Episode 14: What A Wonderful World

  Atmosphere above the Kailash Range, Altitude: 90 km

  Amidst the pitch-black void at the edge of space, a colossal fireball streaked across the Tibetan sky at a staggering velocity of Mach 23. Intense orange-red flames, ignited by atmospheric friction, engulfed Lord Ren’s energy sphere, making it appear like a massive meteor on a direct collision course with Earth.

  Victor was, without a doubt, the most distracted and terrified of the group. His brilliant inventor’s brain began processing the data automatically, and the results sent him spiraling into a panic. He calculated the impact force should all four of them strike the ground at this speed; the immense kinetic energy would be unleashed as a devastating explosion, comparable to a tactical nuclear strike or hundreds of tons of TNT!

  “It’s all going to be gone! Mount Kailash won't stand a chance! It’s going to be turned into a massive crater for sure!!!!!” Victor howled in sheer despair.

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  International Space Station (ISS), Low Earth Orbit

  Inside the control module, filled with flickering monitors, a female space station officer stared at the screen in utter shock. The blinding streak of light piercing through the atmosphere below was far too abnormal to be a common meteor.

  "Why is our satellite just picking this up now? How did the system miss an object of this size?" she exclaimed, her voice thick with suspicion.

  "The sensors didn't detect a thing until just now. It’s as if it manifested out of thin air," a NASA astronaut replied while double-checking the coordinates. "But forget that for a moment. In 3 minutes and 32 seconds, brace yourselves for the thermal shockwave from the solar storm!"

  "How severe will it be?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

  "It’ll just feel like a ship rocking in the middle of the ocean... it’s not the end of the world yet," the astronaut answered with the steady calm of a seasoned professional.

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  Stratosphere, 50 km above Mount Kailash

  Within the energy sphere that had once been a raging inferno, the brilliance of the atmospheric friction suddenly began to fade. The searing heat that had scorched their outer armor started to dissipate, accompanied by a plunge in velocity that defied the natural laws of gravity.

  "Wait... the numbers are dropping! We're under Mach 1 already!" Victor blurted out. His voice shifted from a desperate howl to utter disbelief as the VSS monitors reported a rapid deceleration—achieved without parachutes or any counter-thrust engines whatsoever.

  "It’s still dropping! Look... it's down to only 750 kilometers per hour!" Yuri added, her voice brimming with excitement. Behind her visor, her eyes were fixed on the digits sliding down toward normal flight speeds.

  "Lord Ren... how are you doing this?" Chris asked in awe. He tried to peer through the energy barrier to see what stance or power Ren was using to "brake" their collective mass in such thin air.

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  Aerial Detection Command Center, Area 51

  "Sir, we have reports of a meteor sighting over the peak of Mount Kailash!" a technical officer reported in a panicked tone, while enlarging the satellite thermal imagery onto the giant monitor in front of General Miller.

  "Check it immediately! What exactly is going on?" General Miller barked, his eyes fixed on the brilliant streak of light plunging toward Tibet.

  "Based on preliminary calculations... the solar storm is expected to hit the Earth's magnetic field in about 2 minutes, sir. It’s possible that a smaller precursor wave of particles arrived early, potentially knocking a satellite or some space debris out of orbit. The gravitational pull would then drag it into the atmosphere much faster than usual," the officer reported, analyzing the situation based on the scientific principles they were familiar with.

  General Miller remained silent for a moment before issuing a cold, firm warning. "Keep a close watch regardless. Don't just assume it’s an ordinary satellite crash and let something slip through."

  The personnel acknowledged the order and hurried to fine-tune their sensors to maximum sensitivity, despite their lingering doubts that what they were seeing was anything more than a routine space accident.

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  Stratosphere, 35 km above Mount Kailash

  "Velocity has dropped to 400 kilometers per hour," Victor reported, his voice significantly calmer now that he saw everything was under the control of a power that defied scientific explanation.

  "Lord Ren... how exactly are you doing this?" Chris asked once more, still plagued by curiosity. The immense deceleration they had experienced hadn't caused them the slightest bit of physical trauma.

