After exiting the Beast Continent through the gate, the Heart Clone led his family back through the corridors of the Abode of the Sky until they reached the control spire—a tall, elegant chamber at the very top of the fortress, its walls lined with softly glowing crystal panels and a single raised platform in the center topped by a large, transparent orb that pulsed gently with inner light.
The Heart Clone stepped onto the platform and spoke in his usual calm, patient tone.
"Controlling this Abode is really easy. You simply place your hand here in the center, and it will activate—but only members of our family can use it. No outsider will ever be able to access or control the fortress."
He paused to let the words settle, then continued.
"Once activated, the control spire connects directly to your mind. You will instantly understand all its functions, see the current status of the fortress, and be able to command it with just a thought."
To demonstrate, the Heart Clone placed his palm on the orb.
A soft hum filled the chamber, and the connection formed instantly.
With a simple mental command, he willed the fortress to rise upward.
The family immediately felt the gentle shift—the entire structure began ascending smoothly and steadily, the ground far below falling away as clouds drifted past.
The Heart Clone turned to them and continued explaining in a clear, reassuring voice.
"There are also a few important things you should remember. First, you can return to Earth at any time through the stable teleportation passage, even when the fortress is far away in space. Second, I have linked the fortress directly to the origin point in the Yutsa Valley below, so we will never lack essence flow or energy—the connection remains stable no matter the distance, thanks to the Ether Clone's spatial work. Third, the fortress can perform space jumps of up to 5,000 kilometers every single second, which means reaching the moon will take almost no time at all. And most importantly, we must always set the destination direction ourselves at first—the spire will record every journey, and once enough data is collected, the fortress can eventually travel automatically along familiar routes."
The family nodded slowly, absorbing the information.
They had already grasped the main functions: the fortress was not just a home—it was a mobile, self-sustaining, near-indestructible vessel capable of crossing the solar system with ease.
Sanya's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Brother, let's go to the moon!"
The Heart Clone smiled beneath his mask.
"Okay. Let's go."
He focused once more on the control orb, setting the destination toward the moon.
The fortress rose steadily higher, passing through the upper atmosphere until the blue curve of Earth fell away beneath them and the blackness of space surrounded them completely.
Then, instead of folding space like Ankit usually did, the fortress prepared for a true space jump.
The Heart Clone had chosen not to perform the jump while still near Earth's surface.
Unlike the smooth spatial passages or Ankit's personal folding technique, space jumping involved puncturing the fabric of space itself with raw force—creating a temporary tunnel that tore through reality.
If he had done it close to the ground, the violent rupture would have sucked in massive amounts of air, oxygen, clouds, essence flow, and even chunks of earth, leaving behind a barren, devastated zone.
Even though space would naturally repair itself over time, the lost matter—air, water vapor, essence—would not return.
The damage would linger for years.
So he waited until they were safely beyond the atmosphere, where nothing living or essential would be harmed.
The moment the fortress reached open space, the surrounding void began to writhe and twist.
A shimmering distortion appeared ahead, like reality itself being folded and pierced.
Then, with a silent pulse, the Abode of the Sky vanished from its position and reappeared 5,000 kilometers closer to the moon.
Again.
And again.
Each jump precise, instantaneous, and perfectly controlled.
The distance between Earth and the moon—approximately 400,000 kilometers—would take only about eighty seconds at this rate.
The family watched through the wide observation windows as Earth shrank rapidly behind them, the moon growing larger with every jump, its cratered surface coming into sharp, breathtaking detail.
Rudra pressed his face against the glass, eyes shining.
Sanya gripped the railing, whispering, "We're really going to the moon…"
Kamal and Neelam stood side by side, sharing a quiet moment of wonder at the impossible journey their son had made possible.
The Heart Clone remained at the center, guiding each jump with calm precision.
The Abode of the Sky moved onward smoothly through the void, carrying its family toward the silver surface of Earth's closest companion—a journey that, only weeks ago, would have seemed like pure fantasy to every one of them.
They reached the moon in just one and a half minutes.
The family barely noticed the passage of time; if not for the ever-changing, realistic 360-degree view displayed across the control spire's panoramic panels, they might have thought they hadn't moved at all.
One moment Earth filled half the sky behind them, the next the moon loomed large and detailed—craters sharp under harsh sunlight, dusty plains stretching endlessly, a scattering of small asteroids drifting lazily in the distance.
Sanya pressed her face close to the viewing panel, eyes sparkling.
"Brother, let's land there! I want to see it up close!"