The energy shield module embedded within the staff required an uninterrupted power source. This was because such a shield was not a single, solid, static wall. On the contrary, it was a defensive layer that was invisible yet acted as if it were alive.
The shield consisted of hundreds of micro-energy layers. Each layer vibrated and flexed individually to meet incoming impacts, and when necessary, it shattered consciously. When a bullet, a physical blow, or an intense stream of energy struck the shield's surface, the layer at that point disintegrated instantly, absorbing the impact's energy within itself and vanishing.
But this was not a weakness.
Because every shattered layer was replaced by a new energy layer in less than a thousandth of a second. The shield stayed upright by constantly regenerating itself, rebuilding the defense before any impact could leak through. This was why, from the outside, the energy shield looked like an impenetrable wall. In reality, it was a defensive membrane that died and was reborn dozens of times every second.
However, this system came at a price.
The shield consumed energy with every disintegration; it strained the power source a bit more with every regeneration. The moment the energy flow weakened, the shield would become unable to renew its layers, and a single powerful blow could completely obliterate that invisible wall. This was why the person holding the staff wasn't just defending; they were racing against time.
This was the reason Hikmar was drenched in sweat as he waited, kneeling upon the sands. It had been minutes since the staff's own energy had run dry. He was now feeding the staff with his own body's energy; thus, to save power, he had deactivated the filters of most of his modules, allowing his raw human emotions to surface.
Like a priest writhing in agony, he constantly gritted his teeth, hoping for time to pass quickly. The energy was being drained from his body so intensely that his systems—now shutting down abruptly—caused incredible pain in the old man's body without the numbing module active.
He pried his eyes open slightly. One of the soldiers, holding a handmade bomb, threw it at the shield and retreated. When the bomb exploded in front of the shield, there was no reaction—at least not for the soldiers standing outside. As the soldiers disappeared to craft another bomb, Hikmar, unable to keep his back straight due to the intense energy drain, collapsed face-first into the sand.
"As a man of faith, isn't it ironic that I feel pure pain and that this is all I'm good for?" he muttered to himself. But then he sighed, wishing he hadn't wasted his energy on words.
Suddenly, darkness enveloped his mind. This was unexpected… Why was his mind being shrouded in darkness?
Then his consciousness descended even deeper. The depths held another vast, boundless eternity. One galaxy was infinitely above, and another was infinitely below. While nothingness fluctuated between principles and the lack thereof, he tried to feel everything.
Then, as stars, planets, and countless other things passed over his head like a speeding train, he realized it wasn't the universe moving, but himself. His mind was being dragged somewhere. The knowledge that his body was writhing in pain, shivering on the sand, and desperately whispering remained in a corner of his mind. But at that moment, it was as if he were somewhere else entirely.
"Hello, Po…" a voice said. This was not a human voice. The language spoken contained no words. But Hikmar was the only one who could understand what was being said.
The galaxy slowed down the moment it heard this voice. In the starless darkness of space, he stood upon a planet adorned with glowing, magnificent earth-like fragments. The creature named Volem was standing there.
"What kind of place is this?" Hikmar asked in a human tongue.
"My home…" said the creature named Volem. It touched its horns to the ground. It stroked the surface of the planet with its hand, as if soothing a living being.
Glancing around, Hikmar realized this was the Planet Justan. His own home.
"This is my planet," Hikmar said. "This is Justan."
"You created us. This is our home too."
"Yes… I created you. But I forgot. I forgot everything. You know this too."
"It does not matter," the creature named Volem said, straightening up. "You… You know the language of the Incompatibles. You will learn everything again."
"Then why did you drag my mind here?"
"Because you are about to die, and I want to save you."
"Save me?"
"You are wise enough to understand the God Particle, yet you are too helpless to save yourself. I can help you escape. I can destroy your enemies."
"And what do you want in return?"
"I want to enter the sea."
"The sea? What is in the sea, Volem?"