  "I understand space far better than you do... but I honestly don't know how to explain it to you," Lord Ren replied, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "I simply know what speed is required, how much power I have left, and how long I must recover before my strength returns to its peak. That is all I know..."

  Ren fell silent for a heartbeat before continuing in a voice tinged with loneliness. "I have come up here many times... when I missed my family. In those moments, I would try to project my energy to search for them. But I could never stay up here for long. Once my power dwindled, I had to return to the earth."

  Ren’s answer left Chris and the others stunned. The god-like grandeur they witnessed was, in truth, fueled by a desperate and powerful longing to find his loved ones—a mission not unlike the one Chris was currently undertaking.

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  Indian Army Provisional Command Center (Frontline near Mount Kailash)

  "The Americans just notified us that satellite debris will be crashing in this area. Tell everyone to take cover immediately!" an Indian communications officer shouted to his colleagues over the howling wind.

  "Wait! Aren't those things supposed to crash into the ocean?" another officer asked, puzzled.

  "Apparently, it was hit by the solar storm, and its orbit drifted right over us," the communications officer replied while tracking the coordinates. "There! The drone has a thermal signature. It's about 20 kilometers above the peak of Mount Kailash. Looks like a meteor, sir."

  "Can you get a visual?" the Indian General overseeing the situation stepped in to ask.

  "It’s extremely difficult to track, sir. It’s falling in a perfectly straight line, perpendicular to the surface—it’s uncanny!" the drone operator reported.

  "Data is consistent! We have long-range drone footage now. The object has slowed to approximately 380 kilometers per hour and is continuing to decelerate. Likely caused by dense atmospheric friction," another drone specialist added.

  "Have you calculated the impact point?" the General asked, his voice stern.

  "Within a 100-kilometer radius around Mount Kailash, sir."

  "I’m going to contact the Americans myself to see if they’re playing games with us..." The General furrowed his brows. "At this speed, will the impact affect our troops on the ground?"

  "Nothing severe, sir. Unless it has the 'luck' to land directly on one of our units. The danger zone from the impact is only about 5 to 10 meters," the officer concluded.

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  Tactical Aerial Detection Command Center, Area 51

  "The object’s velocity has dropped to 250 kilometers per hour, sir, due to increasing atmospheric density," the officer reported, while patching the thermal feed from the Indian Army's drone onto the main screen for General Miller.

  "But the most baffling part is its trajectory. It’s plunging in a perfectly straight line, a 90-degree angle to the Earth's surface, without a single tremor. Detailed calculations confirm the impact point is... precisely at the center of Mount Kailash’s summit!" the officer continued, his voice heavy with disbelief at what he was seeing.

  General Miller stared at the screen with an expression of utter astonishment. His eyes were a mix of confusion and awe. "This is insane... even SpaceX's landing technology, as advanced as it is, can't achieve this level of perpendicular precision!" General Miller remarked, a deep-seated fear stirring within him that this might not be ordinary space debris after all.

  (Rrrrring! The high-priority hotline interrupted his thoughts.)

  An officer scrambled to answer the call before turning to report, "A call from the Longka base, General!"

  "I'll take it," General Miller strode over and grabbed the receiver, his face tightening. "Go ahead..."

  General Miller listened to the voice on the other end, his heart racing, while on the massive screen, the fireball was beginning to vanish into the thick blanket of clouds atop the sacred peak.

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  Above the Kailash Range, Altitude: 5 km

  "Velocity is down to under 200 kilometers per hour. We’re safe now!" Victor breathed a sigh of utter relief as the numbers on his display finally stabilized at a manageable level.

  "I knew it... Lord Ren is absolutely the best!" Yuri added, adjusting her suit and bracing herself for the final touchdown.

  "I see the peak!" Chris exclaimed, his voice trembling with joy.

  "Which one, Chris? All these mountains look exactly the same to me," Victor asked, scanning the vast white expanse beneath the sea of clouds.

  "Do you see it? Right down there... looking like a giant, white pyramid sleeping peacefully below us," Chris pointed toward the summit of Mount Kailash, standing majestic and serene amidst the Himalayan range.

