CHAPTER 34: CONCEPTS OF THE UNIVERSE

It was a special experience, sitting there and watching as his peer typed like a mad pianist. All he could do was scoot his chair closer, watching the monitor alongside his newfound friend.

"Approximations of Fulminare Forces," Haoyu read the name of a file left in the device.

[DATA ENTRY: "Valerius" // Third Commander of The Fulminare Legion. A cataclysmic force – singlehandedly conquering worlds. He is a merciless existence, having taken the lives of millions.]

[DATA ENTRY: "Ignatius" // Second Commander of The Fulminare Legion. He is only sent out when a planet is deemed unworthy or unwilling to join the Fulminare Coalition. Upon arrival, he incinerates the target world.]

[DATA ENTRY: "Lumen" // First Commander of The Fulminare Legion. The most beloved being in the universe. There have been only two scenarios on record of Lumen being summoned to a world, to [REDACTED] and [REDACTED]--]

"These are the upper echelon of the Fulminare..." Haoyu quietly analyzed.

"They sound completely different from the ones that have come down here," Seven remarked. "Wiping out planets–think that’s hyperbole?"

"I hope so, but I don’t imagine these records are an attempt at flowery language," Haoyu answered. "Look—right here."

A document was opened on the screen: "Cosmic Mission."

["Beginning four hundred years ago, the Fulminare, a once isolated species, began their conquest. From world to world, they traveled, conquering planets and forcing their inhabitants into their ranks.

Some theorized that the home planet of the Fulminare, Vandrica, simply ran dry of resources, and that is why their intergalactic conquest began. Others believe it is the nature of the Fulminare and their lust for battle that drives them. However, neither are the truth.

It’s one simple fact: the Fulminare are not the apex of the universe. They encountered [REDACTED] and in turn, ninety-eight percent of the Fulminare population was wiped out.

Their conquest is not one of avarice, but of survival–they seek to build their ranks in order to challenge [REDACTED], culling the weak and amassing the strong."]

Reading each word of the document smuggled across the universe itself, both members of the academy were left speechless.

"It’s hard to believe," Seven quietly said. "An existence out there, beyond the Fulminare. Just when things are starting to look up for mankind."

"Whatever it may be, it doesn’t change our focus. The Fulminare are at our doorstep, so they’re our enemy," Haoyu claimed.

"You’re right. So, this whole time, they’ve been trying to test our world?" Seven questioned, staring at the monitor.

"I’m going to take this to HQ," Haoyu suddenly announced.

"Yeah?" Seven watched.

As he observed the man in glasses type away, Haoyu swiftly withdrew a drive that was ported into the computer.

"Here," Haoyu said, holding the thumb drive out.

"What’s this for?" Seven asked.

As the object was placed on his palm, he blinked, watching his friend.

"A copy," Haoyu told him. "I want you to show the others in our dorm. Catch them up."

"Can’t you?—"

"I’ve got other things to handle. Can you do it?" Haoyu asked adamantly, staring right at him.

"Yeah, I can."

Like a man on a mission, he didn’t stop for a second on his journey to the elevator. The entire time he rode the descending mechanism, it felt like he was carrying nuclear launch codes. Time stood still, feeling that the world as he knew it was due for a shift.

’This information...I wonder, will most of it go public? If the upper brass is how Haoyu was describing, they may not be the type to release this. Even more the reason to show it to the others in our dorm,’ he considered.

As he reached the bottom, the elevator doors parted as he was immediately greeted in the corridor.

"Welcome back!"

–There was no chance to say anything before he was suddenly pulled out, guided along in cheers by both Alexander and May.

"What’s the big idea?--" He hurriedly said, though his question was muffled by the noise.

Before he could even attempt to resist, he was practically dragged through the hall by his all-too-merry peers, being brought into the recreational center of the elite dorms. As he found himself reaching the center where the steps dipped into the circling sofa, he was met with a blast of confetti.

"Welcome back, Seven!"

"Good to have you back!"

"We missed you, man!"

All at once, he found himself on the receiving end of something he was not used to–an air of emotion intertwined with trust and care; friendship. He looked around, seeing the smiles of his peers as Alexander slung his arm around his shoulder.

On the couch, already helping herself to a slice of pizza from the boxes left on the table, Lily cheered with a mouthful of the doughy goodness, "You can really take a beating, Sefen!"

There was a complete absence of the concept of manners when it came to the petite girl, as she spoke while chewing. Seven was practically forced to sit at the rounded sofa as Alexander’s hand pushed down on his shoulder with the tender touch of a gorilla.

"C’mon! Eat a slice—it’s your celebration!" Alexander welcomed, taking a cheesy piece for himself.

