The tesseract's words hung in the air, heavy as a god's hammer ready to shatter hope. To replace Professor Indri? Trapped in this chaotic dimension while his mentor had a chance to return?
Rizal's mind raced. He felt the solid ground of reality crumbling beneath his feet, pulling him into the abyss of an impossible decision.
"No other way?" Rizal asked, his voice hoarse with the despair gnawing at his resolve.
The tesseract spun slowly, its light flickering weakly.
"This dimension... it is alive, in a sense. It seeks balance. Your presence... disrupts that balance. One must stay... for the other to return."
Rizal stared at Professor Indri's fading shadow. He could feel his mentor's fear, see the regret in eyes once filled with the spark of knowledge.
Was this the end? Would their dream of unveiling the secrets of the fourth dimension be their undoing?
Suddenly, a memory surfaced. A conversation with Professor Indri years ago, when they had first embarked on this ambitious project.
"If we succeed, Rizal, if we manage to open the door to another dimension... the world will never be the same. Humanity will enter a new era."
"But what if it's dangerous, Professor? What if there's something out there that... doesn't want us to find it?"
Professor Indri had smiled then, a smile filled with wisdom and courage.
"Then we will face it together, Rizal. Because that's what it means to be a scientist. To pursue knowledge, no matter the risk."
Rizal took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do.
"Do it."
His voice was firm, without hesitation. He would not let Professor Indri's sacrifice be in vain. If he had to stay in this dimension, he would use the opportunity to learn everything, to find a way for both of them to return.
The tesseract vibrated intensely, its blue light blazing bright. Streaks of energy extended from it, forming a spiral that connected Rizal to Professor Indri's glasses.
"Hold on to your resolve, Rizal," the tesseract intoned, its voice resonating with a power Rizal had never felt before. "And remember... this dimension... it listens."
A blinding light filled the fourth-dimensional space, enveloping Rizal and Professor Indri's glasses in a vortex of soul-shaking energy.
4o