  "See? We aren't a fireball anymore... the friction flames have died out because I dropped our speed a bit too much and lost my momentum!" Having said that, Lord Ren decided to surge with one last burst of divine energy to reach their destination on time.

  BOOM!!!!!!!!

  A thunderous Supersonic blast roared through the atmosphere, sounding like a war cry announcing to whoever was below that the visitors had arrived. The massive air pressure created a blinding flash that rippled across the Tibetan sky. Indian soldiers lying in wait scrambled from their positions in total shock, while long-range surveillance drones circling the area lost stability and plunged into the ravines, unable to withstand the violent atmospheric shockwave.

  At just one kilometer before impact, instead of decelerating, Lord Ren surged his power to the absolute limit. The four figures were enveloped in a brilliant, multi-colored glow, resembling a streak of aurora borealis plunging from the heavens.

  As the distance closed to a mere 100 meters, Victor, seeing the snow-covered ground rushing toward him at high speed, completely lost his mind and let out a terrified shriek. Even Yuri and Chris were stunned, crying out in alarm, as the scene before them looked like a fatal head-on collision with the mountain peak!

  However, at just 10 meters before impact, Lord Ren came to a dead halt in the blink of an eye, simultaneously unleashing a massive burst of energy into the thick layers of snow atop Mount Kailash.

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  BOOM!!!!!!!!

  The shockwave blasted the snow in all directions, triggering a massive avalanche that roared down the mountainside, blinding anyone who might have been watching. The maneuver left a long, lingering trail of aurora light stretching from the sky to the earth.

  "I'm dead... I'm really dead, aren't I?!" Victor continued to wail in shock, forcing Lord Ren to use his power to silence them all before they could make any more noise.

  "Where is the entrance... Chris?!" Ren asked urgently.

  "It’s down there! Under that massive cliff overhang... It’s underneath; we have to fly in!" Chris replied, his voice still trembling from the near-death experience they had just survived.

  Once the exact coordinates were confirmed, Lord Ren instantly extinguished the brilliant aurora light, allowing darkness and the biting cold to reclaim the area. "Then lead the way now. As fast as possible!"

  Chris obeyed without hesitation, immediately diving beneath the giant cliff overhang to lead them toward the secret hidden deep within this sacred mountain.

  Everyone flew swiftly after Chris in total silence. Not a single word was uttered until they reached the spot Chris had described beneath the steep cliff. Chris came to a halt, turned to look at everyone, and gave a firm nod—the signal that they had "arrived."

  Chris was the first to head inside. The entrance he led them to wasn't a carved stone portal or some unnaturally geometric structure. It was merely a natural rock fissure, so ordinary it was almost surprising. It was wide enough for a person to fly through comfortably, yet not so large that it would be easily spotted from a distance.

  As they plunged into the darkness, the VSS suits of the three pilots automatically engaged Night Vision mode. As for Lord Ren, he simply adjusted his pupils and spiritual senses, allowing him to see everything as clearly as if it were broad daylight.

  FLAP! FLAP! FLAP!

  Hundreds of startled bats swarmed out of the cave, shrieking past the group as they moved inward. Inside, the cave was a winding labyrinth of rock fissures, desolate and biting cold. It seemed as though nothing could survive here... except for these locals.

  "Long-eared bats... the true masters of the Tibetan mountains. The highest-dwelling flying mammals in the world, living at over 5,000 meters above sea level," Victor remarked softly, his voice sounding much more relaxed.

  "You actually know about them, Brother?" Yuri asked, curious.

  "Not at all... I just asked Sonic a second ago. Hahaha!" Victor replied with a low chuckle through the comms, finally returning to his usual teasing self after the shock of the near-fatal descent.

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  Provisional Command Center, Indian Army (The Great Kora)

  Chaos erupted on the ground following the deafening, earth-shaking blast. The air pressure hadn't just neutralized the surveillance drones; it had awakened the subterranean locals from their slumber.

  "Avalanche coming down from the peak, sir! The vibrations have crippled our communication equipment, and the blast sent almost every surveillance drone plummeting from the sky!" a communications officer reported in a state of panic.

  "What about the remaining drones? Restore the visual feed immediately!" the Indian General barked with mounting irritation.

