Youssef smiled and said:
"Don't say anything. Just prepare yourself - the journey begins in three days. We're going to New Atlantis, and fortunately, since we live in Egypt and Atlantis is an integral part of it, the trip will be very short, which makes me happy."
Nour nodded, his eyes still fixed on the tickets as if they had cast a spell on him:
"Of course, I'll go tell my family about my departure."
Nour bid farewell to Youssef and rushed toward his home, clutching the travel ticket tightly, excitement coursing through his body as he spoke to himself:
"I've always felt space calling to me, enticing me to sail through it and discover God's kingdom in this vast universe. I never found my place here on this miserable planet filled with wars, hatred, and endless trivialities. Everyone here misunderstands life, driven by greed and self-interest - endless wars, endless destruction, endless suffering that won't cease until this planet ends. My only salvation from all this pain is to sail far away where wonders await, where stars and planets meet, floating endlessly in peace, calm, and serenity. Finally, the time has come to fulfill the dream I've waited so long for."
Nour sped toward his house situated in an isolated area surrounded by stunning plains. His father loved tranquility and distance from people - a trait Nour had inherited. Their house stood proudly alone on an elevated plain, though not far from other houses and malls, just a few miles away. Nour preferred life this way: amidst nature with its gentle breeze and wonderful quietude, where winds caressed the plains in harmony and birds chirped their songs around them.
He pedaled toward the plain as the red sun cast its rays across the path, its crimson light blending with the green grass to create a sense of peace and tranquility, heralding the approach of sunset.
As Nour neared the house, he glimpsed two meteors gleaming in the sky, but noticed one approaching rapidly, its features becoming visible. Concern crossed his face as he muttered to himself:
"Is that a meteor? It seems to be heading toward the house! I must hurry."
He raced forward, his heart pounding with worry, watching as the meteor drew closer and closer, its features becoming clearer. Suddenly, he heard the thunderous impact in the distance, causing dust and destruction, but couldn't tell if it had struck the house. He increased his speed, grateful that no one was home today. Nour spotted his house on the horizon, untouched, and felt immense relief, but his curiosity still urged him to search for the fallen meteor. He crossed the road, riding his bicycle through the plains past his house, and noticed dust rising in the distance. As he headed toward it, he glimpsed another meteor falling far away but paid it no mind - the one that fell before him would explain everything, though he wondered about two meteors falling simultaneously.
Minutes later, Nour arrived at the impact site, panting heavily, his clothes soaked with sweat and his hair damp. He saw a deep crater created by the meteor, and as the dust cloud gradually dissipated, what lay before him wasn't a meteor at all! It was something utterly strange.
Nour spotted a massive metallic sphere before him - perfectly symmetrical, smooth as vacuum, coated in absolute black. He approached cautiously to investigate this unknown anomaly, a brief shudder rippling through him. The sphere could be anything in this god-forsaken system - a hydrogen bomb, a stealth ship, some alien tech from the deep beyond that might erase humanity from existence.
But his human curiosity overpowered his fear and paranoia. He circled the massive sphere like a predator stalking prey. The thing looked big enough to contain an entire cabin, yet showed no seams, no access points - just an impossibly smooth black surface.
Nour pressed his hand against it, hesitant and tense. When contact was made, something like current surged through his body momentarily before dissipating - similar to a mild electric shock.
Without warning, a small section of the sphere opened. Nour jumped back, heart hammering. A strange panel appeared, displaying buttons marked with bizarre symbols that reminded him of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. His suspicions crystallized - this was some kind of chamber containing Something. Maybe an extraterrestrial being, maybe a planet-killer bomb that would vaporize Egypt, or maybe nothing at all.
He examined the panel closer, noticing it contained nine characters. A passcode interface. But how the hell was he supposed to crack it? He activated his wristwatch, bringing up a holographic 3D interface filled with application options. He selected the camera and captured pictures of both the panel and the sphere before rushing back to his quarters, adrenaline flooding his body.
