Two days had passed since their decision to investigate the Northern Icefield.
Two days of traveling through the harshest environment Draven had experienced, frozen wasteland stretching endlessly with ice and snow covering everything, wind howling across desolate plains. Temperature far below freezing, air biting exposed skin, visibility sometimes reduced to meters during snow squalls.
Empty, profoundly empty.
They'd encountered no humans because extreme climate drove away all but the most desperate or hardy. Few beasts survived here either, occasionally arctic predators glimpsed in distance before quickly disappearing. Mostly just wind, snow, ice, silence.
Harsh but beautiful in stark way with northern lights dancing across night sky, aurora curtains rippling green and blue overhead, pristine white expanses untouched by civilization.
Family traveled together, supporting each other against cold and isolation.
Genesis Codex guided them steadily northward, green-gold light pulsing, leading toward coordinates where Northern Icefield stable zone should exist.
According to ancient records, ruins were there with ice-preserved knowledge, different civilization, hopefully different information.
Excavation challenge remained unsolved, they'd figure it out upon arrival.
Draven glanced at his family as Velnar's ancient bulk moved steadily despite cold, Sylvara's nature magic kept her comfortable, Feyra's small form nestled close for warmth with green roses still blooming impossibly, Zor flew overhead with purple lightning crackling as he scouted ahead, Malvorn's crystalline human form unbothered by temperature.
Naelvorn grinned despite freezing conditions. "Almost there, bros! Ice adventure continues!"
Determination maintained, purpose clear.
Then Zor's sharp call from above, alert and surprised.
***
Everyone stopped, following Zor's indication.
Ahead, perhaps two hundred meters distant, something stood against white landscape.
Not ruins, not ice formations, not weather phenomenon.
Something else entirely.
Draven's eyes narrowed, trying to make sense of what he saw.
A vertical formation hovering above ice-covered ground, swirling, churning, moving constantly. Clouds? Energy? Something between?
Not stable zone's crystalline preservation, not corruption zone's violent warping.
Completely unknown.
"What is that?" Sylvara breathed.
Nobody answered because nobody knew.
They moved forward carefully with Draven leading, pack surrounding him, Naelvorn's seven-foot human form alert, Genesis Codex floating close.
As they approached, details became clearer.
The formation was roughly circular, perhaps five meters in diameter, hovering vertically like doorway standing in middle of nowhere. Swirling clouds comprised it with grey-white vapors churning constantly, rotating slowly clockwise, patterns flowing within patterns.
Not solid, not liquid, not quite gas either, something else entirely. Translucent enough to see through partially, opaque enough to obscure what lay beyond.
Silent with no sound emanating, no wind, no crackling energy, no hum, just visual movement without auditory accompaniment.
Strange, beautiful, unnerving.
It didn't affect surroundings as ice beneath remained untouched, air around normal, no corruption spreading, no reality warping.
Just existing.
Draven stopped ten meters away, studying carefully.
Through telepathic bond, Adhivar's warmth entered consciousness.
*"Curious. We don't recognize this phenomenon. Not stable zone manifestation. Not corruption zone signature. Something different."*
Even cosmic entities were uncertain.
Velnar clicked thoughtfully. "Four hundred years. Never encountered anything like this."
Sylvara's nature magic probed gently, sensing nothing dangerous. "No corruption present. No active threat detected."
Feyra's life element found no death emanating. "Doesn't feel bad. Just weird."
Zor circled overhead. "Recommend caution regardless."
Malvorn's earth communion extended as geological sense detected nothing unusual beneath ice.
Unknown territory, complete mystery.
Naelvorn stepped forward confidently. "Let me check it out, bros!"
Approaching the swirling clouds without hesitation, fearless Overlord curiosity driving him.
He stopped just before it, teal eyes examining churning patterns. "Looks like portal? Gateway? But to where?"
Reaching out slowly with hand extended toward swirling vapors, and everyone watched, tense, ready to intervene if something went wrong.
But nothing happened.
Naelvorn's hand touched clouds and passed straight through.
Like touching air, like touching nothing.
His expression confused. "Uh, bros? There's nothing there."
***
Naelvorn withdrew hand, frowning at intangible clouds.
Then the formation pulsed.
Subtle shift with colors brightening slightly, movement accelerating, patterns swirling faster for moment.
Everyone tensed.
Something happening, something changing.
The clouds churned, rotating, patterns flowing inward toward center like water circling drain, and then small object appeared within the swirling vapors.
Materializing from nothing, emerging from within phenomenon.
The small object drifted outward slowly, carried by invisible current within swirling clouds.
Not ejected violently, not thrown, just floating gently through translucent vapors, moving from center toward edge.
It emerged from the phenomenon completely, crossing boundary between swirling clouds and normal air.
Then gravity took over.
The object fell, dropping straight down, tumbling slowly through cold air.
Landing softly on ice-covered ground with barely audible tink sound, metal on ice, small and light and delicate.
The clouds settled as pulse faded, movement returning to previous steady rotation.
