S-2879 • L8 Libeluna • D23 Sintoli

(Gregorian calendar equivalent: December 10, 2134)

“Libeluna brings the surrender that frees.

Sintoli attunes wind and word.

The thread of the world sings in low light.

The story moves forward, steady, in flow.”

A snowy place.

Sky and earth merge.

In the distance, a forest of tundra firs rises.

From within it, a solitary gray she-wolf emerges.

I feel her amber eyes on me, calling.

I try to reach her.

An invisible force keeps pulling me away.

I want.

I need.

My whole body ignites with necessity.

Each attempt returns me to the same place.

Each return, a violent ache.

It hurts to keep trying to reach her.

I cry.

I wake.

Three in the morning.

Would she be calling me to the other world?

Through the window, the city gleams.

Lights blurred by damp glass.

Rain falls in a tangled chaos, mirroring my own.

She—a breath of spring in autumn—yet capable of being winter itself.

A solar cycle without her.

A cycle in which the skies grow heavy,

the winds scream their agonies,

the earth weakens, I fall and I grow numb.

Since her death, this numbness lingers in my existence.

I pull my eyes away from the window.

Would feeling unhappy be selfish,

when I know many would trade places with me?

I exhale.

I fall back asleep.

I lived in the uppermost levels of the city of São Paulo.

The First City.

I was born in the Zenith, as they call the higher floors—

an empire suspended above the city, where light drifts away from the streets below.

Living always at great heights makes the fall inevitable.

I put on a black coat and touched my abdomen.

There was still warmth in my womb, but it was beginning to recede inward;

a weaving slowly transmuting as I entered my Sorceress phase.

I took the elevator down to reception.

The receptionist android, Andi, wished me good morning.

I returned it.

I passed the old man who walked through the atrium—Pavel.

Android engineer at Kokusai.

I always saw him and wished him good morning.

He watched me in silence.

An inexpressive face.

I headed to the Golden Line station.

The aerotrain arrived within seconds.

I sat by the window.

The city unfolded beneath me.

Titanic structures vanished into polluted haze.

Spirals of airways intertwined between buildings.

Vertical skyscrapers wrapped in suspended gardens.

Holograms erupted from every direction.

Adware bloomed in shifting pixels:

A new android.

A revolutionary synthetic protein.

I opened the bioscreen to check the news.

Everything sounded artificial, distant from what truly mattered.

I turned my gaze back to the glass.

The hospital appeared on the horizon.

Its mirrored structure reflected the neutral tones of its surroundings.

At the entrance, the android linked to me, Takashi, was waiting.

“Good morning, Doctor.”

“Good morning.”

I was working on a nanodevice—CogniSynth.

Part of Project Jaburu.

A nanotechnology designed to access memories within the human brain.

Memories…

Too many memories.

The day dragged on.

Each minute, a battle.

Each second, an agonizing effort to push her from my mind.

But she always returned.

Always her.

Always Maia.

She invaded relentlessly.

Broke through barriers.

Remained.

I wished the night would bring relief.

I longed for a new dawn that might lift the weight.

Maybe tomorrow it will be easier to breathe.

I finished my work.

Gathered my things to leave.

Takashi approached, carrying a large envelope in his hands, labeled in elegant, slanted handwriting.

Her handwriting.

“This arrived.”

My chest froze.

My hands trembled.

My mouth went dry.

My eyes widened.

My heart raced.

My thoughts fractured into frantic beats.

I took the envelope.

“Tha—”

My voice faltered, shaking.

“—nk you.”

“Do you need anything else?”

“N-no… I… y-you can go.”

The door closed.

I tore the seal open.

Something fell.

A red phone.

Foldable. Obsolete.

A pocket watch.

Analog. From the eighties.

A golden compass.

And a piece of paper.

Geographical coordinates.

What did it mean?

I picked up the letter.

Only a few words—

but enough for the world to split apart.

A tightening heart.

Eyes flooded with tears.

I could barely hold the paper.

Akiko,

How are you?

Perhaps your anger and sorrow have faded.

I hope so.

I remained silent about many things.

I know.

Your heart broke.

Mine did too.

I wish things had been different.

So I prepared this.

You want so badly to enter my world?

All your questions will be answered.

Are you ready for that?

If you are, go to the coordinates on the 25th at 11 p.m.

If not, continue on your path.

Remember me always.

With affection,

Maia.

Strength left me for a moment.

The letter slipped from my hands.

My body collapsed.

I stared at my distorted reflection on the gleaming surface.

Everything spun.

