Everywhere on the moon, while everyone was going about their daily business, something strange happened.
The pulse was not strong. Not audible to everyone. Ordinary residents did not feel it. Workers in the corridors. Vendors in the markets. Mothers in their homes. They felt nothing. They continued their lives as if nothing had happened.
But the chosen warriors... they felt it.
A single heartbeat. Strong. Clear. As if emerging from the depths of the moon itself. Their hearts began to beat in the same rhythm. One heart. One rhythm. One pulse.
In the darkness, where no eyes could see, one of them smiled.
"Welcome," he said.
"This is good," said another.
They did not appear. Did not move. But they felt it.
In the palace of the third family, Marik was in the training hall. He was wiping his sword. Stopped. Raised his head. Felt the pulse. His sharp eyes gleamed.
"What have we gotten?" he muttered to himself.
Then he smiled. His usual cold smile was different today. It carried something else. Curiosity.
"I am eager to know what the future will bring."
In the advanced education center, Lin was sitting in his chair. He was listening to the teacher's explanation. But suddenly... he felt something.
A pulse.
Not an ordinary pulse. It was strong. Deep. As if someone was knocking on his chest from the inside. Blood began to flow through his entire body with force. He felt heat. Felt life. He did not know what was happening. He stood up.
The teacher looked at him. The other students turned to him in surprise. They stood up. Watched.
"What is happening?" Lin asked. His voice trembled slightly.
The teacher looked at him with sharp eyes. He knew. He said nothing at first. Just looked.
Then he said: "He has been born."
Lin's eyes widened. "Born? What do you mean?"
"A person like us has been born."
"Like us?"
"Yes," said the teacher. "A chosen one."
The students listened. Understood nothing. Some looked at each other. Whispered. But Lin... Lin did not understand either. He felt the pulse. Felt the change. But he did not understand what the teacher meant.
Lin sat back in his chair. Thinking. Trying to understand. "A chosen one... what does that mean?"
But the question remained in his head. Without answer.
Inside the capsule room, Enel was deep in the experiment. The pressure was intense. The pain was in every part of his body. He was being reshaped. Transformed. Rebuilding himself from within.
And suddenly... he heard a pulse.
Not his pulse. Someone else's pulse. A strong, clear pulse. As if coming from somewhere very close. From the wall of the capsule. From the air itself. From inside him too.
He opened his eyes with difficulty. The bright white light filled every place. He could see nothing but light.
"What is this?" he whispered.
The pain pressed on him from all directions. But he managed to think.
"I entered here alone. No one is with me. How can I hear this thing?"
The pulse grew stronger. Clearer. Invading his heart. His heartbeats began to synchronize with it. One heart. One rhythm.
"This is the sound of someone else's heartbeat," he said to himself. "Who is this person? Where is he?"
He did not understand. Surrounded by light. Surrounded by pain. Surrounded by a pulse that was not his.
"How can I hear him? How did he reach me?"
And no one answered.
On the way home, Rin walked slowly. She was thinking. Thinking about her meeting with Enel. About his words. About his voice. About his faint smile when he returned to her.
"Next time..." she said to herself. "I will invite him to our house. I will talk with him a lot. About Earth. About the sea. About everything."
She laughed with joy as she imagined it.
Then she stopped suddenly.
A question crossed her mind.
"Will Father even agree?"
She fell silent. Looked at the ground. Confused. She knew her father well. Knew he did not like strangers. Especially strangers from Earth.
"Perhaps..." she whispered. "Perhaps he will agree. Perhaps not. I don't know."
She continued on her way. Still thinking. Still dreaming.
Above her, the transparent dome glittered. The stars were distant. Close. Beautiful.
And the pulse was still inside her. She did not feel it. She was not among the chosen. But she felt something else. A feeling that something had changed. On the moon. In the people. In everything. But she did not know what it was.
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