The report from the three AIs was instantaneous: —"Detecting -28 units of Absolute Magnitude, adjusting optical receptors." —"Easy peasy. The trip to my mother-in-law's house was harder," Luck commented. —"Alert! Alert! Alert! Alert! Spatial distortion detected, releasing atomic robots." —"Dammit! You just had to open your mouth!" Cielo shouted. —"Sorry, leader..." Luck felt guilty; it was a new universe, and technically, it very well could be his fault. —"Boldo! What the hell is going on?" —"A strange energy is attempting to distort the space around us." —"What the hell do you mean by 'strange energy'?" —"Exactly that: an unknown energy from this universe is trying to warp the space around each member of the team." —"Countermeasures?" —"Already deployed. The atomic robots are reshaping space every time the energy deforms it." —"Will it be enough?" —"Petunia estimates no. The space attempting to warp grows every second, and our robots are limited. She also estimates that the energy’s goal is to move us. She says we have about 40 seconds left, and Luck has 20." —"Is it possible the atomic structure failed and the universe is rejecting us?" —"Unlikely. If that were the case, the rejection should have been immediate. Furthermore, it is not your bodies suffering the distortion, but the space around us. The energy is also originating from elsewhere; therefore, Petunia theorizes that a conscious entity is attacking us." —"Has Petunia obtained the atomic structure of this universe yet?" —"She confirms she has, but nothing can be transmitted within this manipulated space."

  —"Team! You heard them," Cielo ordered. "They’re enemies, and that’s more good news than bad. There is life in this universe and, apparently, an advanced one. Petunia has what we came for, but we can't send it and we don't have much time. We are facing the unknown, but we are prepared for anything. Do not forget that we carry the fate of 998 trillion souls." —"Yes, leader!" —"Yes, leader!"

  —"Mr. Luck." —"At your command!" —"You are our wild card for the unknown; you and that Coffin. Our AIs can't receive Petunia's data in just 40 seconds. So the priority is to protect Mark or get the data on our own." —"Yes, ma'am!" —"Mark!" —"Ma'am, sir... I mean, Ma'am! At your command, ma'am!" —"Remember the training and the tests. You passed them all, so you’re as prepared as we are. Do not doubt yourself; besides, you have Petunia, you’ll be fine." —"Yes, leader!"

  —"Alright, team. The first priority, no matter what, is to get the atomic structure of this universe and try to send it back to ours. The second priority is to regroup." —"Attention team. Look above your heads."

  —"Gods... is that a face?" Luck stood with his mouth hanging open. —"Pet-uu-niaa es-ti-mates it is the size of a solar mass..." Mark said, terrified. —"And I’m no psychic, but I can tell it’s very angry..." The face was twisted in an expression of pure fury.

  —"Critical limit reached, imminent spatial distortion." Luck was the first to vanish.

  —"Well, that confirms what your partner said, Mark. The energy only wants to move us. Seeing that giant face, I can assume it can't penetrate our shield, which is why it can only displace us." —"Seems that way, leader..." —"Get ready, we’re next. Remember your training; you are the bravest of us, Mark. Trust yourself." —"Y-yes, lea-der!" —"Good luck!"

  —"Critical limit reached, imminent spatial distortion."

  Cielo’s appearance, along with the entire volume of space occupied by the atomic robots around her, caused the ground beneath her feet to explode with the impact of approximately three Earth masses.

  —"Boldo, report." —"The spatial distortion was a form of teleportation. All distorted space arrived at another location, seemingly a jungle. Although we destroyed a large portion with the fall, according to the data, the impact left a crater 120 kilometers in diameter and 10 kilometers deep. Furthermore, the composition of the environment is identical to Earth's, except for an unknown element in the air alongside the common ones. There is only 10% oxygen, 58% nitrogen, and 31% of this unknown element. The remaining elements maintain the exact proportions of Earth."

  —"Release 20% of the robots to scout the flora and fauna around me and another 20% into space to establish a communication beacon. The priority is to find my team." —"Proceeding."

  Cielo could only wait until the reconnaissance was complete. Two hours had already passed. —"Why is there no report?" —"Bad news. The robots have explored a distance equivalent to 52 Earth masses, and there is still only jungle, unknown flora, and fauna. I am currently processing information on the characteristics of every living being, but they are reaching the limit of my control range. I must bring them back."

