On the one hundredth day since the Second Epoch Cycle began, a black portal stood silently in the middle of an empty metallic clearing deep within Technographia. It floated just above the ground. Strange mechanical sounds echoed from the underground city behind them. Standing in front of it were Veneri, Adelasta and Milliania, each quietly staring at the thing that had remained unsolved for generations.
The underground realm of Technographia was far different from what any of them had expected when they first arrived days ago. Since the surface had become an endless wasteland of ruined machinery and mountains of rusted metal, civilization had moved below ground long ago. Cyborgs, mechanical humans and artificial beings filled the massive underground districts with flickering lights and humming technology that never seemed to sleep. Compared to the dead silence above, the underground felt strangely alive.
For the last few days, they made Technographia their temporary base while preparing for this moment. Meanwhile, the island controlled by Dynasty Richinaria remained safe on the surface. Their Divines had begun adapting to their newly obtained Energy and Barrier Divinities and according to reports, their growth had been progressing faster than expected. It gave Veneri enough confidence to leave for now without constantly worrying about what would happen.
Standing near the portal was Letia The Eighteenth, the Reniatsus of Technographia looked visibly uncomfortable around the thing. Her metallic silver cloak shifted whenever strange pulses came from the portal as if the very air disliked its existence. Despite being one of the strongest figures in her realm, she kept her distance from it. The black portal had existed for longer than most written records and yet nobody truly understood it.
"This portal has been here since before my reign. When I inherited rule, I was told by Vasreveilder to safeguard it no matter what happened. But now all of you are suddenly telling me there is apparently something inside there? Do you understand how ridiculous that sounds? I already tried entering before. The moment I stepped through, something pushed me out like the portal rejected me. So what exactly makes you think you'll be allowed in?"
Veneri looked at the portal for a moment before calmly placing one hand inside his pocket. Compared to everyone else, he looked strangely relaxed, though Milliania already knew that usually meant. He had spent too much time overthinking a dangerous situation. His sapphire eyes reflected the black distortion in front of him. After everything that had happened during the Iterations, another impossible mystery barely fazed him anymore.
"It's fine. We already planned for this. Whatever is on the other side, we'll handle it."
Milliania folded her arms behind her head and leaned backward with her usual relaxed posture. Unlike Veneri and Adela, she looked oddly comfortable standing beside an ancient portal. Maybe it was confidence, recklessness, or maybe she simply trusted her brother too much at this point. Whatever the reason, she clearly had no plans of staying behind.
"I'm here for backup anyway. As a buffer, I'm kind of essential to this whole thing. So don't worry too much. If something goes wrong, I'll just hit it really hard."
Adelasta remained silent beside them. Even after becoming an Aeterium, she still carried that naturally icy aura around her that made it difficult to tell what she was thinking. The shadows cast by the portal reflected faintly against her pale face, though there was no fear visible there. If anything, she simply looked mildly irritated that something dared stand in their way.
Letia sighed deeply after hearing them talk so casually about possible death.
"Just… be careful. I do not know what is inside and frankly, not even I know why that place was abandoned. If something feels wrong, leave immediately."
Veneri nodded once while Adelasta gave only the smallest acknowledgment. Milliania gave Letia an easy thumbs up before immediately dropping her hand again when Adelasta looked mildly unimpressed. The three of them turned toward the portal.
Their objective was simple in theory and terrifying in practice. Somewhere within the abandoned underground city known as Violex City rested the Orchestral Violex. Nobody knew what protected it, what lived there or why an entire city had been abandoned without explanation. Not even Letia, ruler of Technographia herself, possessed answers.
Back in Richinaria, Anamorsia, Leon, and Leones had already taken responsibility for maintaining order while they were gone. Veneri trusted them enough not to constantly worry, though he still planned to return as quickly as possible. If there was one thing he had learned from countless disasters, it was that unexplained locations usually became problems very quickly. Unfortunately for him, unexplained locations also tended to contain things he needed.
Without hesitation, Veneri stepped forward first towards the black portal. Adelasta moved immediately after him while Milliania followed with far too much confidence for someone walking into complete uncertainty. The moment they touched the darkness, strange pressure wrapped around their bodies like cold water swallowing them whole. Then, unlike Letia, they were not pushed away.
Instead, the portal accepted them.
°°°°°
Adelasta groaned quietly as a sharp ache pulsed through her forehead. The last thing she remembered was stepping through the black portal beside Veneri and Milliania before everything suddenly turned dark, heavy and strangely cold. After that, nothing remained except fragments of emptiness and a sensation that felt disturbingly similar to falling forever. Her eyes slowly opened and the first thing she noticed was the sound of waves crashing nearby.
A soft ocean breeze brushed against her face while sunlight pressed warmly against her skin. Sand stuck slightly to her arms and when she shifted, an uncomfortable wetness clung to her clothes immediately. Salt crystals had dried in some places across the fabric, making parts of her outfit feel stiff against her body. Judging from the smell alone, she was near seawater.
"What happened…"
Slowly pushing herself upright, she realized she was lying on a beach with pale silver sand stretching endlessly in both directions. The ocean itself looked strange, carrying faint shimmering colors beneath the surface. Farther away, unusual structures stood near the coastline, built from smooth white stone and decorated with symbols she had never seen before. Nothing about this place resembled Spheraphase.
That was when she noticed someone squatting directly in front of her.
The girl looked young, perhaps twelve or thirteen years old at most, though Adelasta had already learned long ago that appearances meant very little in strange realms. She wore flowing white clothing decorated with silver ornaments that looked unlike anything from any civilization Adelasta had encountered. Thin metallic rings rested around parts of her arms while delicate strings carrying crystal-like pieces hung loosely from her outfit. Even her hairstyle was unusual.
The girl blinked at her curiously.
"Esne bene? Potesne stare?"
Adelasta stared at her blankly.
The language sounded vaguely familiar in rhythm but completely incomprehensible to her. She understood absolutely none of what had just been said. Judging from the girl's expression, she seemed concerned rather than hostile. Adelasta simply narrowed her eyes, clearly confused.
The girl tilted her head.
"Are you okay? Can you stand up?"
Adelasta blinked once. Still nothing. The girl had spoken in English.
She had heard Veneri mention the language before due to his memories from Earth, but understanding spoken words and actually speaking them were two completely different things. To her, it sounded like meaningless sounds strung together too quickly. The girl frowned before snapping her fingers softly like she had finally realized something.
"Oh. Are you fine?" the girl asked in fluent Spheran. "Can you stand up?"
Adelasta paused for a second.
"Yes. I think so."
She pushed herself upward carefully, though the dizziness immediately forced her to steady herself for a moment. The girl instinctively reached out like she planned to help before quickly stopping herself once Adelasta stabilized. A few droplets of seawater slipped from Adelasta's clothes onto the pale sand beneath her. Adelasta looked around again with narrowed eyes.
"Where am I?"
The girl looked mildly surprised she asked so quickly.
"This is the Island of Music, Concerto."
She pointed vaguely toward the distant structures farther inland.
"It's one of the three music islands of this realm. Though most outsiders usually don't appear here."
That confirmed one thing. The portal had absolutely not sent them somewhere normal.
The girl suddenly tilted her head again, studying Adelasta more carefully now. Her eyes lingered for too long before something resembling surprise crossed her face.
"Huh. A Dissonant."
Her expression turned oddly interested afterward.
"Rare. Very rare."
"A what?"