I forgot how to breathe.

In those words, I heard her voice.

I heard my name in her mouth.

Even after a solar cycle, I still felt my soul intertwined with hers.

It took time to regain my senses.

My breath.

The present.

The tears dried.

My fingers stopped trembling.

I picked up the objects.

Studied the coordinates.

Placed them in my bag.

The letter was missing.

I exhaled heavily.

Retrieved it.

That night, I had the same dream.

This time, when I took a step, the wolf lifted her head.

Still, she remained far away.

Under the Waning Moon

I wished I could sleep the entire day.

I reread Maia’s letter thousands of times.

Trying to understand.

Why?

Why, after a solar cycle, did she send this?

Maia died.

I knew that.

So what did she mean by that letter?

How did she send it?

I sent Takashi a message:

📩 “Find out who sent the white envelope.”

I prepared some food, even without appetite.

Each reluctant bite scratched on the way down.

I remained in bed, lethargic.

Staring at the wall.

My mind burned with Maia.

Truthfully, everything in me ignited with her.

Throbbed with reborn pain.

I wanted to forget.

I took a deep breath.

As the saying goes:

“Wisdom only comes from a full stomach.”

I ate.

And in the next instant, the memory came.

The day I met her.

The recollection surged, overwhelming, consuming me entirely—

beyond my will to stop it.

S-2878 • L0 Silenluna • D07 Abeli

(Gregorian calendar equivalent: April 12, 2133)

“Silenluna opens the road of the sky.

Abeli pours the shine of beginnings.

Gaia ignites the tide of living sprouts.

The reading rises clear in the air.”

Peak autumn.

The city woke under heavy rain that selunia.

I cut my finger while preparing breakfast.

Superficial—yet enough to require a bandage.

On the way to work, trains were canceled.

System failures at UNITED’s central transport hub.

Headache.

Delay.

And the worst was still to come.

“The director is calling for you.”

Takashi informed me.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been irrelevant.

But I was leading one of the most important research projects in the Americas.

It would likely be an unpleasant meeting.

I crossed the corridor toward Josivaldo Silva’s office.

At the entrance, Sara, his assistant, waited.

I followed her.

He was expecting me.

An expressionless face.

Wrinkles marking cycles of service.

Too long on Gaia.

The world endured his insufferability out of necessity.

“Sit.”

The voice was coarse.

Not even a good morning.

As expected, to be honest.

The man lacked vitality.

I smiled politely and sat.

“Good morning.”

He lifted his blue eyes from the holoscreen.

Adjusted his glasses.

“Very well, Dr. Akama.”

He did that on purpose.

Always mispronounced my surname.

Akiyama.

If a name proved difficult, he reduced it until it fit inside his mouth.

“I am satisfied with your research results.

We can begin human trials.

The technical team has already been notified to contact the volunteers.”

My blood froze.

“I must select the volunteers.

These are highly specific profiles.

We need to apply an alternative method.”

“That is not open for discussion.

I am informing you.”

Heat rose inside me.

My hands closed.

I held my anger.

“CogniSynth can seriously affect the human brain.

Participants must be chosen according to research criteria—otherwise the consequences may be catastrophic!”

“We are done here. You may leave.”

I stood, leaning over his desk.

“These people could die!

We are dealing with human lives!”

Josivaldo examined me from head to toe.

He thought intimidation would work.

Poor man.

“You may file a complaint with the Global Medical Committee.

If they care, perhaps they will change something.

Until then, your function is to comply.”

He returned to his holoscreen.

“Now you may leave. I am busy.”

I bit my lips.

I imagined how pleasant it would be if he vanished from the face of Gaia.

I had already wasted too much time there.

I left in haste.

In the restroom, I faced my reflection.

I inhaled deeply.

Searched for patience.

I was in the Sorceress phase—yet the Crone was already knocking.

My moon would likely bleed within hours.

What he proposed violated the Medical Ethics Code.

And his answer?

A petition.

The GMC could take cycles to decide.

I knew the right candidates were difficult to find.

Yet only with them could CogniSynth connect without breaking the brain.

Irreversible damage could occur.

Possibly death.

Josivaldo wanted results quickly.

Prestige would come faster.

At my expense?

Never.

I left determined.

“Takashi.”

He was already waiting at the office entrance.

“Prepare a petition for the GMC.

I need an injunction.

I will send the details.”

He nodded.

“Speak to Hideaki’s assistant.

Schedule a meeting.”

Eyes fixed on him.

“Tell them it is urgent.