  —"Am I on a potential planet capable of holding nothing but jungle in a space of 52 Earth masses? That makes no sense. And the Beacon?" —"After passing 2,000 kilometers in altitude, there is a barrier." —"What do you mean, a barrier? A wall?" —"It is more like a shield, but yes, technically a wall." —"And the robots, with their atomic size, can't pass through it?" —"They can. I managed to slip through the space between atoms, but although I could cross it, every time the robots cross, I lose contact." —"So they evaporate?" —"Exactly. They evaporate, destroyed at a subatomic level."

  —"This universe keeps getting stranger. Between the solar-sized face, the giant jungle on a rocky planet of impossible proportions, and the wall... I doubt it could get any weirder." —"Attention. Human-sized object approaching." —"What is it?" —"An object approaching from the sky at Mach 7. It is heading directly for our position. Estimated time of arrival: 45 seconds."

  —"Ugh... I just had to say it. Luck’s idiocy is rubbing off on me. Why did we only detect it now when it's so close?" —"The robots I deployed were focused only on the jungle and the sky directly above our position. There were no robots deployed across the majority of the sky." —"Can the deployed robots return before the UFO arrives without suffering temporal drift?" —"Yes." —"Perfect. Send 5% to cover as much space as you can in these 45 seconds; I want images and all possible data. The rest, prepare: defense mode, formation 137." —"Proceeding."

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  The robots manufactured thousands of cameras and sensors in just fifteen seconds. The image appeared. Cielo tensed; she was not easily surprised. —"Boldo... are you seeing what I’m seeing?" —"If what you are seeing is a humanoid lizard dressed in medieval-style clothing with a staff in its hand, then yes, I am seeing the same thing." —"At least... for a moment I thought the universe had affected my brain somehow... And the sensors?" —"They don't reveal much."

  The data appeared on Cielo’s optical receptors:

  

  
• 
  
    Temperature: 37 degrees Celsius.
  
    


  
• 
  
    Height: 1.83 m.
  
    


  
• 
  
    Scaly body and skin.
  
    


  
• 
  
    Light refraction: 420 nm.
  
    


  
• 
  
    Unknown fiber clothing.
  
    


  
• 
  
    Staff: 2.04 m, wood composition.
  
    


  
• 
  
    Speed: Mach 7.
  
    


  
• 
  
    Glowing stone: 10 cm, unknown composition.
  
    


  
• 
  
    Conclusion: Intelligent living being.
  
    


  

  —"They don't reveal much? They reveal nothing!" —"Contact with the UFO."

  —"%#%@#%@%%#%@#%%@#%@." That thing had just moved its mouth and emitted sounds. —"It seems to be some form of communication." —"Allocate 50% of energy to the translation process and the other 50% to defenses, primarily the shield."

  —"%#%@#%@%%#%@#%%@#%@." —"That thing's eyes are looking at me weirdly."

  —"%#%@#%@%%#%@#%%@#%@@@%%$###." The stone in the wooden staff glowed more intensely. —"Boldo, data! That thing is doing something!" —"Nearby molecules are drawing closer to that stone. It is absorbing something and accumulating a kind of energy."

  A faint flash appeared, and a bolt of lightning shot from the staff. Cielo was prepared to dodge. —"Do not dodge. The energy released is insignificant, and we need more data."

  Cielo didn't hesitate and stood her ground. The shield blocked the bolt like a light breeze. —"%#%%%##%%&@#%@%%#%@#%%@#%@." —"Well, that did nothing to me. What data did you get?" —"Apparently, that strange energy with an unknown atomic composition gathered in that stone on the wooden staff. Then, the stone somehow caused air molecules to transmute into atoms with different charges in a form of unknown ionization, creating a small electric field that ionized the air, forming a conduit that triggered the discharge when the electric field exceeded the air's resistance." —"What was the discharge?" —"About 100 million volts, and the joules are almost identical to an average lightning strike." —"Well, that explains why it did nothing to me." —"I need more sentences to decipher the language. If it is intelligent, it must feel fear and a sense of self-preservation. Go and scare it."

