A feeling of disappointment filled the hearts and streets of Oblivion and the Lunar Nation. The city's billboards changed their headlines from "The Birth of the Great Aquaphoenix" to "The Non-Birth of the Aquaphoenix." The eyes of the people, which once shone with expectation, now had a dull look, like muddy water.
Many strange things had happened in such a short time, and the mystery only deepened with each passing day. Every day since the founding of Oblivion, The Journal of Oblivion had been delivered free of charge to every citizen, with the goal of connecting the ancient inhabitants of Earth—now living in the underground city—with the rest of the solar system and the galaxy.
Like a bridge to the outside world, the newspaper linked the residents of Oblivion not only to the universe, but also to the future. So there is no need to mention the apprehension and anxiety of the people as they waited to read that day's edition.
The day before, the legend of the Aquaphoenix might have come true, and the people of Oblivion would have been closer than ever to seeing the surface of planet Earth once again. Instead, they were left with questions: from the non-birth of the creature to the near death and coma of the Great Mage of Oblivion, one of the founders of the city and the one responsible for delivering the creature. Everything had gone terribly wrong—too wrong to seem natural. It felt as if outside forces had interfered.
The next morning the sky was cloudy, and the streets were covered in a thick mist. Chimneys worked at full steam, and most of the population preferred to remain inside their homes rather than walk the streets.
The sky and atmosphere of the city had been artificially created and, on that day, shimmered in shades of lilac and aqua-blue. This artificial sky had been built by magi from across the solar system, including Zygon, the Grand Master of the city. Magical artifacts from across the Milky Way had been used to shape an atmosphere that reflected the beauty of the surface sky, but with an added touch of magic and mystery.
Depending on the emotional state of planet Earth, the artificial sky emitted different colors and climates: if the planet was active and enraged, the sky would glow lava-red; if melancholic, blue-gray; if peaceful and joyful, sky blue with white clouds. But that day it was lilac, with clouds that shifted from a buttery tone to a vibrant yellow. For despite the mourning for the creature that had not been born, a new lunar cycle had begun—for Oblivion and for the Earth hidden within it.
The color of the atmosphere also influenced the glow and light emitted by the lunar and solar projectors, always offering a touch of life and expectation regardless of the situation in the Milky Way at any given moment.
As the Great Mage Zygon often repeated:
"What we call magic is nothing more than ancient science—too complex for our rational minds to understand, too lost in time—and yet it invites us to rediscover it once again."
And much magic had been used to reconstruct Earth's atmosphere underground. Magic so ancient that even after more than ten thousand years, it was still considered magic rather than science. Among the people there circulated a legend that the ancient science of the Solar Phoenixes had been used to create that place which so closely resembled Earth during its Golden Age.
The phase of the moon gave a clue: it was the season of the New Moon, and it would remain so for at least several centuries. A new journey had begun, a new way of living and experiencing the world around them. Only time would answer their questions.
After the bell of the Temple of the Sun rang twelve times, the full moon reflected in the artificial sky descended toward the horizon, giving way to a more timid and introspective moon that adorned the heavens with a gentle beauty filled with mystery.
And the bulletin had just been delivered, from the aquatic zones of the city to the interdimensional ports that connected Oblivion with the Lunar City on the other side of the Moon.
And the newspaper read:
Introduction
Greetings, citizens of Oblivion, the Solhara System, and the Milky Way.
Wherever you may be, I send this signal and strengthen your connection with the planet from which you came. The storm has calmed. The glow of the artificial moon burns, but despite the great puddles of water drying on the ground, the cold wind carries droplets from the planet's aquatic mantle, indicating that planet Earth is still sad and sentimental, though slowly rising and moving forward.
At Ever-Rain Station, it has continued raining since October 14th of the year 1119, which surprises the fanatics who believed the rumors that the failure of the Aquaphoenix's ascension would end the rain that has persisted for millennia.
Now, on to the main topic everyone wants to hear about: The Great Aquaphoenix and its Non-Ascension.
You are reading The Journal of Oblivion, and I am Hipo-Carlos, your favorite aquatic horse. Where Is the Aquaphoenix?
By Hipo-Carlos
Where is the fury stored that comes from unmanifested potential? The forces of stories untold about a titan of colossal magnitude?