  "We can't do anything, sir! We have to pull the remaining drones back now. Hundreds of thousands of bats must have sensed the massive vibrations; they've swarmed out in such numbers that they're practically blotting out the sun! If we push further, the drones will collide with the bats and be taken down for sure!" The officer pointed toward the sky, which was now obscured by a swarming, writhing black mass of winged creatures, completely severing their line of sight.

  Once the atmospheric blast that triggered the avalanche began to subside, the surroundings of Mount Kailash were reclaimed by a heavy silence, broken only by the rhythmic flapping of hundreds of thousands of bats swirling like a colossal dark cloud. One by one, the Indian soldiers who had been lying in wait for a decisive strike emerged from their covers to survey the ruin. The sophisticated technology and communication tools that once threatened this sacred land were now reduced to scrap metal; only small, portable handheld radios remained functional.

  "No reported casualties among the troops, sir!" a soldier shouted through the freezing air.

  Amidst the chaos, the five Super-Soldiers—once so arrogant in their superhuman might—marched toward the open clearing facing the summit of Mount Kailash. All five collapsed onto their knees upon the frigid stone, their faces contorted with absolute terror.

  "We have sinned... for intruding upon your sacred sanctuary. We beg for your forgiveness, Lord Shiva!"

  Following their plea, the five warriors slammed their foreheads against the jagged stone with such force it seemed they were trying to bleed out their sins. Crimson blood began to seep from the wounds on their foreheads, masking their faces. The sight struck the Indian General and the entire company of soldiers with a chilling dread of the supernatural. One by one, every man followed suit, dropping to their knees to begin a frantic ritual of atonement to Lord Shiva.

  THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

  The sound of foreheads striking stone echoed throughout the valley, a symphony of pain they accepted to cleanse their defilement. The entire company knelt there, bashing their heads until blood pooled on the ground—a pitiful yet terrifying sight that transformed the battlefield into a ritual ground soaked in blood and fanatical faith.

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  Deep Inside the Cave, Beneath Mount Kailash

  Deeper and deeper they flew, pressing through the drafts created by the massive swarm of bats as they descended. The path spiraled down toward the very foundation of the mountain. Once the last bat had streaked past, the interior began to expand. The initial claustrophobia vanished, replaced by a cavernous hall so immense that even if they reached out, they could no longer touch the walls like they had before.

  The HUD displays inside their helmets began to malfunction. Despite being in Night Vision mode, all they could see was a dull, empty grey void.

  "Is the camera broken? Why can't I see anything!" Yuri’s anxious voice echoed and resonated through the lightless abyss.

  "It’s not broken... it’s just that this place is too vast. The infrared range can't detect a thing because there’s no light or nearby objects for the sensors to bounce off of," Lord Ren remarked, his voice deep and steady.

  Suddenly, Lord Ren opened his palm, manifesting a brilliant fireball in the center. He then commanded it to shatter into a dozen smaller embers, which streaked toward different corners of the cavern to light the way. The divine illumination left Victor and Yuri in awe of the beauty and the absolute control he possessed.

  But as the embers lit the space, Chris—who seemed to recall the coordinates with perfect precision—glided toward a section of the wall that looked unnaturally smooth. He reached out and pressed a specific spot with confidence... a light switch!

  FLICK! FLICK! FLICK!

  The moment the switch was engaged, rows of professionally installed lights along the cavern ceiling flared to life simultaneously. The darkness was banished, revealing a hidden world of semi-technological architecture tucked deep beneath the earth!

  The Hall Beneath Mount Kailash

  "You could have told me there was electricity; I wouldn't have had to waste my energy," Lord Ren said, waving his hand to recall the divine embers back into his palm until they vanished.

  The atmosphere shifted instantly as the ceiling lights flared. The previous sense of claustrophobia and the haunting echoes died away as if by a miracle.

  "Everyone can speak normally in here now. You can be as loud as you want. Did you notice the echoes are gone?" Lord Ren continued, taking a deep breath. "This place is completely severed from the outside world. The air circulation is perfect, as if we were living on the plains... It must be Prom who made this possible. And that gate over there... I assume it’s the entrance to another world, isn't it?"

