Chapter Two: A Mission Through Time, a Challenge to Fate

A tense atmosphere reigned in the main hall of Azarala's science center. Tall stained-glass windows let in the rays of the setting sun, tinting the ancient stone walls in shades of purple and gold. The finest minds of the magical world had gathered around a massive round table.

The Supreme Keeper Aruna sat at the head of the table, her golden hair shimmering in the evening light. To her right sat the seasoned wizard Veleslav, whose long beard was braided in intricate patterns. On her left sat Professor Miroslav Charoknizhny, a scholar-wizard renowned for his research into infected universes.

The young mages — Vidomir and Aria — stood by a large holographic map of the universe of Aurea, on which a troubling red point pulsed — the location where Darina was.

"The infected universes are recovering too slowly," Aruna began, passing her hand over the map. "We have a chance to speed up their salvation."

Veleslav shook his head:

"There's a very high likelihood that Darina could develop an immunity, but she's dying, and there isn't time for the immunity to develop."

"But there must be a way!" Aria exclaimed, her eyes burning with determination. "We can't just leave Darina there!"

Professor Miroslav Charoknizhny tapped his fingers thoughtfully against an ancient tome. "Perhaps Darina can be saved. She could be the first person from the universe of Aurea capable of healing from the tyng viruses. In the future, by gathering healed people from every universe, we could concoct an elixir from their immune cells. That elixir could heal every universe."

"I've been studying the ancient scrolls," Vidomir spoke up, nervously fidgeting with the sleeve of his mantle. "Veleslav and I could penetrate into the universe of Aurea, at the moment Darina is dying."

Aruna looked closely at the young mage:

"Go on."

"Veleslav and I have immunity, and we can enter infected worlds," Vidomir said, approaching the map. "We need to make sure Darina doesn't die."

"I could stop time, and we could save the bystanders who shouldn't die," Veleslav chimed in, his eyes lighting up. "Yes, this could work!"

Professor Miroslav Charoknizhny was making rapid calculations:

"We need to interfere with the ship's onboard computer. The artificial intelligence fought off an attack from one ship, destroyed one ship, and the other two destroyed Darina's ship. Darina didn't even realize there had been an attack on their ship — she had her headphones on and was looking at her tablet. And her partner Bronislava was asleep. We need to interfere with the onboard computer's function and repel the attack from all the ships. Vidomir and Veleslav, make sure the people aboard every ship stay alive."

"I'll coordinate the artificial intelligence aboard Darina's ship," Aruna said.

Aruna stood, her figure radiating strength and resolve:

"Time is running out; we need to act. The priority task — Darina must survive at any cost, she is the sole hope of the universe of Aurea. Her heart is kind, the tyngs cannot live without negative energy, and they're gradually weakening and leaving her body. The Keeper-vinirs have begun to dominate; soon she'll return home to us in Azarala. And in the future, thanks to her, we'll be able to heal every person in the infected universes and bring them home to Azarala. We meet at the worldport in an hour."

As everyone headed for the exit, Aruna looked at the map, where the red point continued to pulse. "Hold on, Darina," she whispered. "We're coming for you."

A sense of the coming battle hung in the air — a battle for the life of one person, for which the finest minds of Azarala were prepared to defy the laws of the universe.

A special sense of anticipation reigned in the spacious hall of Azarala's worldport. Tall vaults, adorned with ancient runes, reflected the soft glow of magical lamps. In the center of the hall gathered an unusual group: the Supreme Keeper Aruna, her silvery robe shimmering in the light of the runes; the majestic wizard Veleslav, with a staff of ancient wood crowned by a glowing crystal; and the dignified Professor Miroslav Charoknizhny. Beside them stood the young wizards — the energetic Vidomir and the graceful Aria, examining the patterns on the floor with curiosity.

Everyone moved onto the bridge, following Aruna.

Aruna raised her hands, and the air around them began to sparkle. Her fingers traced intricate symbols, which flared with golden light and hung suspended in the air. Gradually, the symbols wove together into a shining circle, within which a shimmering mirror-portal began to form.

"Remember," Aruna said in her melodious voice, "the Aluysk dimension is unlike the world we're used to. There, time flows differently, and magic manifests differently."

The portal fully formed, appearing as a shimmering mirror with golden edges. Beyond its surface could be glimpsed the outlines of another world — majestic towers, islands floating in the air, and rainbow-colored streams of energy.

"It's time," Aruna commanded, and stepped first into the portal. Veleslav followed her, then Professor Miroslav Charoknizhny. Vidomir gallantly let Aria go ahead of him and stepped through last.

