The lack of energy source gave way to an infinite, cold void. Elaraion Vance, age 16, explorer, felt his consciousness dissipate in the abyss of the Philippine Trench, the 3rd deepest in the world.
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United Earth Alliance - Year 5298Earth
Exploration Department - Command Center
A man in his twenties froze mid-keystroke, eyes snapping to the colossal screen dominating the room. Around him, the low hum of activity died as every gaze followed his. The SOS alert, a fragile thread of hope they'd clung to for hours, had gone silent.
The silence stretched, thick and heavy as the trench itself. Then, a sharp cry broke it – someone crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Others sank into their chairs, eyes fixed and vacant. The air thrummed with unspoken grief, the brutal certainty settling over them: the five explorers were gone.
The commanding officer, Chief Borden, rose slowly, a heavy weight settling on his shoulders as he walked to the front of colossal screen and face the team. "No one," he announced, his voice rough, "is to disclose the events of this incident outside this room. I will personally contact the families of those lost. They will receive the full support of our government – our penance for this incident."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the devastated faces. "This is a profound loss. A shock to us all, especially those close to our heroes. But we will exert every effort to recover their remains, however slim the chance might be. Take one hour. A moment of silence. Then I expect you to be back here, at your best."
Meanwhile, before a gigantic stone door...
Awareness returned to Elaraion, not as body, but as something... less. Drifting. 'So this is how it feels like to be dead?' he mused, a thought without vocal cords. He was a transparent wisp, a cloud-like form, unable to control or interact with anything. For a few minutes, he simply floated near where his body lay, until all of a sudden, there was an insistent tug that pulled him upwards.
'What now? Am I headed for Heaven?'
The pull was slow at first, a gentle current, before rapidly accelerating. All he could do was observe the view changing below. As a soul, obstacles were meaningless; he passed through rock and water effortlessly. Soon, the complex pathways of the cavern gave way to open ocean, then the vast, unbroken surface.
He ascended to a certain height, before the pulling force leveling off, then shifting direction entirely – horizontally, towards the horizon. 'Wait. Am I... am I being rejected from Heaven? Am I bound for Hell?!' Panic flared, a formless emotion in a formless state. He frantically reviewed his short life. He wasn't a saint, sure, but evil? Never! 'This is insane! Unfair!' He wanted to pound his non-existent fists, to argue, and to storm Heaven's gates if only he could control this... this fart form of himself. He grumbled the thought begrudgingly.
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United Earth Alliance - Year 5298
Advance Soul Research Department - Phase 2 Laboratory
The vast lab, covering some 1,500 square meters, buzzed with a tense energy. Around forty researchers in white coats moved briskly with holographic tablets clutched in their hands. Supercomputers hummed while AI robots navigated floor paths, and specialized rooms lined the walls. The scene was calm, yet thick with urgency.
Doctor Ying silenced the room with a raised hand, her face grim, voice heavy. "Everyone, stop. Listen. I've just received confirmation from the command center. The team in the Philippine Trench... they encountered unforeseen misfortune. They're all gone."
A collective gasp swept through the room. Dr. Ying continued, "I know we've faced skepticism, even mockery, for our work. But this isn't about validation anymore." He looked at each face, his gaze intense. "This is about the three volunteers who enrolled in Phase 2. They put their faith in us! Now, we have a duty – to do everything in our power to give them another chance. Forget research results for a moment. This is about them."
"Yes, Doctor!" The response was a unified, fervent chorus.
Minutes later, a researcher called out, "Doctor! Soul signatures detected! Items A and C are active! However, there is no response from Item B."
Item A: a woman's bracelet.
Item B: a black book, a journal.
Item C: a ring.
It didn't take long for Elaraion to recognize his destination. As his soul accelerated across the ocean, a majestic metropolis rose on the horizon – Terra Prime, the sprawling heart of the United Earth Alliance, built upon the historical foundations of Old Earth's major population centers. Over millennia, it had transformed into a single, hyper-connected global city, its history synonymous with the Alliance's journey from ecological collapse to unified government.
'Looks like the pull is from my ring,' Elaraion realized, astounded. 'The one left at the Advanced Soul Research lab. Did they... did they actually have a breakthrough? Keeping souls intact after death?' He wasn't bound for Heaven or Hell, but actually back to Earth, to a laboratory.
The journey across the ocean only took mere minutes. He zipped towards a specific building ahead and seeing researchers in white coats through multiple glass panels as he neared.
"Soul signature sensors detected an increased activity in Item C," an AI voice announced, clear and synthetic. "Stabilizing. Initializing wormhole activation. Soul and Item transfer for Item C will begin in T-minus 60 seconds. 59 seconds. 58 seconds..."
Elaraion hovered within the glass, silently observing. He saw their faces – the anxiety, the hope, the fear etched there as they monitored the procedure, willing it to succeed.
'I don't even know what to feel,' he thought. 'Dying, and now I'm an experiment? This won't hurt, will it? Can souls even feel pain?' He recalled the last command he gave to 'Halo', the discussions about induced comas to mitigate potential suffering through asphyxiation. 'Just hope forcing that coma wasn't pointless.'
Doctor Ying, watched the energy readings spike and offered a silent prayer as the wormhole shimmered into existence while the countdown reached its final seconds. 'May God, or whoever watches over us, guide your soul.'
A blinding flash erupted before the researchers, and then, Items A and C vanished into the swirling vortex.
"Beep! Beep!" an immediate alert blared from the AI. "Warning! Wormhole branched! Item A trajectory diverted from Item C. No available means to redirect or merge paths."