Phenomenon unchanged, object expelled, process complete.
Everyone stared at small metal thing lying on white ice.
"What was that?" Draven asked quietly.
Draven approached cautiously, kneeling beside the small object.
Metal wire bent into peculiar shape, roughly oval, maybe three centimeters long, thin wire looped back on itself creating two interconnected curves. Silvery metal, smooth, uniform thickness, precisely manufactured.
Strange design with unfamiliar purpose.
He picked it up carefully, finding it light and cold from ice, solid and real and physical.
Passing it to Velnar, who examined with ancient curiosity. "Never seen this design. Manufacturing technique unknown to me."
Sylvara took it next. "Artificial creation clearly. But what's it for?"
Feyra sniffed it. "Just metal. No magic. No life. Just thing."
Zor observed clinically. "Small. Precise. Purpose unclear."
Naelvorn took it, holding tiny object in large hand. "Weird artifact, bros! Super small. What's it do? Hold something? Connect something?"
Turning it over, examining from angles. "Never seen anything like this in ocean. You surface-dwellers use these?"
Draven shook his head. "No. I've never seen this either."
Complete mystery.
Through telepathic bond, Draven reached toward Adhivar.
*"Do you recognize this?"*
Pause, longer than usual as cosmic entities processed.
*"...Uncertain. Examining. Give us moment."*
Even Genesis Codex and Adhivar, beings of immense knowledge, were uncertain.
That was concerning.
***
Draven returned attention to swirling clouds, small metal object pocketed.
If phenomenon could expel objects, could they enter?
He approached directly, reaching out carefully with hand extended toward churning vapors.
Passing straight through.
No resistance, no sensation, no temperature change, no magical feedback.
Like touching empty air, like phenomenon wasn't physically present.
But he could see it clearly with swirling clouds visible, patterns moving, definitely there visually.
But tangibly? Nothing.
He tried stepping forward, walking into clouds, body passing through completely and emerging on other side as phenomenon remained untouched and unaffected.
Standing inside it made no difference, still just air.
Sylvara's nature magic extended, trying to sense phenomenon magically.
Nothing detected, like it wasn't there at all.
Feyra's life element probing found no response, couldn't affect it.
Zor dove through clouds, flying straight through without impediment. "Intangible. Cannot interact."
Velnar's ancient power focused. "Immune to influence. Completely separate from our reality."
Each attempt yielded same result as phenomenon remained untouchable, unaffectable, like perfect illusion or dimensional separation.
One-way interaction where it expelled objects but nothing from their side could enter or affect it.
Malvorn stepped forward, crystalline features concentrating.
Earth manipulation extended, trying to affect phenomenon through elemental control.
No effect as earth element couldn't touch it.
Naelvorn tried water manipulation, Overlord power focusing.
Nothing as water element was equally useless.
"Bros, this thing's like not even here. Can't touch it, can't affect it, can't do anything to it."
Two Overlords with immense power were completely ineffective.
Whatever this phenomenon was, it existed beyond their ability to interact.
Genesis Codex floated toward swirling clouds, green-gold light intensifying.
Cosmic artifact with ancient power attempting analysis.
Light extended, touching phenomenon and passing through harmlessly.
Codex's power couldn't interact either.
Adhivar's voice came telepathically, frustrated.
*"We cannot affect it. Cannot analyze properly. It exists separately. Like window we can see through but cannot touch. One-way barrier."*
Even cosmic entities were stymied.
That was deeply concerning.
What kind of phenomenon resisted everything? Blocked all interaction?
***
They stood before swirling clouds, collectively stumped.
Unknown phenomenon that expelled strange metal object, completely untouchable from their side.
What was it? Where did it lead? Why here?
Draven held the small metal wire thing, turning it over in fingers. "Whatever this is, it came from somewhere else. Through that whatever that is."
Stating obvious, but no better explanation existed.
Then Genesis Codex's light flared suddenly.
Brilliant green-gold explosion of radiance, brighter than ever before, illuminating frozen landscape like miniature sun.
Everyone turned, startled.
The artifact pulsed violently, energy surging, both entities within reacting simultaneously.
Not alarm, not danger.
Recognition.
Adhivar and Codex processing information, analyzing, connecting pieces, understanding crystallizing.
Through telepathic bond, Draven felt their sudden certainty, their shocked comprehension, their need to communicate immediately.
But not just to him.
To everyone.
And for first time since joining Draven, Genesis Codex spoke aloud.
Not telepathically, not privately to bearer.
Audibly, physically, everyone could hear.
Two voices emerged simultaneously, Adhivar's warm resonance and Codex's analytical tone speaking together in perfect unison, words echoing across frozen wasteland:
"DRAVEN. THIS IS FROM EARTH."
Statement hanging in cold air.
Certain, absolute, undeniable.
From Earth.
Draven stared at Genesis Codex.
Pack frozen, processing words.
Naelvorn's teal eyes wide, shocked as glowing ball talks.
From Earth.
The other world, the cursed world, the failed merger world.
This phenomenon, this metal object, from Earth.
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