A sharp mechanical sound broke the silence.
Hissss—
Cold vapor burst out from the seams of the metal, forming a thin mist that slowly spread across the room. Dim lights flickered, like old lamps forced awake after a long sleep.
Among rows of neatly aligned hibernation pods, one of them began to open.
The safety locks released one by one with a series of clicks. The metal panel on top lifted slowly, revealing what was inside.
A boy.
His body lay still, coated in a thin layer of shimmering liquid under the bluish light. His black hair clung to his forehead, contrasting with his pale skin—too pale for someone who was supposed to be alive.
For a few seconds, nothing moved.
Only the faint hum of machinery filled the background.
Then—
His fingers twitched.
A small movement, barely noticeable. But enough to break the silence that had lasted for who knows how long.
His chest rose slowly.
One breath.
Then another—deeper, heavier, as if his lungs had forgotten how to function.
His eyelids trembled.
Slowly… he opened his eyes.
An empty gaze met the metal ceiling above him. The cold light pierced his pupils, making him squint reflexively. The world felt blurry, like a dream that hadn't fully let go.
He tried to move his body.
Heavy.
Extremely heavy.
As if every part of him was still bound by the remnants of a long sleep that hadn't completely ended.
A soft voice suddenly echoed throughout the room.
Neutral. Calm. Without emotion.
"Hibernation capsule unit AB-2 has been opened."
The boy didn't react immediately.
His breathing was still uneven. His body struggled to adjust to the returning awareness when a gentle push at his back slowly lifted him into a half-sitting position, making it easier for him to breathe.
"Subject identified."
"Name: Lucian Vale."
"Gender: male."
"Biological age: twelve years old."
The lights around him gradually brightened.
Panels along the walls lit up one by one, revealing a vast room filled with similar pods—hundreds, maybe thousands—all tightly sealed, silent, and unmoving.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
Lucian finally moved his head, though with difficulty.
His lips parted slightly.
A hoarse voice came out, barely audible.
"…where…"
The sentence cut off before it could finish.
"Welcome back."
The voice remained calm, emotionless.
"My name is RA."
A brief pause, as if it was confirming the subject's condition.
"I am the primary artificial intelligence system of the Ark-07 colony ship.
My functions include navigation, spacecraft maintenance, and oversight of the entire crew and the colonization mission."
Lucian's vision slowly cleared. The haze faded, and for the first time, he truly saw the source of the voice.
A metallic sphere floated right in front of him.
Its surface was smooth, with a lens at the front emitting a soft blue glow.
"The hibernation capsule was damaged during the warp process."
Silence returned, but this time it felt heavier.
"Two units have been successfully activated."
Two.
The word hung in the air, pressing against his still fragile awareness.
Without warning—
Hissss—
Another sound shattered the silence.
Lucian froze.
His half-blurred eyes slowly followed the direction of the sound. In the distance, another hibernation capsule began to open, cold vapor spilling out and surrounding the figure inside, shimmering under the bluish light.
A girl.
Her blonde hair spread messily, sticking to her pale face. Her body lay still for a few seconds… before her fingers slowly began to move.
Her eyelids trembled.
Then opened.
Her breathing was rougher than his. She coughed softly, trying to pull in air that felt unfamiliar in her lungs.
Within moments, another identical metallic sphere emerged from the shadows, floating toward her. Its blue lens lit up, scanning her face.
"The AB-1 unit's hibernation capsule has been opened."
RA's voice returned—calm, consistent, unchanged.
"Subject identified."
"Name: Freya Wagner."
"Gender: female."
"Biological age: thirteen years old."
The girl blinked rapidly, confused. Her gaze darted around, trying to make sense of what was happening.
"Welcome back."
The sphere stopped right in front of her.
"My name is RA."
…
With a muted mechanical sound, two sleek medical beds moved through a corridor.
The corridor… was silent.
Too silent.
Metal walls stretched endlessly, illuminated by faint bluish-white lines of light. No footsteps. No signs of life. Only the sound of wheels.