Inform me once everything is arranged.”

I exhaled.

“I need something sweet.”

“Would you like me to order it?”

“No.”

I dismissed him with a gesture.

I want distance from here now.

“I will buy it myself.”

Takashi blinked, rigid.

“Understood.”

The sweet was sold in a shop in Centralia.

The intermediary region between Zenith and Netheria—São Paulo’s underworld.

Restless movement.

Hellish traffic in the airways.

Deafening noise.

Vehicles. Advertisements. Voices. Androids.

All the chaotic sounds of the city.

Filthy. Vibrant.

The true heart of São Paulo.

I arrived at the Emerald Line.

The only aerotrain connecting Zenith to Centralia.

The journey lasted an hour.

Too long.

The route curved around the outer edges of buildings.

On the holoscreen, a live broadcast:

Strike.

The three main central hubs shut down.

The streets belonged to the Sessota workers—the largest nanotech investor in the Americas.

Signs raised.

Shouts echoing.

They demanded fair wages. Jobs. Reduced hours.

Not even the rain restrained them.

I looked away.

VRRRSH!

A sound echoed behind me.

I glanced toward the carriage.

The ceiling split open.

WHUMP!

A hooded figure dropped in.

Silence.

My heart raced.

I shrank into my seat.

I tried to see her again.

Gone.

What was happening?

“It was supposed to be empty.”

The hoarse voice came from above, muffled by a mask.

I jolted upright, rising in a sudden flare of movement—hitting my head.

Pain reverberated.

Dazed, I focused on the silhouette.

Dark clothing. Face concealed—except for the eyes.

Unique.

Dark amber, flecked with brown.

“Why?”

I sat back down, rubbing the swelling on my forehead.

“How did you get into this train?”

She gestured vaguely.

“Emerald Station, normally.”

She waved a hand.

“You have a very special access pass.

Irrelevant.

We need to leave now.”

“The next station is in ten minutes.

I’m getting off at Magenta.”

“This train is going to collide.”

The figure moved to the center of the carriage.

VRRRSH!

The ceiling slid open again.

“Come on.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you want to die?”

My breathing faltered.

“This train will collide with the next one and explode.”

She extended her hand—steady.

My heart pounded harder.

I looked around.

Empty carriages.

“Explode?”

Her gaze carried certainty.

If it were true, my choice was simple: follow her—or choose death.

I held my breath.

My body hesitated.

But then—

I stepped forward and took her gloved hand.

Before I could react, she threw me over her shoulder and jumped.

The ground vanished.

The world flipped upside down.

My heart detonated in my chest.

Gusts of wind roared, slicing against my skin.

The altitude dragged my stomach into emptiness.

My fingers dug into the fabric of her clothes.

I was holding on—or perhaps she was the one holding me.

How did she remain so steady?

Who was she?

On top of the train, she moved toward the edge.

She gripped my legs.

Jumped.

The abyss swallowed us.

A scream tore from my throat.

I clutched her neck.

Too tight.

She staggered.

Before rolling across the ground, she pulled me forward, shielding me in the impact.

I closed my eyes.

The world stopped.

Adrenaline burned through my veins.

Thinking was impossible.

“Are you okay?”

She stared at me with an unreadable expression.

So close.

I swallowed, pulling away.

She stood.

I checked my body. No pain.

“I think so.”

Graffiti-covered walls stretched around us.

An old building, nearly abandoned—except for a neighboring light still on.

“Come.”

She passed through glass doors.

The commanding tone irritated me—but I followed.

We walked through a dark hall.

The smell of mold saturated the air.

I held back a cough.

Dust surrounded us.

Weak light filtered through broken windows, revealing shattered furniture.

Forgotten lives.

KRIIISH!

Glass shattered somewhere in the distance.

I flinched.

She stopped.

“Just rats.”

We continued in silence.

Inside my mind, a storm.

Thoughts crossing, colliding, fragmenting.

I didn’t even notice the elevator arrive.

Or when I stepped inside.

Only a corrupted melody played.

Scraping at the ears.

The doors opened.

Darkness.

No windows.

One exit.

The only light came from the center of a table.

An artificial glow over a piece of equipment.

“Sit.”

She pointed to a chair and began adjusting the device.

I hesitated.

What the hell was she doing?

“You’re from up there, aren’t you?”

Her tone was casual.

“No need to answer.

You smell like Zenith.”

I frowned.

“What do you do up there?”

“Why would I tell you anything?”

“Answer if you want.”

She shrugged.

I rolled my eyes.

What kind of insane situation was this?

