, a huge stone sprawl, Sichu said: "We found a fragment of a Lynn named B...Gravath. It's like it came out of the layers of the mountain itself."
Skye looked at everyone and said, "Four of the fragments... we're getting close."
Ashen nodded: "One more to go... to complete the circle."
But Maru, rechecking the dot map, noticed something
He pointed to the black dot in the City of Injustice and said:
"You said there were five of you and four of you showed up, so what's the black dot?"
Everyone fell silent. Ashen exchanged a long look with Skye.
Skye said in a low, barely audible voice, "Could it be the dark part, Ashin, give Lin your energy ball."
Ashen picks up an energy ball and places it in Lin, Lin grows healthier and stronger and begins to regain fragments of his memories.
Yumi hugs Lin happily, but suddenly Lin feels a slight vibration in his chest.
Then an inner voice... more like a cold breath, whispered into his consciousness: "I am the beginning... I am your darkness."