There was no longer silence in Eva's apartment. Silence had become less of a choice and more of a temporary pause. Emails kept coming; with a clockwork, rhythmic, and disturbing regularity. They neither liked the morning nor the night. It was as if they didn't particularly care about the concept of time, about human habits.
The last message on the screen contained only a coordinate.
Don't be late. Don't come alone.
Those two sentences strangely reassured Eva. She wouldn't come alone. It was a threat, but also a permission.
Jenna sat across the table, plotting the coordinates on the map on her laptop. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes moved carefully.
"This place," she said finally, "is quite far from the city center. An abandoned industrial area."
"Great," Dora said reluctantly. "Exactly the kind of place I wanted to happen to."
Clementin stood. His arms were crossed over his chest. He was thinking fast; the muscles in his face betrayed it.
"We're not telling the police," he said in a clear voice.
Eva nodded. "Even if we did, they wouldn't do anything."
Hatoshi appeared on the screen. Despite the time difference, he was awake. His voice was calm, almost didactic.
"This isn't an invitation," he said. "This is a test."
"What kind of test?" Dora asked.
"Who will come," Hatoshi said. "And who will stay."
This sentence heavy the air in the room. Eva felt the energy inside her give way to a controlled tension. She wasn't afraid. But she was on alert.
They set off that night. When they got off the subway, the surroundings were almost completely empty. Rusty signs, extinguished streetlights, and the sound of the wind hitting metal surfaces… Everything seemed too deliberate.
Clementin walked ahead. Jenna was observing the surroundings as if taking notes, Dora was maintaining her distance. Eva, meanwhile, was following her instincts.
When they reached the point indicated by the coordinates, there was nothing on the ground. No door, no building, no explanation.
"Is this a joke?" Dora said.
Eva felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. A new email.
Try not looking, try stopping.
Eva stopped. Really stopped. She didn't move, she didn't speak. She just stayed where she was.
The ground trembled.
At first it was slight. Then it deepened. The air thickened; as if the oxygen had become heavier. Jenna held her breath.
"Eva," she whispered. "What's happening?"
She didn't answer. The image before her eyes distorted. The city… shifted. Reality was pulled back like a curtain.
And a moment later, London was gone.
The ground was smooth. The sky wasn't the usual blue; it was a layered structure of purple and copper tones. In the distance, structures rose—cities built with sharp geometries, seemingly untouched by human hands.
"3021," Jenna whispered. "This…is impossible."
Three cities were discernible. One was filled with tall, narrow structures; another consisted of sprawling, circular areas; The third was in an almost organic form.
"Do they see us?" Dora asked.
Eva looked around. There were alien beings—in different forms, with different movements. But none of them reacted.
"No," Eva said slowly. "We… are invisible."
This realization came with a strange sense of security. They were watching, but not involved.
As they entered Zianne City, Eva felt dizzy. Beings moving between structures, energy-powered systems, creatures communicating without words…
"This is a showcase," Jenna said. "But it's for us."
Suddenly, images flashed through Eva's mind. Her own past. Her parents. Unspoken words. Avoided decisions.
"This place," Clementin said, clenching his teeth, "enters our minds."
Eva nodded. "And it gives us something."
It really did. Eva realized she could sense the space. Dora sensed the rules beforehand. Jenna was seeing the dates—the ones that hadn't happened. Clementin's reflexes sharpened.
And Hatoshi… Hatoshi was smiling.
"This is just the beginning," he said. "And we can't go back now."
The sky darkened.
A new portal was opening.
And the next universe awaited them.