Back in his room, he uploaded the images to the ELIAS precision search engine. Results loaded, revealing something unexpected - the language existed in databases but all information was locked behind CITRA Agency security protocols. He'd need to breach their network to access information about this language. Why would CITRA conceal something like this? Did they know something about outer space they were keeping from everyone? Conspiracy theorists had always claimed CITRA hid countless space-related secrets, but Nour had dismissed their ramblings. Now, he wasn't so sure.
One of the household robots entered his room - silver-plated with cold features, flexible metal joints, executing commands without question. As he offered Nour water, he stopped him, eyes gleaming with purpose.
"I programmed you with the highest levels of artificial intelligence and installed various unauthorized functions. Most importantly, hacking capabilities. Your algorithms can breach any network regardless of security level. You've already helped me uncover classified documents about Atlantis, my friend. Now I need you to infiltrate the CITRA Agency network and extract all information about this strange language."
The robot nodded mechanically. "Of course, sir. I will comply."
The robot settled into a chair, manipulating holographic interfaces, opening windows after windows of codes, while Nour sat on his bed contemplating the mystery of the sphere and its cryptic characters.
Remembering his friend Youssef would be equally fascinated, Nour sent him a voice message with images of the sphere and the strange characters. Minutes later, the response arrived:
"I'll be there in one second."
Nour thought he was exaggerating until suddenly the door swung open and Youssef burst in, breathless. Nour jumped from his bed in alarm and snapped at him angrily:
"You idiot! Couldn't you knock first?"
"Sorry, wanted to surprise you. Now where's this weird sphere? I can't wait."
"Hold on until the robot finishes the hack, then I'll take you to the location."
Youssef frowned and glanced impatiently at the robot, eager to see when he would finish. He said to Nour, curiosity nearly killing him:
"You know, this could be the discovery of the century. If we find some creature from a distant planet inside this sphere, or some artifact from an advanced civilization, it would bring us glory and fame. I can see it now - the spotlights, medals, certificates, maybe even the Al-Khwarizmi Prize. But shouldn't we bring in specialists? We don't know what this thing is. It could be destructive and dangerous!"
Nour roared back with a decisive tone:
"Impossible. We're not bringing anyone else in or they will keep the sphere away from the public. If anything is discovered, the public will never know. This secret will be hidden forever, just like countless others throughout history. Didn't you hear what I said about CITRA Agency knowing about this language and hiding it from us?"
"Yes, I heard you well. You're right. We should discover everything ourselves in this case, then tell everyone and gain fame and fortune. Ah... I can see my star shinning already. Our salvation has come from the sky."
"Don't get too excited. We haven't breached CITRA Agency yet."
The robot's cold electronic voice interrupted Nour and said:
"Sir, I have completed the hack and obtained all information regarding the language."
Youssef cheered enthusiastically, looking at Nour with mockery:
"What were you saying? Now tell us everything!"
The robot reported:
"This language belongs to the ancient city of Atlantis. It's currently being used by CITRA Agency to search for the location of the lost city for unknown reasons. The classified information about the city is hidden in one of the agency's secret servers, which I cannot access except from within the Agency itself."
Nour's eyes widened in astonishment, his face lighting up, then He said to Youssef with inexhaustible excitement, as if he'd won a life-or-death battle:
"I told you. I told you the city exists, but you didn't believe me. I was getting close to finding something about it, and this massive metal sphere falling here can't be mere coincidence. It's destiny, my friend."
Youssef fell silent, pondering what he'd just heard while pacing the room. Then he broke the silence:
"Maybe your efforts searching for the city weren't in vain, but what's the connection between a strange sphere falling from space and Atlantis? I don't understand."
"Neither do I, but we'll analyze the symbols on the sphere, and then many things will become clear."
Youssef approached the holographic computer and began examining the characters and symbols, discovering that each symbol represented a word or concept. He analyzed the characters, calculating similarities and the meanings of combined symbols. When the result appeared, his jaw dropped in astonishment, realizing the symbols weren't for entering a passcode but a encoded message!
The meaning of the symbols was:
"What falls from space brings with it the lost knowledge that will free humans from the clutches of ignorance and open their horizons to know the truth before destruction arrives. For the sphere to open, you must surrender your will to it. Watch for Atlantis. Watch for destruction."