A bright flash of light enveloped the travelers, and a moment later they found themselves in the Aluysk dimension of the universe of Aurea. The air here was filled with sparkling magic, and around them stretched an astonishing landscape, where reality intertwined with wonders beyond ordinary understanding.

Everyone found themselves in that very moment beside the white-hot stone Ulatar. The portal closed behind them, leaving the group alone with the ancient artifact. The atmosphere was charged with tension — everyone understood the importance of the mission ahead.

The Supreme Keeper Aruna, majestic in her wisdom, began assigning tasks. Her gaze settled on the two wizards: the seasoned Veleslav and the young but talented Vidomir. With a single motion of her hand, she opened a portal for them into the Bahorny dimension (the material world). Without further words, they stepped through the glowing opening, heading toward the place where Darina's fate was to be decided.

"The lower dimensions are infected," Aruna's voice rang out firm and confident. "But Veleslav and Vidomir have immunity. We don't. I'll cast a spell on myself, but it will only last half an hour. Through the stone Ulatar, I'll transfer my consciousness into the mind of the onboard computer in the Bahorny dimension."

Professor Miroslav raised a warning finger: "You mustn't remain there more than half an hour, even in consciousness alone. After half an hour, the tyng viruses will begin altering your consciousness, and through it, take root within you. It's dangerous, as you well know — if you become infected, you'll have to move to the lower dimensions. In the upper dimension, the infection will self-destruct within you, but it will damage your consciousness and your DNA. We'll switch off, just to be safe, every twenty minutes."

"I'll go in twenty minutes," the young wizard Aria declared confidently — Aruna's niece. Her eyes burned with determination and readiness to take up the relay from her aunt.

Everyone agreed to this plan, recognizing its wisdom.

Aruna approached the stone Ulatar. Her movements were smooth and confident as she cast the protective spell upon herself. Then she gracefully lowered herself beside the stone, settling into a lotus position. Her hand touched Ulatar's ancient surface, and in the next moment the Supreme Keeper's consciousness rushed into another dimension, leaving her body in a meditative trance at the foot of the sacred stone.

Meanwhile.

The wizards Veleslav and Vidomir found themselves at the very place where the event involving Darina and Bronislava's ship was to occur. The portal closed behind them.

"In the alternate reality, this event never happened — I reviewed the archive of the first reality," Vidomir said.

"The tyngs are forming a collective consciousness — it seems they sensed the danger coming from Darina, and decided to destroy her," Veleslav answered.

"The tyng viruses are growing more and more dangerous," Vidomir said.

"Somehow the tyngs suggested to the pilots of the enemy ships that they drift off course by chance, so that, spotting an opponent, they would attack Darina's ship and destroy it," Veleslav answered.

"So this is an alternate reality, and in the true reality, no one is meant to die on this day. Which means we need to save everyone," Vidomir said.

"Everyone, then. We'll slow time and pull people out before their ships explode," Veleslav said.

Vidomir picked up two small stones, held one out to Veleslav, and said:

"I still don't fully understand how time flows in this material world."

"Here, time flows outward from the center of every atom of matter. If we create a vortex in the flow of magical energy, forcing the electrons to spin faster around the atom's nucleus, the energy of time struggles to break through the flow of electrons," Veleslav said. "And the world near matter with accelerated electrons will slow down, while the world around it speeds up."

Veleslav continued his explanation:

"And the heavier the object, the less energy is spent slowing time, because a heavy material object contains more electrons. And if the magical flow of energy is vortexed in the opposite direction, the electrons slow down, and the energy of time flows out unimpeded, and time, conversely, speeds up near matter with slowed electrons, while the world around it slows down."

Veleslav spoke an incantation over his stone, and Vidomir did the same over his. And the world around them slowed down…

"You know, when I was a captive of the material world, I remember that when we flew with my parents and my brother aboard a ship, stepping off the ship, our watches would run slow. Why is that?" Vidomir asked.

"At high speed, etheric matter from the etheric dimension strikes the electrons, accelerating their movement. The electrons, speeding up, obstruct the flow of time from the center of the atoms. Etheric matter in the etheric dimension swirls in vortices, setting into motion, in the material world, not only the electrons within atoms, but also the planets around their stars," Veleslav answered.

Slowly, as though in a slow-motion film, Darina's ship began to appear. Veleslav and Vidomir readied themselves.

A little while before this, in the Aluysk dimension.

Professor Miroslav Charoknizhny began to speak:

"To take up the relay from Aruna in twenty minutes, we need to stay informed of events. I'll raise a screen now, so we can watch what's happening in the Bahorny dimension."

"Will we be able to speak with Aruna?" Aria asked.

"Yes, we will, and we'll see what she sees."

