Chapter 11 — Council of Dual Realms
The Celestial Assembly Hall buzzed with restrained power. Cultivators and sages filled the vast chamber, their flowing robes creating ripples of color against the crystalline floor. Light drifted through the translucent ceiling, refracted by layers of floating Qi formations that hung like luminous runes in the air.
Alex stood near the center platform, still clad in his scorched exosynch armor, patched up with temporary field stabilizers provided by Saintess Liuying's sect. Around him, the air vibrated faintly — not just from Qi, but from tension.
He was surrounded by beings capable of annihilating cities with a gesture. Yet here he stood — a human scientist, a man of machines and equations — at the heart of their divine council.
"Dr. Alex Grams of Earth," the High Sage intoned, his deep voice resonating through the hall. "You have come uninvited, but not unwelcome. You stand before the Council of Dual Realms — the first meeting between our worlds in ten thousand years."
The title alone sent murmurs through the assembly. It was a declaration of intent — and of war avoided, if only temporarily.
The High Sage's gaze was sharp but calm. "Tell us, man of science, what drives your kind to defy the heavens themselves? Why do you tamper with powers beyond your understanding?"
Alex straightened. "Because we have no choice. Our world faces extinction — not by gods, not by spirits, but by time. Resources are dwindling, our atmosphere failing. We've reached the edge of what technology alone can achieve." He paused, letting his voice steady. "The Rift wasn't meant to invade your world. It was meant to connect us — to find a way to survive."
A cultivator from the eastern dais, his robes blazing with crimson Qi, snorted. "Lies. Your machines tear at the fabric of reality. You mock balance itself."
Alex turned to him. "If balance means stagnation, then maybe it's time it was challenged."
The words drew a ripple of gasps. Even Liuying glanced at him, eyes flickering with both admiration and caution.
Elder Feng leaned forward, his presence crackling with suppressed fury. "You speak boldly for a creature of rust and smoke. You do not understand the heavens, yet you dare speak of challenge?"
Alex met his gaze. "Where I come from, challenge is the only way we've ever survived."
The High Sage raised a hand. "Enough." His voice silenced the room instantly. "The truth lies not in words, but in harmony. Perhaps… there is something to be learned from each side."
He looked at Liuying. "Saintess, bring forth the artifact."
She stepped forward, producing a crystalline sphere that shimmered with a pulsing golden core. "This," she explained, "is the Heart of Resonance. Forged when our ancestors first attempted to understand the link between spirit and matter. It reacts to harmony — to the balance between Qi and consciousness, between thought and life."
The High Sage turned to Alex. "If what you say is true, that your technology seeks to understand the same truths our cultivation explores, then show us. Merge your science with this artifact."
Alex hesitated. The sphere pulsed faintly, almost as if aware. "If this goes wrong…"
"Then we will know your path is false," the Sage said simply.
Liuying gave him a small nod. "You won't be alone."
Alex took a slow breath and reached into his armor, connecting his wrist console to a small external interface. The device projected faint holographic symbols in midair, lines of data interlacing like a web.
"Resonance is just energy," he murmured, more to himself. "It's frequency alignment. Qi is energy. If it obeys any kind of waveform, then—"
He synchronized the console's modulation field with the sphere's pulse. At once, the chamber dimmed. The sphere flickered violently, its golden light twisting into chaotic colors. The cultivators rose to their feet, their auras flaring.
Liuying extended her hand, channeling her own Qi into the field. "Steady it, Alex! Qi is alive — it responds to intent, not command!"
"I'm trying!" Sweat poured down his face. "The harmonics keep shifting — it's like it's listening!"
The sphere's light intensified until it filled the entire hall, and suddenly — stillness.
Then, slowly, an image formed within the light.
Not of Earth. Not of Blue Star.
But of another world — a planet wreathed in shadow, covered in black clouds that pulsed like veins. A single, blood-red moon hung over it.
The High Sage's composure broke for the first time. "That… cannot be."
Elder Feng's expression turned grim. "It's them. The Voidborn."
Alex blinked. "Who?"
Liuying's voice was barely a whisper. "The third realm. The forgotten world beyond both our histories. They were the ones who severed the heavens before time began."
The sphere began to crack, light bleeding through its fractures. Alex cut power instantly, and the image vanished — but not before a deep, echoing whisper filled the room:
"The rift is not yours to open. It was ours first."
A silence deeper than fear followed.
The High Sage finally spoke, his tone grave. "It seems neither science nor cultivation is alone in this war." He turned to Alex. "You've awakened something ancient, Dr. Grams. Whatever force lies beyond the Rift now knows you — and it will come."
Alex's mind raced. "Then we prepare. Together."
Elder Feng glared. "You think to command us, mortal?"
"No," Alex said quietly. "I think to warn you. Because if what I just saw crosses into either of our worlds, there won't be a heaven or Earth left to fight over."
Liuying stepped beside him. "Then the Council of Dual Realms must become more than words. It must become alliance."
For a long moment, no one spoke. Then the High Sage nodded slowly. "So be it. From this day, Earth and Blue Star shall act as one. The Rift shall be watched — and studied. Together, we face what comes."
As the council adjourned, Alex looked out at the sea of cultivators. He knew this was only the beginning.
For the first time, humanity and immortals would share a goal — not domination, but survival.
But deep inside, he couldn't shake the echo of that whisper. The Rift wasn't a gateway anymore. It was a warning.
And somewhere beyond the stars, something old was already awakening.