The sacred silence of the Library of Ashes shattered with the quiver of gravitational energy. Nine Kaleido Capsules hovered, suspended in stable energy fields, each vibrating with its own distinct glow. These mnemonic artifacts, born of forgotten worlds, embodied the shattered pasts of vanished universes.
The Free Alliance Council had just launched one of its most daring undertakings in history: opening the Portals of Reflections—dimensional gates into erased realities. These quantum mirrors were not mere windows; they were living, capricious, unpredictable.
---
1. Preparing the Voyage into the Unknown
1.1. The Nine Forgotten Worlds
Around a broad luminescent glass table, Lora outlined the specifics of each Capsule:
Ammoniara – An ammonia ocean crowned by crystalline cathedrals, home to singing entities.
Argolux – A circular city built to house thoughts themselves.
Belthar-9 – A world of holographic festivals and myths made tangible.
…and six more fragments of worlds, each harboring its own mystery, its own memory.
Each capsule contained a Fractal Key, a vibrational code that would synchronize a portal to the "frequency of existence" of its target universe.
> Lora: "We are not visiting places… we are entering embodied memories."
1.2. The Arche Chronos: Portal Ship
High above Belthar-9 at the Zephyr orbital station, the Arche Chronos stood ready. This interdimensional cruiser had been refitted to fold space-time, house a Kaleido Core, and withstand the mental strain imposed by the Reflections.
Mira Zéphyr checked the final adjustments:
> "The gravito-phonic stabilizers are locked in. One fractal dissonance, and we splinter into a thousand memories."
Two agile, armored Argo Mobiles were poised for exploration. The mission would be swift. Effective. And perilous.
---
2. Connecting to the First Reflection: Ammoniara
2.1. A Calculated Choice
The Council chose Ammoniara first: a liquid-mirror world of lyrical landscapes sculpted by ammonia. Minimal biosphere. Low gravitational instability. Ideal for the inaugural test.
2.2. Portal Activation
On the main bridge, the Kaleido Core pulsed into resonance with Key 01. A soft blue glow began to beat, accelerating as the gravito-fractal field took shape.
Rings of turquoise light swirled before the ship, expanding into a translucent vortex.
> Sowan: "Synchronization at 99.92%. Entry frequency stabilized."
Mayu, arms folded, whispered:
> "Open the gate."
---
3. Crossing the Mirror
The Arche plunged into the vortex. Reality dissolved.
For seven seconds, the passengers lost all reference: no sound, no gravity, no time. Hearts slowed, then raced. The transition left a metallic tang—like the taste of nothingness.
And then… emergence.
Port windows revealed a violet horizon streaked with green auroras. A viscous, shimmering sea stretched to infinity. Massive crystal formations floated on its surface, emitting a continuous crystalline song.
> Renan: "Toxic atmosphere confirmed. Ammonia and bioluminescent spores."
The Argo Mobiles detached, skimming above the surface as the expedition prepared to descend.
---
4. Exploration: Listening to the World's Song
4.1. The Ammonia Choir
Between suspended translucent pillars drifted the Ammonia Choir—gaseous beings moving in harmonic formation. Their sounds were not random: each vibration a syllable, each wave a phrase.
Lyra, headset translating, murmured:
> "They're reciting psalms… mourning the memory of their own end."
4.2. Ruins of Memory
Further on, in a steam-ringed crater, the team found circular structures whose walls were etched with shifting glyphs.
> Éira-Sel: "This is not writing—it's a stream of thoughts frozen in matter. As if an entire civilization's memories were petrified."
Lora engaged her Fractal Scanner. Some glyphs lit up. Others… wept.
---
5. Crisis: Field Collapse
The Choir's song suddenly surged in intensity. Vibrations rocked the Arche.
> Lia: "Fractal instability detected! 0.11% desynchronization. The portal is warping!"
Mira shouted:
> "Recall the Argos—NOW!"
The world's walls folded inward. The sea reversed, rushing skyward.
Mayu, calm, watched in silence. A single tear slid down her cheek—pain for the world, or an echo from her own past?
---
6. Escape and Transmission
In a blur, the capsules were retrieved. The Arche shot back through the portal, leaving the fractal tumult behind.
Back in Belthar-9's orbit, data—sounds and images—were extracted, copied, archived.
Mayu faced the others, voice firm:
> "Ammoniara was a world of music and memory. It is but one shard. Hundreds more await. We shall reclaim them all."
On the Library's holoscreens, the Infinite Map of Reflections lit up with new, pulsing points.
The adventure had only just begun.