It has now been one week since the Great Aquaphoenix was supposed to appear. After thousands of years in gestation and formation, the creature—once a Solar Phoenix—should have completed its transformation and brought light and fortune to the people who needed it most.
Especially to us: the people of Oblivion.
The promise that one day we would return to the surface of Earth and live once again beside our human brothers.
But nothing happened when Zygon rose to the surface, spat out by the geyser waters and covered in the stings of Water Bees.
On his pale lips?
No answers.
And yet, despite the situation, something tells me that to begin something so great, perfection is not required.
What tells you that she will not rise?
What leads you to believe in despair?
Should we trust this moment as the beginning of something grand, or surrender to paranoia simply because we do not yet understand what happened?
The Regent of the Constellation of the Five Sisters of Dawn, Reinaldo Borbolát, once said that we must first believe there is a way forward so that we may find it.
These words were engraved in the foundations of the underground city of Oblivion.
Even if they are no longer visible on the ground beneath our feet, they remain carved in the collective mind of this city and its people.
It does not matter if you were born here, live here, or dwell far away. Those who have found refuge and roots in this land—in this beautiful Solar System called Solhara.
Whether this is the moment of ascension or not, we must strengthen our minds in this certainty: that every limitation of our daily lives will one day ascend.
The Journal attempted to contact the great Magi—Zygon, Sofia, and Fofúlios, the ones responsible for delivering the creature.
The only response came from Great Sofia, who informed us that Mage Zygon remained in deep sleep due to the stings of the Water Drones.
The Bionic Magi explained that the legend stating that the place where Aquaphoenixes undergo their metamorphosis is surrounded by Water Drone hives is not a children's tale meant to frighten the curious, but the absolute truth.
Sofia explained that potions and antidotes made from scarab dung would likely prolong the sleeping effects but would prevent Zygon from dying from the venom.
When asked when the great mage might awaken again, the shocking answer was that the poison could take years—perhaps decades—to leave his system.
However, a team of the finest magi and moges from the National Chapel of Venus would be sent to accompany him through this difficult process.
"No, we will not lose him," Sofia said with tears in her eyes.
The Polar Bear, Fofúlios, initially refused to speak to journalists.
But after a dangerous journey searching for pieces of hive expelled during the failed birth of the Aquaphoenix, he agreed to speak in exchange for Royal Honey of Oblivion.
Despite our suspicions, Fofúlios explained:
"Something went wrong when the agate stone was placed in the phoenix's mouth. I'm certain of it. That was the moment it should have risen. That is the only explanation that makes sense. Why the Aquaphoenix rejected the stone… I have no idea."
Later, in a quieter conversation with a journalist friend, the bear revealed more.
Through tears he confessed how deeply shaken he was, but that Sofia had forbidden him from sharing the team's internal conclusions because one very important member had been affected.
"I've been planning this since the fall of the City of the Sun. It may sound exaggerated, but it has been a long time. Since I was a cub I dreamed of birthing the Aquaphoenix—or at least witnessing it. They said the honey there was the best in the entire galaxy, and when someone tells me something like that, I make it happen. From warrior of the galaxy to protector of Oblivion—every step led me here with my friends Sofia and Zygon. But everything went down the drain… literally."
Sofia soon interrupted and kindly dismissed the journalists.
The Fury of the People and the Chaotic Evacuation
By Lala the Salamander (This section is translated but abbreviated here to keep length manageable.) Lala's fiery article questioned whether the failure of the Aquaphoenix was connected to a greater galactic crisis.
Shortly after Zygon was expelled from the Lake of Phoenixes, alarms rang across the galaxy.
The Government of Greid had launched its Dark Fleet, attacking multiple zones of the galaxy. And one figure was spotted near the Solhara system: Liria Lilac.
Once Zygon's companion, now leader of the Dark Fleet. Coincidence? Lala believed otherwise. The article spread across the galaxy.
From the Constellation of the Five Sisters to the Dragon Territories, Oblivion suddenly became the center of galactic conversation.
Seventy thousand new inhabitants arrived in the city that very day.
But beneath the surface there was a secret none of them could know. Not Lala. Not anyone in the galaxy.
Within that chain of disasters lay the reason for the Aquaphoenix's failure to ascend. He had a name. A surname. An address.
Equador da Silva.
He lived on Alvorada Street, house 616, at the D'Alvorada boarding house. A boy with eyes of the world.