In the crystal forest, everything was silent. The distant iridescent sounds stopped, as if the entire world was holding its breath. All eyes were fixed on the aliens standing at the base of the Great Tree.
In the center of the clearing, a gigantic tree stood, its trunk composed of millions of crystalline threads that pulsed with a soft silver glow. At the height of a human, a transparent capsule like a frozen tear could be seen in its heart. Inside, the figure from the vision - the Archon - hovered in a state of eternal sleep.
Close up, the Archon was both beautiful and eerie. His body, carved from obsidian, appeared completely motionless. But the golden veins that ran through his body flowed like molten gold, creating a mesmerizing pattern. His features were refined, alien-like, with no nose or mouth. Only two indents where eyes should be emitted a dim golden light.
"Is he dead?" Ling Mei asked softly, kneeling involuntarily before the sight of the crystal.
Xiao Fei replied quietly, coming closer to the crystal. "No, he's asleep. Very deep, deeper than a dream." Her eyes reflected the shimmering golden veins, and her voice was soft. "His song is barely audible, locked inside."
Jin overcame the shock and approached with a compass. The needle spun wildly and then froze, pointing directly at the Archon's chest. "Energy readings are off the charts, but stable. It's not a source, it's storage. Conservation." He turned to Leng Wei. "Perhaps it was his last defense mechanism. To go into stasis to avoid being absorbed."
Leng Wei approached the capsule slowly. He felt the pulsation from it, resonating in his blood. The bracelet on his wrist glowed steadily, and the conductor fragment in his hand flashed brightly, making it difficult to look at.
"He recognizes you," Xiao Fei whispered. She woke him up. But he needed a bridge. He needed a voice that would call him from within.
"How can we do this?" Khan asked, looking around grimly. His fighting instincts were on edge; this place was too peaceful, too quiet, to be safe. "Should I hit the crystal harder?"
"No!" Xiao Fei turned sharply. "If we damage the crystal, its song will be lost forever. We must join her."
Suddenly, a familiar chilling hum pierced the forest silence. The one who had chased them through the tunnels was back. The air trembled and the edges of the clearing began to darken as if a dark, starless veil was creeping over it.
"They've found us!" Lin Mei shouted, drawing her swords.
The true Owners couldn't enter the forest itself, but they surrounded it like poison, trying to reach them from the outside. The crystal trees at the clearing's edge started to dim and crack, their light fading as it was absorbed by the encroaching darkness.
"We don't have much time!" Jin said, his voice tinged with alarm for the first time. "Their influence is destroying this reality!"
Leng Wei looked at the imprisoned Archon, at the encroaching Void, and then at his friends. He clutched the wooden bird in his pocket. He knew he couldn't fight the Void head-on there. Their only chance was to wake someone who knew how to deal with it.
"Xiao Fei, what should we do?" he turned to the girl.
She closed her eyes, pressing her palms against the crystal of the capsule. "He's afraid. He remembers the pain, how his city burned, and doesn't want to wake up," she said, tears in her eyes. "He needs a reason, need hope."
Leng Wei understood. He pushed aside his own fear and rage, remembering his mother's words: "Show them what life can be."
He stepped forward, pressing his palm against the crystal beside Xiao Fei's. He didn't force his way in, he started sharing...
He sent images of creation, not destruction, into the crystal. A flash of life on the Academy Square, as thousands of creatures merged into one will. The image of Khan sacrificing himself to absorb the blow. The image of Lin Mei risking everything for him. The image of Jin, whose cold mind held warm hope. And the image of his mother, whose love was stronger than any curse.
He showed them the noise of their lives. Their chaos. Their hope.
"Wake up," Leng Wei whispered, and his voice was not commanding, but pleading. "We are also afraid. But we are fighting. Help us. Teach us."
At first, nothing happened. Then, the golden veins in the Archon's obsidian body flashed with dazzling power. Light flooded the capsule, filling the clearing, causing everyone to recoil.
The dark hollows where the Archon's eyes should have been, flashed with bright golden stars.
His right hand twitched.
And then, a soft, clear voice, which sounded not in their ears but in their minds, spoke a single word filled with wonder and ancient, unexpressible pain:
"Life?"