  Lord Ren’s words made everyone freeze in their tracks. They stared at him in utter disbelief—especially Chris, whose eyes widened with shock.

  "You... you know this place?" Chris asked, his voice trembling. "What is Prom? And how do you know about that gate?"

  Lord Ren’s gaze remained fixed on the massive gate ahead, his expression unreadable—as if he were looking through time itself, searching for a memory buried long ago.

  "I have never known this place..." Lord Ren replied in a level voice, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "But I know that only Prom possesses the power to create a sanctuary so perfectly severed from the outside world. And what of your master, Chris? Where has he gone now?"

  Ren’s question made Chris pause for a moment before he turned to answer, "Please, follow me first. I will tell you everything shortly."

  With those words, Chris glided forward toward the colossal gate Lord Ren had noticed. Yet, as they moved through the vast hall, a chill ran down all four of their spines. The ceiling lights now revealed countless stone statues of bizarre creatures standing sentinel throughout the area.

  These stone beasts were hauntingly strange. The most prominent were the statues of gargantuan "Horned Serpents"coiled in the dark corners. Beside them stood giant "Tigers" with muscles so vividly defined they looked ready to pounce. There were also countless carvings of "Demons and Wraiths" with fierce, contorted faces.

  Every detail of the carvings was so exquisite they seemed almost alive. Those stone eyes appeared to watch and track their every move, like sentries that never sleep.

  As Chris led them to the far end of the hall, the four of them came to a dead stop before a colossal stone gate looming ahead. It looked so massive and fortified that no ordinary human strength could ever hope to budge it. Guarding the entrance were two gargantuan stone bulls, standing four meters tall, flanking the gate in silent vigil. Heavy iron chains were harnessed around their necks, linked directly to the massive rings on each of the stone doors.

  "So, how are we supposed to open this?" Yuri asked, craning her neck to take in the sheer scale of the gate and the stone bulls.

  "I don’t have enough power left to force this door open... but these two bulls are likely the ones who will open it for us," Lord Ren remarked in a deep, steady voice. Victor, still curious about the material, stepped closer and touched the leg of the nearest bull. "It really is stone... freezing cold and incredibly hard."

  No sooner had the words left his mouth than Chris floated up to the ear of the giant bull on the left. He leaned in and whispered a secret phrase softly into its ear.

  Lord Ren watched in silence, asking no questions. Instead, he drifted up to the ear of the bull on the right and whispered something into it as well. Chris froze mid-whisper, staring at Lord Ren in utter disbelief. He had never imagined that Lord Ren would also know how to "communicate" with the guardians of this gate.

  Suddenly, both giant stone bulls began to stir, causing cracks to spiderweb across their entire bodies. The sharp sound of stone snapping and splintering echoed as the outer rocky skin gradually sloughed off onto the floor. Yuri and Victor scrambled back in sheer terror until the outer layer had completely fallen away, revealing the true forms beneath... two Great White Bulls, their powerful muscles rippling under skin as pure and white as the snow atop the mountain peaks.

  They began to shake their bodies and toss their heads, stretching their limbs after an aeon of slumber. The remaining stone fragments stuck in their fur flew in every direction like shrapnel.

  "Your master... and you yourself must not have opened this gate for a very long time," Lord Ren remarked, watching the giant white bulls return to life. "Otherwise, these bulls wouldn't have remained in such a deep meditative state that they turned to stone guarding this entrance."

  "How do you know about these things?!" Chris exclaimed, utterly shocked. He had never imagined anyone else in the world knew the secret of the gate’s hibernation.

  "And what did you say to that bull?" Lord Ren asked, bypassing Chris’s question.

  "My master taught it to me... I don't even know what language it is. I simply repeated the words exactly as he instructed," Chris answered honestly.

  "That is the ancient Tefa language... and I know it well. I spoke the exact same sentence you did, and I shall tell you all what it means," Lord Ren declared, his voice resonant and commanding.

  His words caused Victor and Yuri, who were still mesmerized by the giant bulls, to snap their attention toward him, consumed by a burning curiosity to know the secret hidden within that ancient whisper.