  Cielo moved at a speed so high that the friction of the shield against the air ignited fire in her path, even with the strange air composition that should have been far less reactive to combustion. She stopped in front of the creature, and the atomic robots around her halted the shockwave produced by her speed. She grabbed the creature by the neck. —"The eyes never lie... I see fear in this lizard." —"I have the atomic robots covering the space of an Earth mass around us. You only had to give me the word, and they would have brought him." —"I know, but I figured he’d be more afraid of a force he could understand. You know, the classic bully." —"Understood."

  —"%#%@@@"###%&//(#%@%%#%@#%%@#%@." The lizard spent five minutes trying to break free while shouting things and launching some electrical discharges, but they were weaker than the first. —"Do you have it yet? I’m sure he’s cursed my entire bloodline by now." —"Almost. I just wanted to be sure. Done. Adding language to the neural chip."

  —"Take your filthy hands off me, human heretic!" —"Good, I can understand you now," Cielo replied. "Now, tell me: what are you?" —"Hahaha! Enjoy your final moments of life! I, the high priest of this district, was lucky enough to be the closest to hear the divine call! Soon I will kill you, hahahah!"

  —"Now that we know he isn't dangerous and, furthermore, that he’s an idiot, send 10% of the robots to explore the sky and see where this humanoid came from," Cielo ordered. —"As you wish, miss. Proceeding." —"Let's see... how are you going to kill me if you can't even break free of my strength?" The lizard was taken aback; clearly, he hadn't thought that far. —"I will break free, heretic, and it will be your end!" —"And how will you break free?" —"My powerful lightning will destroy you!" —"The same lightning that didn't leave a scratch on me?" Again, surprise flashed across the beast's face.

  —"Boldo, have the robots finished analyzing the creature's biological system?" —"Yes. Everything is identical to a living being from our universe except for a unique circulatory system for which I have no data; meaning, it is not from our universe. Furthermore, its brain is very different from a human's: not only is it smaller, but it is less dense. The parietal cortex, temporal cortex, and prefrontal cortex are much less developed. Also, its amygdala and nucleus accumbens are four times larger than those of a human." —"In conclusion: is he an idiot?" —"That is the most accurate conclusion. Additionally, in the pockets of that unknown fiber clothing, all he carries is a medallion." —"A medallion? And that bit about 'heretic'? What data do you have on that?" —"I estimate it is most likely that the giant face that attacked us is their kind of god and gave them some warning about us." —"Hmm... can you analyze the neurons and extract memories? Also, scan my 'little ones' (the robots); maybe their god gave them our teleportation coordinates, or perhaps we were marked." —"Impossible. The process of extracting memories is already too complex in a human being. In this different brain, it is impossible; it would take me decades—only Petunia could.

  —"What other way do we have to get information?" —"You could... ask him?" —"Hey, why are you calling me a heretic?" —"Because that’s what you are! All the temples received the divine message! Hahah, soon you will fall under my power and I will obtain the divine rewards, hahahaha!" The creature shouted and laughed uncontrollably. —"What is your clothing made of, and what is that stone in your staff?" —"Hahahah, I won’t tell you anything, filthy heretic, hahahah!"

  —"This isn't working," Cielo whispered. —"You could torture him, but with that brain composition, I doubt it would do much good." —"We have nothing to lose by trying. Listen, lizard: I will cause you more pain than you could ever imagine. If you answer my questions, I will stop." —"Hahahaha, idiot heretic! The high priests endure divine immolation and flagellation! Pain is but a slight itch to me, hahahaha!" —"Oh, really? We’ll see. Boldo, activate every nociceptor in his body you can without killing him." —"Proceeding."

  —"Aaaaargh! Stop it nowwwwww!" —"Will you talk?" —"Aaaaaarrggggghhh! I will never betray my god s s s s s s !!!!"

  Suddenly, the lizard's body exploded. Only a bloody mass mixed with scraps of clothing remained. With her shield active, not a single hair on Cielo's head was soiled. —"Boldo... you didn't do that, did you?" —"No, miss. The data shows that, somehow, he detonated his own unknown circulatory system." —"He committed suicide? Hmm... this won't make things easy for us..." —"Perhaps it doesn't matter. I found the possible origin of this humanoid. I tracked the direction he came from: it’s a city on floating terrain." —"A floating island? The surprises just don't end..."