Freya turned her head stiffly. Her eyes were still filled with confusion—and something else.
Fear.
RA floated silently between them, following the movement of the beds steadily, like a guard that never faltered.
Lucian stared at the ceiling sliding past above him.
And slowly—
something began to return.
Fragments of memory.
Broken.
Blurred.
—
Year 2645.
The day humanity truly stepped beyond the limits of its own world.
It all began with one name—
Kenji Yamamoto.
A genius scientist who discovered a technology that once existed only in theory: warp drive.
A technology that allowed humans to fold space.
Not moving faster than light—because that's impossible for objects with mass—but shortening the distance itself.
With warp, interstellar travel was no longer a dream.
Ships could jump from one star system to another, cutting vast distances drastically.
Although ships still required time to recharge energy, overall travel time became nearly comparable to the speed of light.
That era became known as the golden age of human civilization.
Innovation never stopped.
Scientists emerged one after another, pushing technological boundaries beyond anything previously imagined.
Humanity reached the threshold of Kardashev Type II—mastering energy on a stellar scale.
And with that, one great goal emerged:
To find a new home.
TRAPPIST-1e.
A planet located about forty light-years from Earth.
The best candidate.
Lucian frowned.
His breathing wasn't fully stable yet, but his mind had begun to work.
Warp drastically reduced distance. And if used repeatedly, unexpected anomalies could naturally occur.
But…
Did it affect hibernation pods?
His brows furrowed deeper.
Something didn't feel right.
Lucian lifted his gaze slightly.
His eyes fell on the metallic sphere floating above him.
"…Tell me…" his voice was hoarse, almost breaking mid-sentence.
"What actually happened…"
His eyes sharpened, despite his weakened body.
"…and why were only our pods damaged?"
Silence fell.
For a moment, only the mechanical hum and the sound of wheels could be heard.
Then—
the metallic sphere turned, its blue lens blinking softly.
"Malfunctions in the hibernation pods do not occur randomly."
"Units AB-1 and AB-2 exhibited the highest levels of instability after the 37th warp cycle."
"The probability of total failure exceeds the acceptable threshold."
"The system's priority is to ensure the subject's survival."
Silence followed.
Lucian stared straight at the sphere. Its blue light remained calm—too calm.
"So what you're saying…" his voice was still hoarse, but clearer now, "the disturbance affected all hibernation pods… and somehow only ours malfunctioned?"
A brief pause.
"yes."
Lucian narrowed his eyes.
For the first time since waking up, something changed in his gaze.
Suspicion.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" his voice lowered, sharp. "Or do you think I'm just a kid who knows nothing?"
Freya quickly turned to him, slightly startled by the change in tone.
Lucian took a slow breath, holding back the discomfort in his chest, then continued—
"Even if I don't know whether warp drive can affect hibernation pods… I'm sure if warp was the problem, the impact wouldn't be this simple."
He frowned, forcing his still-heavy mind to keep working.
"I'd sooner believe you if you said half the ship disappeared during a spatial jump… rather than just capsule malfunction."
The air grew heavier.
"And on top of that…" he continued, his gaze sharpening, "if what you said is true, it's extremely strange that only our pods malfunctioned."
The metallic sphere remained in place.
Its light didn't change.
"Warp technology is a new invention. Although it has shown no issues during the testing phase, the process requires a significant amount of energy."
"Power fluctuations can cause malfunctions, including minor short circuits that could damage the hibernation capsule."
Lucian cut it off immediately.
"You're lying, aren't you?"
The atmosphere tightened instantly.
Freya unconsciously held her breath.
Lucian didn't look away.
"…I've read the hibernation capsule manual before," he continued, quieter—but somehow more pressing. "And if there's damage, the capsule should emit a red light."
His eyes shifted slightly, recalling the moment the girl beside him woke up.
"If I were the second one to wake up… maybe I would believe you."
He paused briefly.
Then looked straight back at the blue lens.
"But from what I saw…"
His voice lowered.
"…the capsule emitted a blue light."
Silence.
"…which means there was no damage at all."