“Are you going to kill me?”

She lifted her gaze from the device.

Looked directly at me.

Piercing.

My breathing faltered.

That intimidating presence.

Facing the unexpected.

“Do you want to die?”

The coldness in her eyes cut through me.

I swallowed.

My heart pounded so loudly I could almost hear it in the silence.

She returned to the device.

“Ready?”

I leaned forward, frowning.

“Ready for wh—”

She pressed a button.

Everything changed.

My heart stumbled.

Agitation surged, uncontrollable.

My eyes widened, dazzled.

The universe enveloped us.

Stars, constellations, planets, holographic galaxies shimmered around us.

Real.

Tangible.

Pixelated stardust settled on my skin.

“I-incredible…”

My voice barely emerged.

The vision stole my words.

It was more than the cosmos.

It was the cosmic within her.

Starlight reflected across her body.

Along the curve of her face.

In those intense honey-colored eyes.

All the threatening aura vanished.

Invasions.

Exploding trains.

Threat of death.

All of it dissolved.

Only the brightness in her gaze remained.

Everything that mattered to her.

“You know…”

Her voice softened.

“I think everyone is their own universe.”

Her eyes—deep, indecipherable, like an eclipse—held mine.

The gravity around us shifted.

She leaned across the table, drawing closer slowly, as if certain I would remain still.

Her face near mine.

The air grew heavier.

My heart froze.

I held my breath.

“Would you cross your own universe?”

Silence.

She lowered her head, laughing.

The low laugh echoed.

I snapped out of the trance.

Laughed back without knowing why.

She turned off the projector.

Darkness.

“Come.”

In the half-light, she took my hand.

Cold.

Steady.

Strangely comforting.

What had just happened?

We returned to the entrance.

She glanced around.

“How did you hurt yourself?”

She pointed to the bandage on my finger.

“That? Irrelevant.”

My mind burned.

Thinking about what she had said.

About the new sensations awakening inside me.

Her words stirred anxiety.

In a good way.

Under the rain, she slipped her hands into her pockets.

Turned and walked away.

Disappeared into the darkness of the streets.

The coldness of her body still on my skin.

From that moment on, I would change forever.

I finished eating.

The bioscreen vibrated.

“Yes?”

My voice came out tired, tension weighing heavily.

“Apologies for disturbing you.”

Takashi. Always courteous.

“An android deposited the envelope through Postais.

I checked its serial number.

It has been deactivated.”

“Can you access the owner’s information?”

“No.

Its memory was eradicated.

Completely inaccessible.”

“Is that possible?”

“Difficult.

It would require hacking the Aether Network to break the security protocol, corrupt the android, access the entire nanosystem, then alter and erase it.

That appears to be the case.

Whoever did this is highly skilled.

They wanted to hide. To be untraceable. Forgotten.

It is the first time I have encountered something like this.”

A chill ran across my skin.

“I understand.”

I already sensed I would face more veils along the way.

“Wait for my call.

I need to resolve something first.”

“Very well.”

The call ended.

I picked up the objects from the envelope:

The phone.

The watch.

The compass.

The coordinates.

I turned on the phone.

Distorted pixels filled the tiny screen.

I searched files. Galleries. Contacts.

Nothing.

Empty.

I picked up the watch.

It read 1:4:18.

I shook it.

Tried to open it.

No manufacturing mark.

I held the compass.

Broken.

Finally, I studied the coordinates.

An abandoned bus terminal at the edge of Centralia.

Why?

The question echoed in my mind.

I rested my forehead against the table.

I spent the day pacing in circles.

Thoughts orbiting Maia and her question.

Ready?

How would I know?

My life continued.

My work. My research. My… family.

Yet there was another choice.

One where I would move forward with more than memories.

With answers.

That night, if I dreamed, I forgot.

Part of me expected Maia to appear in my dreams—

to tell me what to do.

Only darkness as company.

I woke taciturn.

Empty eyes fixed on the horizon.

I picked up the letter and reread every word.

Her voice echoed in my mind.

Maia… what do you want?

I wanted to deny it.

Wanted to ignore it.

I tried to convince myself it was illogical—but something within me pulled forward.

Toward her.

Those questions had haunted me for a long time.

And now, I had to face them again.

Then—

A spark.

A glimpse from deep within.

The answer had always been there.

Hidden.

Filed away.

Locked.

Maia’s words unlocked it.

In that moment, she had asked:

Would you cross your own universe?

My gaze fell to the letter.

“Yes. I am ready to cross your universe.”

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