A heavy silence filled the vast hall of the observatory.
The machines stopped humming, as if they too were listening.
Albert adjusted his glasses and asked in a deep voice:
— "So, children… what happened to old Doran?"
Tears welled up in Hastur's eyes.
He told the story, trembling — the fall, the storm, the sacrifice Doran made to save them.
When he finished, Albert slammed his hand on the table.
— "ANNABELLE! Didn't I tell you to stop those stupid games of yours?! And you attacked our faithful potato seller, the one you like so much?!"
A soft, trembling voice echoed through the air — the voice of the hill itself.
— "He was… our potato seller? I… I didn't know… I'm sorry…"
Albert sighed, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
— "It's fine. I just want to know if he's alright."
The hill hesitated, her tone nervous but sincere.
— "Oh? You're not angry? Don't worry then — he's fine. He's just sleeping down there."
Overjoyed, the two boys couldn't help but dance with relief.
Albert watched them, half-smiling, then spoke again:
— "Alright then. Which one of you is the boy who fell here from… who knows where?"
Hastur raised his hand timidly, like a student in class.
Albert studied him carefully.
— "Do you remember what you were doing before you arrived here? Who you were?"
Hastur thought hard.
— "No… My memories start only in Master Doran's field. Well… maybe one thing. A woman — blonde, I think. She was very important to me… or at least, I think so."
Albert grew silent, then said with a mix of melancholy and curiosity:
— "Mein lieber Freund, that's exactly what happened to me. I remember no one from my past life. The only thing that remained — the only thing that defined me — was my science. It was my only weapon when I arrived here.
And I haven't spent these years doing nothing. I've studied this world for sixteen years. Let me explain my findings."
He began pacing slowly, hands behind his back, eyes burning with passion.
— "This world looks identical to ours — but only in appearance. I tried to measure its circumference, its shape… but it kept changing: spherical, flat, cubic, even ribbon-shaped. Gravity, however, stayed constant. At first, I thought I was hallucinating. But after months of research, I realized one thing: this world mocks logic itself."
He pointed toward the great globe at the center of the room.
— "I wanted to know more about its history. That's when I discovered that a man, wrapped in a yellow cloth, has ruled this realm since the dawn of time. I decided to seek him out. But the moment I touched the border of the Immutable Theater, my head exploded in pain — I couldn't even think. I turned back immediately."
Albert's tone grew darker.
— "The villagers told me there was nothing dangerous at the border, that merchants and knights crossed it often. But I wasn't convinced. I asked Doran to cross it for me whenever he came to deliver potatoes. He could do it easily, but each time he returned, he had changed — his face, his voice, his very nature.
It was clear to me: some kind of energy existed beyond the border."
He took a deep breath.
— "For fourteen years, I studied that phenomenon. And at last, I discovered the truth. This energy is real — it floods this planet. I even created an antidote to the headaches that struck me whenever I neared the border. I was finally able to leave the country, though I wrote all that in my biography — available at the Great City's library."
Albert smiled faintly, then continued:
— "After months of analysis, I discovered its source — the royal palace. More precisely, the King himself. And like animals adapting to their environment, the creatures of this world have absorbed that force, developing extraordinary abilities. I named this power… ANIMA."
Suddenly, a voice echoed — calm, sweet, yet cosmic and terrifying.
— "Only sixteen years in my realm, and already you've proven worthy of your title, scientist…"
Far away, in a royal hall of gold and shadow, a man draped in yellow sat upon a throne.
His face was veiled, hidden beneath folds of shimmering cloth.
He raised a single finger and spoke with a serene, inhuman authority:
— "Allow me to grant you an infinite amount of that ANIMA you admire so much."
A surge of golden energy gathered at his fingertip.
Albert did not flinch.
He smiled and declared proudly:
— "Science is — and shall forever be — alive!"
A blinding beam burst forth.
The ray tore through the heavens, striking the mountain with devastating power.
A single explosion echoed through the entire realm.
Then — silence.
Nothing remained.
The mountain was gone.
The observatory, the machines, Albert… all erased in an instant.
At the heart of the crater, a faint golden pulse flickered, beating like a dying heart.
The Paradise of Science had vanished.
And the world above trembled — as if it too mourned its loss.