The silence of the Void was almost absolute. Between the webs of Eternavir and the spirals of the Triad, something external rarely approached. The greater body had already learned to recognize the echo of other universes, like one who distinguishes the sound of a friendly step from that of an intruder. But on that occasion, it wasn't an echo… it was a pulse.
A vibrant breath, reminiscent of both the crackle of symbiotic bioelectricity and the roar of a star being born. A rhythm never heard before.
They would later call it BAF, but that name would only come later. At first, it was merely a dissonance, a heart beating outside the body of the Triad.
The Triad's Curiosity
The Triad was not moved by simple, childlike curiosity. It was patient, shaped by ages of convergences and ruptures. But this pulse was not a clear threat, nor a hostile resonance. It was something alive, organized, and above all, disciplined.
Inside the Cognitive Citadels, the debates began.
— "It is not a pulsating flow, yet it pulses."
— "It is not a spirit, yet it vibrates at the frequency of will."
— "It is not a symbiote, yet it is not alone."
It was something that demanded direct observation.
Thus, the Triad sent its Listeners—entities that extended through the Void in semi-biological, semi-conceptual forms, capable of translating sounds, smells, and ideas from other worlds. They traveled like mycelial threads, stretching out to the point of the pulse.
And that is how the Triad found Veridianum.
The View from the Other Side
From Veridianum's point of view, the first contact was no less impactful.
In the Elemental Dojos, training never ceased. Hundreds of bodies sweated, breathed, and shaped air, water, and stone in continuous movements. For them, the universe was an arena, and every atom a technique to be honed.
When the Triad's pulse reached Veridianum, the masters felt as if a wind had blown through the walls, a foreign air with no known origin.
An old master, the Archimist Kaien-Rho, halted the training. His hardened eyes, capable of seeing the energy flows of a body down to its exhaustion, saw something beyond the room.
— "The air… it breathes by itself."
And indeed, it breathed. Because at that instant, the Triad itself was projecting one of its Symbiotic Nodules, like a curious spore landing on fertile soil.
The First Physical Contact
The encounter was not made of words, but of forms.
On the Triad's side, the Nodule was a translucent organism, almost a living crystal, pulsing in a steady rhythm. On Veridianum's side, the students gathered around, hesitant, while Kaien-Rho advanced slowly, with the steps of one who faces both an opponent and a lesson.
He raised his calloused hand and touched the living surface. He felt not resistance, but listening. It was as if the thing absorbed not only his heat but also the intention of his gesture.
And the Nodule responded.
Through electrical impulses and vibrations, it returned not words, but a cadence. Three quick beats, two slow ones, three quick again.
Kaien-Rho smiled.
— "This is a greeting. A rhythm of combat and respect."
To the disciples, it seemed like madness. But those who trained in Veridianum knew how to recognize when body, energy, and mind merged into a signal.
The First Misunderstandings
The Triad, however, did not yet understand the meaning of what it received. Upon absorbing the touch and the martial response, it interpreted it as a rite of symbiotic initiation. For the Triad, the humans of Veridianum were offering themselves as vessels.
For a moment, almost invisible filaments moved toward Kaien-Rho's skin, like mycelia searching for a root.
The disciples recoiled, frightened.
— "It's possessing the master!"
— "Step back, master, it's a parasite!"
But Kaien-Rho did not move. He remained firm, feeling the filament approach his skin and, instead of repelling it, he adjusted his breathing. He inhaled in the same rhythm the Nodule pulsed, and then shaped his own bioelectricity—the BAF—to align with it.
The result was surprising: the filaments retreated. The Triad realized that this being was not passive, but it was not hostile either. It knew how to dialogue with the body in its own language.
The Baptism of the Pulse
In later records, this moment became known as the Baptism of the Pulse: the instant when a master of Veridianum and a Nodule of the Triad recognized each other without needing translation.
Kaien-Rho declared before his students:
— "It is not an enemy. It is like us: it seeks discipline in chaos."
And in the core of the Triad, the Listeners recorded:
— "We have found a world where energy obeys will. They bend the body as we bend symbiotes. They can understand."
The Immediate Consequences
In the following days, other Nodules appeared. Not all were well received. Some Dojos feared invasion. Others saw an opportunity for learning.
Among the younger ones, the legend spread that these forms were "training spirits," living incarnations of discipline itself. Among the Archimists, however, the view was more pragmatic: perhaps it was a chance to unite the logic of the elements with a new system of evolution.
The Council of Goshin-sha was convened. Many feared that opening up too much to the new universe would mean weakening Veridianum's martial philosophy. Others, however, reminded them that every technique was born from a first risk.
And so, the decision was made: maintain contact.
The Triad's Reaction
Within the symbiotic interior of the Triad, the echo of this decision reverberated. For the Triad, the simple fact that an entire universe did not repel its touch was already a rare sign. Normally, rejection or destruction was immediate. But here, communion was possible.
The Triad began to reorganize part of its Cognitive Citadels to translate what it had learned:
— "They have Dojos, we have Clades."
— "They have Archimists, we have Convergence Bearers."
— "They have BAF, we have the Pulsating Flow."
It was like discovering a broken mirror of itself, reflecting with other names, other forms.
The Unspoken Promise
Neither the Triad nor Veridianum declared an alliance that day. There were no pacts or oaths. Only an accepted touch, a recognized breath, a shared rhythm.
But in that instant, both Kaien-Rho and the Listeners knew: the path had already begun. It would not be possible to return to the previous state.
The Pulse now existed on both sides.