"I’m, well..." He tried to interject, though found a plate already being served to him by the brunette by his side.

May sat practically shoulder-to-shoulder with him, "Eat up! This is our celebration, for our successful mission!"

On the right side of the sofa with a cup of what looked like a carbonated, orange drink, Shin sat with his usual, quiet self, "If you don’t get a slice soon, Alexander will eat it all up himself."

"No, I won’t! Well, I won’t let any go to waste!" The burly man retorted.

While he kept the hard drive in his pocket, he hesitated to reveal it, given the light mood in the dorms. Nonetheless, as the atmosphere was rich with joy, he didn’t waste a moment—

"There’s something I have to show all of you," Seven announced.

All of the noise settled from the others as he slid out the object from his pocket. Silence followed as he found the port into the electronic table, inserting the device.

"I was given this when I warped away...It’s a lot to explain, but the place I went—it was a base as large as the Sun," Seven recalled while he had their attention.

["As unbelievable as it all was, I showed them everything Haoyu and I found—the discoveries of the universe."]

The mood of the celebratory moment certainly seemed to be culled as after they went through all of the major revelations, silence followed. From living worlds, parasitic entities that could lay waste to solar systems, and even to weapons capable of turning planets to dust–it was all shown.

"Humanity is really behind, aren’t we?" Shin quietly remarked with his arms folded over his chest, sitting there in thought.

"You really obtained this when you left?" May asked, looking over at Seven.

"It was given to me, but yeah. There’s people out there fighting the same battle as us—on the same side as us," he reiterated.

Alexander fiddled with his lip while staring at the digital screen of the table, "It’s a lot to take in...Hrm."

"This’ll change everything. Our weaponry...I’m already seeing applications," May said, deep in thought.

He could almost see the lightbulbs appearing over the heads of May and Lily, like artists discovering a new color.

"Weapons harnessing energy—it can be done," May said.

"All these chemicals...Heh," Lily mumbled to herself.

"Don’t giggle like that, please. Giving me the creeps here," Shin remarked, looking towards the petite girl.

After relaying the world-shifting information, he let out a sigh, placing a slice of pizza on a plate. The others looked at him as if surprised while he took a bite, savoring the cheesy goodness that melted on his tongue.

"Can’t believe you dropped that on us then decided to dig in..." Shin said in quiet disbelief.

"Hah...Well, this is good news! Right?! Cause for celebration, then!" Alexander announced as his long, blonde hair swayed, reaching for another slice.

"Like you needed an excuse," May laughed.

The jovial air returned as the chatter and pizza-consuming continued, though even as he laughed and celebrated, he knew deep in his mind, the days would only get harder.

As the night went on while the generation that held humanity together laughed, in the shadows, the cosmic knowledge spread like wildfire.

Below ground where none but the most trusted are permitted, a projection displayed the findings to the veiled elders.

["...The Sub-Matter Phenomenon..."

]

["...Living Planets..."]

["...Void Beasts..."]

["...Primordials..."]

With the discoveries relayed, one elder traveled down a stairwell deeper into the secret base. The man of wizened age descended each step carefully, dressed in a spotless, sable suit with matching gloves.

An expression devoid of emotion laid on his wrinkled face, holding nothing in his obsidian irises.

["Before the Earth, before the Sun, before the first creature thought its first thought, "they" existed."]

It was not a dozen steps nor two, but quite some time of descent before the old figure reached the bottom.

A pitch-black abyss, forbidding sunlight in the trenches of the world—

"Awaken."

From the pit of shadows, a figure emerged, humanoid only vaguely, yet towering over the elder.

["...Presence of Curiosity..."]

From the abstract being, fixated in the darkness, a voice neither male nor female vibrated through the chamber, "Representative of Humanity, Leonard Heismund—what is it you seek in this meeting?"

The elder man looked up at the presence, "In the darkest hour, a star will fall that will fling humanity forward...That was your last prediction."

"It has come to pass."

"A drive was brought back from the other side of the universe, containing countless files," Leonard relayed. "It will bring mankind centuries ahead."

The presence fluctuated like a shifting light, a constantly shifting mass of darkness that seemed to watch the old man with a fixated gaze.

"A reservoir of knowledge, ferried from one end to the next. What is it you hope to gain, granted audience at this hour?"

Leonard took a moment to answer as if summoning the courage to speak, "—We have voted for humanity, to claim the First Impact. The time is now to strike back at our enemies."

The shadow twitched, stretching over the walls of the vast chamber beneath the world’s skin.

"It will be done, with the proper tribute."

"Of course," Leonard bowed his head. "A dozen will be brought down by tomorrow night."