Rhea had overheard part of the conversation and hurried to warn the others. The two boys were still talking with the stranger they had met earlier a calm young man with a piercing gaze, named Yuga.
Rhea approached, visibly agitated.
"Guys, I have something to tell you..."
But Yabal, still bursting with energy, cut her off immediately.
"Rhea! Do you know who this guy is? He just told me he's part of the Order of the Sky!"
He paused, then suddenly furrowed his brow, realizing the weight of his words.
"Wait a second... the Order of the Sky... That's Dan's organization, the one who attacked us!"
At those words, Rhea clenched her fists. She chose not to reveal what she had heard, at least not in front of Yuga. If this "Order of the Sky" was really linked to Dan and the Sparts, it was better to be cautious.
"You're part of the police, is that it?" she asked warily.
Yuga shook his head.
"No. We're an independent organization. We hunt Conquerors. Because of the Tournament, they're allowed to stay in the City and participate. It's an old rule, specific to Saturn."
He sighed, his gaze distant.
"The government isn't allowed to break that balance. If they did, the Lords would intervene... and it would trigger a war as devastating as the one from the Second Period."
"The Lords?" Rhea repeated. "Who are they?"
Yuga raised an eyebrow.
"You really know nothing about END... You come from a hidden planet, is that it?"
"Yeah, something like that," Yabal replied with a forced smile.
Yuga let out a soft laugh.
"I'd like to be in your shoes. Discovering everything for the first time... If you want, I can host you. I'll explain everything you need to know about END."
"No need," Yabal muttered, scratching the back of his neck.
Rhea shot him a glare.
"We'd rather avoid you handing us over to your deranged friend, Dan. We just told him we were travelers, and look what happened."
Yuga burst out laughing.
"I get it! All the more reason to come to my place. There are concepts you need to know. Besides, I love talking about END."
Yabal, his eyes shining, raised a fist.
"Okay, we'll trust you! Let's go!"
Rhea remained on her guard, while Angel followed in silence, lost in his thoughts.
Their walk led them to Yuga's home. Inside, Yuga prepared a steaming meal, typical of Saturn.
Around the table, the light danced on our three heroes' tired faces.
"Listen closely," Yuga began, taking a sip of tea.
"END is... everything. The infinite universe, the hidden planets, the parallel dimensions. Everything that exists is contained within it."
His voice echoed, low and serious, in the small room.
"END is governed by an entity called the Transcendental Assembly. Almost everyone knows of them. But their power is limited: they can only intervene in zones where they are affiliated. Elsewhere... Conquerors can move without fear."
He set down his cup and continued.
"This assembly has its own hierarchy: first the Gods, then the Ætherians, and finally the Sparts. The latter fight the Conquerors, whom they deem too selfish. Because the Conquerors have only one goal: to find the Cosmic Egg, an ancient artifact hidden somewhere in END."
Yabal's eyes widened.
"The Cosmic Egg? What does it do?"
"It is said," Yuga explained, "that whoever finds it can create their ideal world. The entire universe would be reset, and the periods would restart according to their will."
Rhea was speechless.
"Create their own world... So that's why they're fighting?"
"Yes. And just like the Assembly, the Conquerors have a hierarchy: Guardian, Hero, Legend, and finally Lord. But these are just titles. A Hero is nothing like a hero in the noble sense of the term."
Yabal slumped back in his chair, looking exhausted.
"Enough! My head's going to explode..."
Rhea gave an amused smile.
"Wait, I still have a question."
Angel looked up.
"Me too."
Yuga crossed his arms, intrigued.
"Angel, you hardly ever speak. Go ahead, I'm listening."
Angel hesitated, then asked in a calm voice:
"Who is the King of END?"
Silence fell. Yuga was petrified, his eyes wide.
"How do you know that name? Only organizations like the Order of the Sky or the Order of the Soil know of his existence..."
Rhea frowned.
"So... he really exists?"
"We don't know," Yuga replied. "But according to our research, all major events in END seem to be linked to him. Some believe he is the human materialization of the Cosmic Egg. Others see him as a myth. The Order of the Fire, the only organization to have captured an image of him, keeps the photo secret."
He added in a low voice:
"Lately, he's rumored to have been seen on Earth, affiliated with a group called 'The Men in White Hoods'."
His gaze became piercing.
"How do you know he exists?"
Our heroes froze. The silence stretched, heavy as lead. Angel finally let out a breath:
"We met him. On the Jamir plain. He spoke to us... then disappeared in the blink of an eye."
Yuga turned pale.
"Impossible... You... you saw him?!"
Rhea wrapped her arms around herself, shivering.
"His presence alone crushed us. We couldn't move, or speak, or even breathe. And then... it all faded. We can't remember his face."
Yuga remained motionless for a moment, his mouth open.
"Incredible..."
Rhea stood up slowly.
"Thank you for the meal, Yuga. But I think we need to rest."
He nodded, visibly disturbed.
"Of course... Sorry. I might have gotten a little carried away."
"It's nothing," Yabal replied with a tired smile. "We'll continue tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, yes," Yuga murmured.
On Earth
Meanwhile, far, far away, raging waves crashed onto a lost island in the middle of the ocean. A young, tan-skinned boy in torn clothes slowly regained consciousness on the wet sand.
His name was Yann.
He was no older than thirteen. Short of breath, he looked around: a dense jungle, the roar of the waves, and, in the distance, an ancient, moss-covered temple.
"A temple... Maybe there's food in there," he muttered, walking forward.
Inside, he discovered a dusty room. Offerings of tropical fruits rested on a stone altar. Starving, he threw himself at them.
But as soon as he finished, a rumble shook the ground. The temple doors slammed shut with a deafening crash.
"No! Wait!" he cried, running toward the exit.
Too late.
The floor vibrated, then began to slide under his feet, causing him to fall toward the center of the room. A statuette slowly emerged from the floor, radiating a blue light. Yann, terrified, tried to pull away, but his hands brushed against it.
The statue immediately disintegrated into a dust of light, which floated in the air before drifting toward a hidden corridor behind the temple's throne.
"You want me to follow you, is that it...?" he whispered.
He lunged forward.
The dust guided him to a hidden trapdoor, revealing a long, spiral staircase. The further he descended, the scarcer the air became. His lungs burned. Still, he continued, until he reached the bottom.
In front of him, a massive wall cracked... then slowly opened.
What he saw then left him speechless.
Before his eyes, an entire city stretched out, sheltered within a gigantic dome under the sea, bathed in a sapphire light.
Yann fell to his knees, amazed.
"It's... impossible..."
This place Yann had just seen was the city of Atlantis...