Miroslav raised his hands, spoke an incantation, and a screen formed above the stone Ulatar. Now Miroslav and Aria could watch and hear everything that Aruna saw and heard.

Meanwhile, Aruna's consciousness was flying aboard Darina's ship, inside the mind of the onboard computer.

Sensing the approach of enemy ships, Aruna took control of the ship herself, freezing the ship's artificial intelligence. Aruna smoothly turned the ship and launched missiles at the enemy vessels. The first two ships were struck down, while the last, the third, dodged and, turning, began to flee.

Aruna heard her niece Aria's voice: "It's time to come back."

Aruna's consciousness returned to the Aluysk dimension. Control of the ship returned to the onboard computer. The artificial intelligence, seeing the ship's systems in combat mode and an enemy ship before it, gave chase, attacking it.

In the Aluysk dimension, Aruna was coming back to herself, with Professor Miroslav helping her. Aria heard Vidomir's voice: "Everything's gone off script."

Aria answered:

"I'll sort it out now."

Aria spoke the incantation, and her consciousness was carried into the mind of Darina's onboard computer.

The Bahorny dimension (the material world). Some time later.

Veleslav and Vidomir were saving people from the two disabled ships. With time slowed, they skillfully pulled people out of the crippled vessels. Their spiritual bodies resembled both matter and spirit at once. They passed through the ship, and, pulling people out, on their way back they destroyed the ship's matter. One ship remained and began to flee. They had wanted to destroy it themselves, but the time-slowing spell's duration ran out.

Veleslav, watching the ship fly off into the distance, said:

"The plan went off script."

Vidomir informed Aria in the Aluysk dimension.

"The ships have flown far off, we'll need to move," Veleslav said.

Then he opened a portal, and Veleslav and Vidomir moved on.

Meanwhile, aboard Darina's ship.

Aria, having connected to the ship's onboard computer, saw that she was at an enemy base.

She informed Vidomir telepathically: "This little ship doesn't even have enough missiles to level everything here."

Vidomir answered her: "I'll slow time as much as possible, around you and Darina's ship. And I'll set a spell for an endless supply of ammunition. Veleslav and I will save the people."

Aria saw the world in slow motion, and began destroying first the ships, then the gun emplacements. When Aria had destroyed every threat, Darina woke and took control of the ship herself. Darina sharply steered the ship away from the enemy base.

"What the hell — you leveled the enemy base?!" Darina exclaimed, addressing Aria.

"Three enemy ships tried to attack us," Aria answered calmly. "I destroyed two, but I chased the third and ended up in the middle of the enemy base. Startled, I fired off all the next-generation missiles."

At that moment Bronislava woke and asked sleepily:

"Are we there yet?"

"Not yet, we got a little off course," Darina answered, annoyed. "But we'll be home soon."

Darina couldn't shake the feeling of unease. She talked with Aria for a long time, trying to understand what had happened.

Meanwhile, in the Aluysk dimension.

The young wizard Aria sat in a meditative trance, having touched the source of power, the stone Ulatar.

The wizards — the Supreme Keeper Aruna and Professor Miroslav Charoknizhny — noticed an unusual golden-white glow coming from Aria.

"I don't understand how this is possible," Aruna said, puzzled.

"I think Aria has developed an immunity to the tyng virus," Miroslav suggested. "Probably, the immunity was passed to her from Vidomir. They're deeply attached to each other, and almost inseparable."

Aria had just returned from the Bahorny dimension (the material world). A portal opened behind her, and the wizards Veleslav and Vidomir appeared.

Aria was the first to speak:

"Strange, but the artificial intelligence of Darina's ship's onboard computer is called the same thing as me — Iris."

Aruna and Miroslav exchanged astonished glances.

"Yes, one senses the creator's hand in this," Miroslav said thoughtfully.

Aruna approached the source, the stone Ulatar, touched it, and from the source appeared an amulet in the shape of the Ingl star. She held it out to her niece Aria.

Veleslav and Vidomir watched what was happening in astonishment.

"But how is this possible?" Vidomir exclaimed, stunned.

"It's unclear," Veleslav echoed, also in a state of shock.

"Yes, we didn't understand it ourselves right away," Miroslav admitted.

Aruna turned to Aria:

"It seems you have a new task now, Aria. You are to become Darina's Keeper."

"Oh, wonderful! I always dreamed of something like this!" Aria said, delighted.

"It's time to head back," Miroslav interrupted their joyful exclamations. "Off to the bridge."

They all walked together to the bridge, Miroslav opened a portal, and they moved home, to Azarala.

Darina and her partner Bronislava remained alive, never suspecting what forces had intervened in their fate. For them, it was only a minor incident, but for the wizards of Azarala, it became the beginning of the path toward healing every infected universe.