Volem cast a cold, hollow gaze from the planet toward the darkness of the infinite galaxy. "The purpose of my existence is there…"
He said this sentence so sincerely, so sorrowfully; his voice carried the tone of a man who had lashed himself for centuries, crushed under an unending penance. That tone and those hollow eyes were enough to make even a man of sharp faith like Hikmar doubt. But he knew… in a corner of his mind, specifically in the parts where he had lost his memory, he knew he must not release this creature.
"I…" Hikmar said and stepped onto the planet. As soon as he stepped, the planet—which had been the size of a marble—returned to its true size. In fact, where he stepped was a magnificent water dam in Justan. The cities of Planet Justan could be seen quite clearly from this high, glorious dam. "I am the one who created you, aren't I? My other half created you…"
Silence for a while. The creature named Volem was nowhere to be seen; Hikmar searched for it with a side-glance. Then he saw it, walking gigantically over one of the cities. With every step it took, buildings shattered, and streets were destroyed.
"You created me."
"Then, before I set you free, I believe I have the right to ask you a question."
"Are you truly going to set me free?"
"Certainly…" he said. But he himself wasn't so sure.
"Our time is limited. You are about to die… So, one question, one answer."
"I don't need more than that anyway," Hikmar said, smiling slightly. He pointed at Volem and asked: "Where was I when I created you?"
Volem froze for a moment among the buildings. "I can show you that," it said. As soon as the words ended, reality shattered.
The scenes began to change, tearing away one after another. Hikmar was hurled across the galaxy at an unfathomable speed. Stars turned into lines; space warped. Then the speed slowed; a planet pulled him in.
The Red Planet… Mars.
Mars grew rapidly. He drifted through the rust-colored clouds of the atmosphere, then dived into one of the capsule colonies. The people beneath his feet stretched and distorted as if being pulled into a black hole. The ground flowed so fast that it was no longer a surface, only a blur.
Finally, he stopped in front of a building.
"Mars Colonies University?" Hikmar said in surprise. "Has my other half… become a professor?"
"Is there any better place to conduct scientific research and remain unnoticed?"
"But how could I have become a professor all of a sudden? What power could have secretly placed me in this faculty?"
"I cannot provide answers to questions I do not know," Volem said. "But the answers I will give are not yet finished."
With a burst of light, the scene collapsed again.
He was in a dimly lit laboratory now. Someone was working among test tubes, cables, and robot assistants. His face had changed, but the posture, the movements, the slight tilt of his head while thinking… he could not deny that it was himself.
Inside one of the tubes was a tissue. It resembled lizard skin but was unstable. It constantly changed shape and color, breaking itself like a faulty line of code, then turning into perfect skin for brief moments.
"This is… the God Particle…" Hikmar whispered. "The reason we can see it is because we are in your memory, isn't it? Normally, the human mind couldn't perceive this."
"Yes," Volem said. "That particle is me. Or… one of my ancestors."
"But how did I succeed?" Hikmar's voice trembled. He looked at the walls, the ceiling, the tubes, as if searching for an answer. "That cursed particle… how could I turn it into something like you? Understanding the God Particle is one thing… but creating a living being from it…"
Volem shook its head slowly.
"Volem, you are a first for me."
Volem's voice grew heavy.
"I have answered your question," it said. "Now, pay the price."
Hikmar paused for a moment. "Fine…" he said at last. "I will set you free."
When Hikmar opened his eyes, half of his face was busy suffering on the sands. The bullets had ceased; the energy had stopped draining from his body. If the fools on the other side of that energy shield knew that Hikmar had grown this weak, that he was the sole source of energy, they would have continued firing bullets. But they were likely waiting to rebuild that explosive.
Volem was a creature that could be fed by energy and grew stronger as it was fed. If he opened the capsule now, he could be riddled with bullets within minutes. But if an EMP bomb—thrown to break the energy shield—hit him, and if he consumed all the energy of both the bomb and the vehicle, he might have enough strength to fight. If he began to feast on the energy of those armored men's suits, then he could become an unstoppable force.
So, Hikmar sat cross-legged and began to wait for the bomb. The creature named Volem waited impatiently in the Cryo-V vault, half-dozing.