The path forced open by Teron led them to a completely unexpected space. This place was not chaotic like the Stardust Wisp swarm, nor was it silent like the void. It was an intersection where fragile layers of reality had been torn, and from it, a torrential flow of emotions gushed forth.
Before them, floating in the emptiness, was a "Milky Way" entirely different from any other. It was not composed of stars and gas, but of countless shimmering droplets of energy, each bearing a distinct emotional hue.
Streams of deep blue light (Sorrow), silvery grey (Loneliness), dark red (Anger), and even sparse, bright yellow specks (Joy) interlaced, forming a gloomy and turbulent galactic ribbon.
"What is... this?" Ember whispered, her eyes wide. She could feel vibrations from that river, like a cold wind blowing through her soul. "It's not like any Essence we've ever seen."
Teron, exhausted, tried to scan it. His face screen displayed erratically dancing text:
DATA_SOURCE_IDENTIFIED: PLANETARY_ORIGIN... [ERROR: COORDINATES_CORRUPT]... DESIGNATION: [EARTH].
ESSENCE_TYPE: COLLECTIVE_PSYCHIC_EMANATION. COMPOSITION: [SORROW: 43%], [LONELINESS: 38%], [ANGER: 12%], [JOY: 4%]... [OTHER: 3%].
WARNING: PSYCHIC_BACKLASH DETECTED. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
But Celeste seemed not to hear those warnings. She was completely mesmerized. Her galaxy-like eyes widened, reflecting the emotional river, as if finding a deep resonance. She stepped forward, her hand reaching out.
"Tears..." Celeste whispered, her voice full of astonishment and compassion. "From a green world... so many, so many people are crying. And... so very lonely."
She wasn't attracted to the yellow specks of Joy. Instead, the deep blue currents of Sorrow and the delicate silvery grey threads of Loneliness pulled at her. They coiled around her fingers, icy cold yet offering a strangely... familiar feeling. For an entity born from disaster and wandering in solitude like Celeste, these painful emotions were like a native tongue.
As the ship moved into orbit, a strange phenomenon occurred. From the planet's surface, streams of Atmospheric Essence began to escape. They weren't chaotic storms, but rather thin mists, long sighs of light, reaching out into space like arms grasping hopelessly. Each stream of Essence carried the flavor of extreme purity, but hidden deep within was a distinct emotional hue.
The river of emotions from Earth gradually faded behind them, but the silence inside the ship's cabin was now even heavier. Celeste remained still, the vibrations of human loneliness seeming to cling to her. Suddenly, an alert from Teron shattered the stillness.
And once again, Celeste was drawn. But this time, not by the clamor of human pain, but by something more subtle, profound, and poignant. A particular stream of Essence, pale blue, almost transparent, drifted alone, separate from the others. It wasn't large, not loud, but its solitude emitted an irresistible pull.
"There..." Celeste whispered, staring intently at that lonely Essence. "That's the breath... of an entire world. A breath that is very... lonely."
She stepped close to the window, pressing her hand against the glass. That pale blue Essence, as if sensing the connection, slowly changed direction and moved towards her. It wasn't hurried or agitated. It drifted gently, like a cautious greeting from another lonely soul.
Beep! Beep!
His face screen displayed a new analysis spectrum, sharper and more urgent.
PRIORITY_ALERT: MASSIVE_ATMOSPHERIC_ESSENCE_SIGNATURE DETECTED. BEARING: 3-2-0-CELESTIAL.
COMPOSITION: 78% NITROGEN, 21% OXYGEN, 1% TRACE_GASES... ANOMALOUS_READING: ESSENCE_OF_PURE_BREATH DETECTED.
SUBSIGNATURE: [LONELINESS] [ISOLATION] [LONGING]. POTENTIAL FOR LIFE-SUPPORT SYNTHESIS: 99.8%.
"An atmosphere? Breathable?" Ember exclaimed, hope flaring in her hoarse voice. "Teron, take us there! RIGHT NOW!"
Their journey finally had a path. After months of groping through the dark corners of the Galaxy, Teron had finally locked onto a promising signal: a star system with a sparkling blue-white rocky planet, covered in signs of a complex biosphere and vibrating with abundant, primal life energy. On Teron's display, it was marked with the simple, yet overwhelming words: [TERRA_SOL_3] // [STATUS: TEEMING_WITH_LIFE].
"Earth," Ember read the name aloud, her voice full of astonishment and craving. She stared at the image of the lush blue-green planet, which promised an atmosphere that could heal the constricting lungs of the Gulp. "We found it."