  “The meaning is... ‘Open the gate for me, and I’ll bring you a whole heap of grass and water,’” Lord Ren revealed with a deadpan expression. The blunt honesty of the ancient language almost made Victor burst out laughing.

  As soon as Lord Ren finished speaking, the two Great White Bulls didn't hesitate. They lowered their heads, dug in their hooves, and began to march forward with immense power. The gargantuan chains harnessed to them pulled taut, finally dragging the massive stone doors into motion.

  RUMBLE... RUMBLE... RUMBLE!

  The sound of stone grinding against stone echoed thunderously throughout the cavern. As the doors slowly creaked open, a brilliance many times stronger than the ceiling lights flooded out from within. “Sunlight! That’s actual sunlight!” Victor exclaimed, quickly backing away to make path for the giant bulls as they marched past.

  The white bulls snorted loudly, straining until the doors were flung wide open. Only then did they come to a halt. Lord Ren wasted no time; he swept his hand toward the open gateway, and instantly, his divine power snatched a massive pile of lush, green grass from the fields inside and dumped it right in front of the giant bulls. Not stopping there, he manipulated a stream of water to flow through the air, filling the troughs to the brim.

  Upon seeing their favorite treats, the two bulls immediately lost all interest in their visitors. They lowered their heads to graze and drink happily under Lord Ren’s fond gaze.

  However... when everyone finally turned to see what truly lay beyond those gates, they were frozen in place, jaws dropped. What they beheld was far beyond the reaches of imagination. Inside that gateway…

  “Oh my God... how is this even possible!” Victor exclaimed, completely losing his composure. His eyes were wide with shock behind the visor of his VSS suit.

  The sight revealed behind the colossal stone gate was an entire hidden world. The cavern, once shrouded in darkness, had transformed into a vast expanse stretching as far as the eye could see. A miniature Internal Sun hung suspended in the sky, bathing the lush green meadows in warm, golden sunlight. Animals of all sizes roamed freely, while vibrant butterflies and insects fluttered over crystal-clear streams that meandered through a flourishing forest.

  Even more breathtaking were the Ancient Timber Houses of various styles and eras, dotted in the distance. It looked like a living museum of diverse cultures, belonging to those who had sought sanctuary in this place throughout history.

  "So, you have finally returned..." a familiar whisper echoed in Chris’s mind, and his alone.

  "What took you so long? I tried to reach you through telepathy, but your signal vanished for weeks. I feared you hadn't survived," the voice said, heavy with concern and relief.

  "Master! I'm here!" Chris spoke aloud, his voice trembling with excitement and overwhelming emotion. "I have so much to tell you... but which peak are you on? I'm looking everywhere, but I can't see you."

  While Chris conversed with the void through his mental link, the rest of the team remained dead silent. They stepped back, giving Chris the space to communicate with his master. Even Victor, usually never one to stay quiet, stood frozen, mesmerized by the unbelievable landscape before his eyes.

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  Area 51 Command Center, Nevada, USA

  "The Indian troops have completely abandoned their duties, sir!" an officer reported with a worried tone. "They're convinced that Lord Shiva is enraged by the intrusion into his sacred domain. Right now, the entire company is kneeling, bashing their heads against the stones until they're covered in blood, just to beg for forgiveness."

  "This is madness!" General Miller cursed, his patience wearing thin. The superstition of the local forces was causing his plans to crumble. "If they're too cowardly to do their jobs, then it looks like I'll have to send our own people to handle this!"

  "Master is going to be furious with me... dammit!" Miller muttered to himself, caught between confusion and mounting pressure, before barking out a thunderous command. "Deploy the Flying Units immediately! Fully armed to the teeth! Move out now!"

  The personnel scrambled to execute the orders, while Miller’s heart beat erratically in his chest.

  "They have arrived at the destination... send your men to find them. But do not be reckless. Find them, and observe from a distance. That is all."

  A cold, telepathic voice echoed inside General Miller’s head, causing him to go still instantly. His fierce gaze shifted to one of profound dread and reverence. He could do nothing but grit his teeth and accept the command within his mind.

  ————————————————————————————— Ruth VT-Hin —————