The glowing sea trembled.

Far beneath its glass-like surface, thousands of enormous eyes opened one after another.

Blue.

Silver.

Golden.

Each eye was larger than a city.

They did not blink.

They simply watched the Eclipse Voyager.

No one on the bridge dared to speak.

Commander Ronan Pierce finally broke the silence.

“Reverse engines.”

The pilot console flashed.

PROPULSION ONLINE

Cassian pushed the controls forward.

Nothing happened.

The engines roared.

The ship remained perfectly still.

SERA-9 checked every system.

“The engines are functioning normally.”

“Then why aren’t we moving?” Ronan demanded.

The android looked toward the ocean.

“The ship is no longer resting on the surface.”

“It is being held.”

---

The little girl, Lumi, stood beside the ship with her bare feet resting effortlessly on the glowing water.

She smiled at Cassian.

“They’re curious.”

Cassian stepped onto the boarding ramp despite Ronan’s warning.

“Who are ‘they’?”

Lumi pointed beneath the ocean.

“The Dreamers.”

Dr. Elara joined him.

“Dreamers?”

“They’re older than stars.”

“They sleep so the universe can keep dreaming.”

Elara exchanged a worried glance with SERA-9.

“That’s impossible.”

Lumi laughed softly.

“So are you.”

---

Without warning, the sea split apart.

Not violently.

Gracefully.

A circular path opened through the glowing water, revealing a staircase descending into impossible depths.

The stairs were carved from shimmering crystal.

Blue flames floated above every step, yet gave off no heat.

At the bottom…

a distant city glowed beneath the ocean.

Its towers curved like seashells made of crystal, and rivers of silver light flowed between its streets.

Cassian whispered,

“There’s a city down there.”

Lumi nodded.

“It has been waiting.”

“For us?”

“For you.”

---

Commander Ronan activated his communicator.

“Fleet Command, respond.”

Only static answered.

“The signal won’t leave this place,” SERA-9 reported.

“We’re completely isolated.”

Ronan looked at his crew.

“If we go down there…”

“…we may not come back.”

Cassian looked toward the silent city.

“We won’t get answers by staying here.”

After a long pause, Ronan nodded.

“Exploration team only.”

“Cassian. Elara. SERA-9.”

“Lumi…”

He hesitated.

“I suppose you’re coming whether I like it or not.”

Lumi smiled brightly.

“I already have.”

---

The group descended the crystal staircase.

With every step, the water above them became darker, yet they could still breathe normally.

There was no pressure.

No cold.

Only silence.

When they reached the bottom, Cassian looked up.

The entire ocean hung overhead like a glowing sky.

Thousands of gigantic eyes continued watching from above.

None of them moved.

None of them looked away.

---

The city was beautiful.

Its streets were empty.

Its fountains flowed upward.

Crystal trees bloomed with floating blue leaves that never touched the ground.

Everything looked untouched…

as if the people had vanished only moments ago.

Dr. Elara knelt beside a stone monument covered in unfamiliar symbols.

“I’ve never seen this language.”

SERA-9 suddenly froze.

Her silver eyes began glowing intensely.

“I…”

She placed one hand against her head.

“I know it.”

Cassian stared at her.

“You do?”

“I shouldn’t.”

“But I do.”

She slowly read the glowing inscription aloud.

“Welcome home, Last Keeper of Memory.”

The words echoed across the empty city.

The ground beneath their feet trembled.

In the center of the silent streets, a massive gateway of white crystal slowly began to open.

And from somewhere deep inside the ancient city…

a lonely bell rang exactly once.

The bell’s echo drifted through the silent city.

Dong…

The sound did not fade.

Instead, it rolled through every crystal street, every empty tower, every glowing bridge, as though the city itself had remembered something long forgotten.

Cassian felt the vibration in his chest.

Lumi closed her eyes.

“They know you’re here.”

Commander Ronan looked around cautiously.

“Who’s ‘they’ this time?”

Lumi opened her eyes.

“The ones who stayed behind.”

---

The great crystal gateway continued opening.

Beyond it lay a long avenue lined with towering statues.

Each statue held a glowing sphere against its chest.

Some resembled humans.

Others had wings of crystal.

A few were so strange that the human mind struggled to understand their shapes.

Dr. Elara slowly walked toward the nearest statue.

She brushed away a layer of silver dust.

An inscription appeared.

THEY KEPT THE LAST MEMORY OF THEIR STAR.

She frowned.

“The last memory?”

SERA-9 scanned the statue.

“No biological remains.”

“No machinery.”

“Only concentrated memory particles.”

Cassian looked confused.

“Memory can become matter?”

SERA-9 answered quietly,

“In this place…”

“…yes.”

---

The group continued deeper into the city.

Not a single living soul appeared.

Yet they constantly felt as though someone was walking just behind them.

Every time Cassian turned around…

No one was there.

Then—

He heard footsteps.

Slow.

Steady.

Not from behind.

From above.

He looked toward the glowing ocean hanging over the city.

The thousands of giant eyes had disappeared.

Something else had taken their place.

Thousands of enormous silhouettes were slowly walking beneath the surface of the sea.

Each figure carried a faint light in its hands.

Lumi whispered,

“They’re bringing the memories home.”

---

The avenue ended before an enormous circular plaza.

At its center stood a tree unlike anything they had ever seen.

Its trunk was made of transparent crystal.

Its branches stretched hundreds of meters into the air.

Instead of leaves…

Countless tiny stars grew upon its branches.

Some shone brightly.

Others flickered weakly.

One branch was completely dark.

Dr. Elara stared in amazement.

“It’s beautiful…”

SERA-9’s voice trembled.

“I know this place.”

Everyone turned toward her.

“I’ve been here before.”

Commander Ronan frowned.

“That’s impossible.”

“My records say it is.”

“My memories say otherwise.”

---

Without warning, SERA-9 reached toward the crystal tree.

The instant her fingertips touched its trunk—

A brilliant wave of silver light burst across the plaza.

The silent city awakened.

Windows lit one by one.

Crystal fountains began flowing.

The empty streets filled with glowing figures made entirely of light.

Families walked together.

Children laughed as they chased shimmering birds through the air.

Musicians played instruments that produced visible colors instead of sound.

For a brief moment…

The city lived again.

Cassian watched in wonder.

“They’re memories…”

Lumi nodded.

“The last day before everyone disappeared.”

A tear rolled down Dr. Elara’s cheek.

“They preserved an entire civilization…”

“Inside a tree.”

---

Suddenly, every glowing figure stopped moving.

All at once.

Every head slowly turned toward Cassian.

Thousands of silent faces looked directly at him.

The warm light filling the city dimmed.

The laughter vanished.

The crystal tree began turning black from its roots upward.

SERA-9 stepped back in alarm.

“Something has entered the city.”

Commander Ronan drew his weapon.

“Where?”

The answer came from everywhere.

A deep voice echoed through every street.

“Another memory has returned.”

The shadows beneath the glowing ocean began swirling together.

A gigantic figure slowly descended from the water.

It wore a cloak woven from countless stars.

Its face was hidden behind a smooth mask of black crystal.

Around its neck hung thousands of tiny glowing lights…

Each one pulsing like a heartbeat.

The figure stopped before Cassian.

Then, in a calm voice filled with ancient sorrow, it spoke:

“Welcome back… Keeper of the Last Light.”