An absolute whiteness prevailed for moments, in which the comrades felt as though their very existence had been erased, before the light gradually receded to reveal a breathtaking scene. They were no longer in the corridor, and they were no longer upon the earth.
The comrades found themselves floating in a vast void resembling deep space—a black sky studded with small luminous spheres drifting in precise geometric orbits. The silence there had a weight to it, as if time itself had ceased to flow.
Picos (In a trembling voice, moving his limbs through the air): "Where are we? Are we on a journey through the heavens? Please tell me this is a dream, because I don't see any restaurants here!"
Nirar (Examining the luminous spheres in awe): "This isn't ordinary space... look at those spheres, they are gathering! They are responding to our presence!"
Suddenly, thousands of luminous spheres began moving at a maddening speed, forming a massive glowing circle that transformed at its center into a living, pulsing vortex. Inside that vortex, a vision of an ancient land appeared: fortified cities with great stone walls, towering palaces topped with woven banners, and brick buildings redolent with the scent of the Middle Ages.
Meron: "We have to enter, don't we? The bird is flapping its wings toward the hole; it's inviting us!"
The comrades surged toward the vortex, and as soon as they pierced its surface, something incredible happened. Gravity inverted completely; the sky became the ground, and the earth became suspended above. They saw mountains hanging from above and rivers flowing across the ceiling of their vision, in a surreal scene where dimensions overlapped.
Darius (Screaming while trying to balance): "Everything is upside down! I feel like my head is at the bottom and my feet are in the clouds!"
Nikos: "Hold onto each other! This is just a transitional phase between the worlds!"
Directly in front of them, the same "Stone Door" they had seen on the hill appeared, but now it stood tall in the middle of a square paved with natural stone. As soon as they passed through it, everything stabilized. The world returned to its normal orientation, but it was a completely different world.
The comrades found themselves before a town with a folk market buzzing with life. Horse-drawn carriages, vendors calling out their simple wares, and the scent of fresh bread and burning wood filled the air. There was no trace of machinery, no electricity, and no technology to disturb the primal serenity.
Nirar (Looking around in shock): "There isn't a single magnetic signal... there is no Aether. We have either gone back in time thousands of years, or we are in a place that development never reached."
Romulius: "Look at their clothes; they are made of linen and leather. We look like total strangers here in these outfits."
Ortinus: "It resembles our original world where there is no advanced technology."
Nikos: "Yes, I felt that, but it seems more developed than Acadia and the whole of Greece in the First World."
Meron: "Does your world really look like this? How do you live without technology?"
Romulius: "In the First World, we rely on nature for everything, but we possess great knowledge and culture."
Picos: "We also have delicious food that we harvest with our own hands."
Darius: "That depends on your effort after all. As for you, Picos, you were lazy; we used to bring the food to you."
Picos: "I used to hunt many wolves! Don't lie, Darius!"
Darius: "Oh yes, you're right. The wolves used to flee in fear of you!"
Nirar: "Your world is characterized by simplicity, and that is truly beautiful."
Meron (Breathing a sigh of relief): "Wherever this place is, I need to wash the dust of battle and flight from my body. Look, there is a water source behind those walls."
The comrades headed toward a nearby town and found a secluded spot by a small river to rest. Meron decided to take off his upper garments to bathe and rejuvenate. No sooner had he removed his shirt than he froze in his tracks, letting out a cry that shook the surroundings.
Meron (In panic): "What is this?! What happened to my chest?!"
The comrades rushed toward him, only to see in the center of his chest, just beneath the skin, a real jewel glowing with an earthy brown color, surrounded by ancient engravings intertwined with his veins.
Ortinus (In awe): "Meron... it's not just you! Look!"
The comrades began checking their chests feverishly, stunned by the truth one after another.
Ortinus (In a low voice): "I... I have a golden jewel... radiating a strange warmth."
Picos (Opening his shirt in despair): "Oh! I have a jewel as red as fire! Am I going to explode now?"
Darius: "And I... my jewel is yellow, like the color of lightning!"
Nirar (Touching his chest in amazement): "An orange jewel... it pulses with a strange timing, like an hourglass."
Nikos (With his usual sternness, looking at his jewel): "Blue... the color of the ocean depths."
Romulius: "And mine is green... I feel as though it breathes with the forest around us."
The seven comrades stood in absolute silence, the colored jewels pulsing in their chests in a terrifying harmony beneath the sky of that ancient world.
Ortinus (Looking at his companions): "We didn't come here by chance... these jewels are the keys. We chose this world, or perhaps it is the one that chose us."