The ship's hum was unnaturally smooth, almost unnerving, as it docked. Aiden Kane leaned against the transparent hull, his eyes fixed on the glowing city ahead.
"Breathtaking," he murmured, almost to himself.
"It's either breathtaking or radioactive," Mira Patel said, standing beside him with her arms crossed. "You'll let me know if you start glowing, right? I want at least a two-minute head start to evacuate."
The Lythari capital floated in the atmosphere of a star-sized artificial planet. Towers of crystalline light spiraled upward, untethered and pulsating in time with a faint musical hum. Rivers of energy flowed between the structures, shimmering like liquid starlight.
"It's alive," Aiden said, his voice tinged with awe. "The whole city is alive."
"Alive or not, it's definitely laughing at physics," Mira replied. She gestured at the floating towers. "I don't see any support structures. What's keeping them up? Wishful thinking?"
"Maybe they don't care about stability," Aiden suggested, grinning.
"Great. Just what I need—alien architects who think gravity is a suggestion."
Behind them, Dr. Emilia Vega adjusted her jacket as she stepped forward, her eyes sweeping across the landscape with a quiet intensity. "Perhaps they've rewritten the rules of physics entirely," she said. "That's the privilege of being this advanced, isn't it? You get to decide which rules still apply."
"Good for them," Mira said. "But I'd still prefer a city that doesn't look like it's one glitch away from a catastrophic collapse."
Before anyone could respond, the air around them shimmered. A soft glow emerged from the distance, growing brighter as it approached. Aiden straightened, his fingers curling instinctively, though he wasn't sure whether in anticipation or caution.
The glow coalesced into a figure—humanoid but unmistakably alien. The being's translucent form pulsed with shifting patterns of bioluminescence, and her every movement seemed to trail faint light. A symphony of soft tones accompanied her arrival, as if her very existence was a melody.
"I am Sira," the figure said, her voice a perfect harmony of light and sound. "Overseer of this endeavor. On behalf of the Lythari, I welcome you to the Cradle of Creation."
Aiden stepped forward, awkwardly raising a hand before realizing how ridiculous it was to offer a handshake to a being made of light. He quickly dropped it. "We're honored to be here," he said. "This place… It's beyond anything we imagined."
Sira tilted her head, her light patterns shifting subtly. "Imagination is a gift your kind possesses in abundance," she said. Her gaze—or whatever equivalent her species had—seemed to focus on him. "I have reviewed your work, Aiden Kane. Your designs carry unpredictability. The mark of an undisciplined mind… or a creative one."
Aiden smirked. "I like to think of it as boldness. Creativity doesn't happen without breaking a few rules."
"Chaos," Sira replied, her tone softening, "is a dangerous force to wield in the wrong hands."
"Sounds like something a villain would say," Mira muttered under her breath, loud enough for Aiden to stifle a laugh.
Sira's glow flickered faintly before she turned to Mira. "Mira Patel," she said, "your expertise in energy systems will be invaluable. We have long admired humanity's ability to extract so much from so little. A gift born of necessity, no doubt."
Mira crossed her arms. "It's called survival," she said. "And if you really admired us, you'd have brought snacks for the trip. Do Lythari even eat?"
Sira's light dimmed slightly, as if thrown off by the comment. She turned instead to Dr. Vega. "And you, Emilia Vega. A seeker of knowledge. You will find our archives… illuminating. They carry the echoes of a billion cycles, and yet, there is much we still fail to understand. Perhaps your perspective will reveal what ours cannot."
Dr. Vega nodded slowly, her calm demeanor unfazed. "I'll do my best. Though I admit, I'm most curious about what your people do understand that we've yet to even imagine."
"Curiosity is a virtue," Sira replied, her tone sharpening ever so slightly, "until it becomes a liability. Remember that, Dr. Vega."
The subtle warning lingered in the air. Aiden exchanged a glance with Mira, who arched an eyebrow.
"If we're going to be partners," Aiden said, stepping forward, "we'll need trust. No secrets. That's how we create something great."
Sira's light flared brighter, bathing them in an intense glow. "Trust is earned, Aiden Kane. As are answers. You have just arrived in the cradle of creation. I suggest you observe before making demands."
Without waiting for a response, Sira gestured for them to follow. The air seemed to vibrate around her as she led them toward the glowing city, her form blending seamlessly with the light.
As they walked, Mira leaned toward Aiden. "She's hiding something," she said.
"Yeah," Aiden replied, his voice low. "Did you catch that comment to Vega? Curiosity's a liability? What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know," Mira said dryly, "but if this trip doesn't kill us, I'm putting that on a T-shirt."
Aiden smirked, but his mind was already racing. Ahead of them, the crystalline towers loomed larger, their shifting light reflecting in the team's wide eyes. The hum of the city grew louder, almost like a heartbeat, as if the city itself was alive—and waiting.