Half a year had passed since Kaelen first stepped into the halls of House Ignis. The Academy had become a rhythm of high-density learning, nutrient-rich meals, and the steady, warm hum of his Crimson Thread as it approached the Level 20 mark.
To celebrate the completion of the first semester, the Academy organized the Primary Integration Voyage. For the first time, the thousands of five-year-olds would leave the safety of the Core's orbital rings to witness the true scale of the world they were being trained to inherit.
The Mothership: The Gilded Weaver
The students were transported via sleek shuttles to a vessel that defied their young imaginations: a UCC Mothership.
Kaelen stood at the viewport of the Gilded Weaver, his silver-gray eyes wide. The ship was a colossal city of metal and light, kilometers long. Surrounding it was a defensive screen of Drakmor-class Destroyers, their jagged, black hulls looking like obsidian sharks patrolling a sea of stars.
Mina stood beside him, her silver thread vibrating with nervous excitement. "Kael, look at the size of that hull. How does something that big even move?"
Kaelen didn't answer immediately. He was sensing the resonance. The Mothership wasn't just a machine; it pulsed with a presence so dense it made his skin tingle. He knew, from the hushed whispers of the older students, that only a Level 400+ Being (Net Phase) could command a vessel of this magnitude. To the public, such beings were legends—mythical pillars of the UCC who existed "somewhere" out there.
The Node and the Membrane
As the fleet moved, the stars didn't blur into lines of light as they did in the old sci-fi vids Kaelen had seen in the archives. Instead, the space around them seemed to fold.
Suddenly, they were there.
Before them sat a Universal Node: a swirling, gargantuan vortex of pure Ribbon energy that acted as an anchor for the sector. Beyond the Node was a shimmering, translucent wall that stretched into infinity—the End of the Universe.
The Laws of the Ribbon
Kaelen turned to an Academy staff member standing nearby—a tall, disciplined man named Officer Hanes, who was responsible for the Ignis section's logistics.
"Officer," Kaelen asked, his voice calm despite the awe in his chest. "How did we get here so fast? We shouldn't be able to reach the edge of the universe in a single afternoon without breaking the laws of physics."
Hanes looked down at the five-year-old, surprised by the precision of the question. He gave a small, respectful nod.
"We aren't breaking physics, son," Hanes explained. "We aren't 'travelling' through space at all. We are using the Ribbon to shift from one Node to another. Think of the universe as a piece of paper. We aren't crawling across the surface; we're folding the paper so the two points touch, then stepping across. It's a totally different science."
Kaelen looked back at the vortex. "The Ribbon isn't a fuel... it's the shortcut."
"Exactly," Hanes replied. "And those Fortresses you see out there? Those Level 500+ structures? They are the Fabric Phase anchors. They are the nails holding the universe to the wall of reality."
The Unseen Heights
Hanes lowered his voice, looking out at the shimmering Membrane. "People talk about Level 400+ Motherships and Level 500+ Fortresses as if they are the gods of the void. They are impressive, yes. But the real machines—the Node Stopper machines that keep the Hostile Universes from pouring in? Those are Level 600+ and beyond. Normal people have never seen the beings who operate those. Most don't even believe they exist."
Kaelen stared at a distant, silent shadow further out than the Fortresses. It was a shape that didn't reflect light, a machine so massive it seemed to be part of the vacuum itself.
He realized then that the "safety" of the Core was a carefully maintained bubble. The Net Phase (Level 400+) beings were the guardians of the public, but there was a whole other tier of existence—the Nexus Phase (Level 600+)—that functioned on a scale humans couldn't even comprehend.
"Are they far away?" Mina asked, looking at the dark shadow Kaelen was focused on.
"For now," Hanes said, ushering them toward the meditation hall for the return journey. "They are very far away from you. Just focus on your Level 20 targets."
Kaelen walked away, but his mind stayed on the edge. He didn't feel small or afraid. Instead, he felt a deep, burning interest. The system wasn't just about school and houses; it was a ladder that reached into the very heart of the multiverse.
Level 400 to command a ship like this, Kaelen thought, his Crimson Thread glowing with a steady, hopeful warmth. Level 600 to hold the universe together. I wonder... what does Level 1000 look like?