Quantum space Crystal

Eli stared at the refurbished, old-generation six-seater aircraft from the year 3011, made by the company Vurb. He recognized it from the sign beneath the headlights: a stylized "V" with sharp, wavy lines, surrounded by subtle, flowing curves. The color palette included metallic silver and deep blue. The aircraft bore a striking resemblance to a giant eight-winged insect, with four long mount thrusters on each side shooting out like makeshift insect wings.

The aerodynamic body had been reintegrated with advanced composite exotics, countless unknown beast scales, and Zastasthium, giving it an incredibly durable structure. The exterior was a smooth, matte grey finish that minimized radar detection and enhanced its stealth capabilities. A lot of money had gone into the refurbishment, money that could have been used to buy a new-generation aircraft. This spoke volumes about the sentimental value the owner held for the aircraft.

What made it stand out was the single huge drawing of an azure and white flag sprawled across all the thrusters. Nested at the center of the flag was a flourishing emerald crystalized tree with roots reaching deep into the soil. Its branches bore leaves shaped like open ancient books. Tiny satellites orbited the crystalized tree, and stars were arranged in patterns above it. This was the flag of Hutton District.

Riott smiled apologetically. "You don't like it? I was in a hurry. I'm used to picking up the old man's guests with this aircraft. I should have thought about your taste as a youth and brought the Genesis M-12 instead."

The Genesis M-12 is the latest exclusive super aircraft from Genesis, a brand renowned worldwide for their supercars. The M-12 is a two-seater aircraft with double the speed of a normal aircraft and a high-grade suspension system. Only twelve of these were made, and Genesis did not publish this information until after the sale, causing many collectors to miss the chance to own a world-class piece. Initially released at a price of 1.2 billion credits, the cost has now skyrocketed to 2.2 billion credits.

Eli shook his head, unsure of what to say. His adopted family did not own an aircraft, and the first time he had been in one was Aunty Visoki's. He walked through the already open door and sat in the last of the six seats in the aircraft. The former Eli would have looked in awe at the refurbished interior, with most things made of stardust diamond, but now he just gave it a glance. 

"I'm taking off now," Riott announced.

"Hmm," Eli nodded as the eight thrusters straightened and slowly started to heat up until they were burning white. The aircraft began to ascend, soon blasting through the sky and leaving a trail behind. Eli picked up a digital pad and watched the countless complicated black lines and a single red line continuously change. The red line represented the path of the aircraft. Eli stared at the end of the line.

"Where are we heading?" Eli asked.

"Fenebarch Island," Riott replied.

Eli couldn't understand the reason behind this. Fenebarch Island was a tourist attraction, filled with people, and the old man would be easily spotted. Perhaps he rented the whole place and closed it down; after all, anything was possible for the old man in Hutton District since he was the Head of the District. The distance to Fenebarch couldn't be covered easily, even with an aircraft—it would take three hours. So, Eli decided to get some shut-eye.

As soon as Eli closed his eyes, something shot towards his face. Sensing the shadow, Eli opened his eyes and dodged, causing the object to crash into the aircraft minibar.

"Is everything okay?" Riott asked.

"Everything is fine, I just dropped something," Eli answered. Now he could see what it was—an eye massager. It would automatically place itself on your eyes once you closed them. It was one of the features of luxury brand aircraft. Eli closed his eyes again and felt the eye massager approaching. This time, he didn't react, and the next moment, he felt it land on his eyes, making him fall asleep faster. Within a minute, Eli was comfortably asleep.

*********

Few hours later.

Eli suddenly felt his head spin and woke up with slight dizziness. He was familiar with this feeling; it was the same as when he used the conquest key or a teleport station. But the aircraft was in the sky right now, so it could only be a barrier created with a barrier crystal. A barrier crystal is used to create an invisible barrier that requires a specific key to pass through. This key could be anything—a logo, necklace, or even blood. Barrier crystals are very expensive and cannot be reset once activated. Only 40% of wealthy people use them because 60% are too indecisive, often wanting to change the key.

The barrier is very dangerous; coming into contact with it without the key can reduce most humans to a meat paste or disintegrate them. Since the barrier is invisible, this occurrence was common, causing several deaths and leading to protests in 3067, but the government turned a blind eye. Although Eli guessed it to be a barrier, there were many contradictions that made him doubt his own prediction. A barrier crystal cannot be placed near a tourist attraction as it would cause the death of millions and attract government attention.

"Riott, did we just pass a barrier?" Eli asked.

"You can call it another type of barrier, but not made with a barrier crystal. It's made with a quantum space crystal," Riott replied.

"Quantum space crystal?" Eli asked, having never heard of such a thing.

"Yes, the old man was lucky to stumble upon a strange unknown crystal at an auction, which he bought 400,000,000 credits since he was researching crystals at that time. It took him a long time and a lot of crystal analysts, close to three years, to figure out how it worked. But when he did, the results were phenomenal as well as the additional cost; 15,000,000,000 Credits."

Eli stared outside the aircraft. The scenery had vastly changed; the sky was a blend of diverse rainbow colors, and the ground was akin to a flowing blue sea, but there was no water, just blue sand that continued to flow.

"Where are we?" Eli asked.

"We are inside the quantum space crystal. The crystal activation follows the same procedure as the barrier crystal but is slightly more complicated. You just need to have the key, and once you come into contact with the space, it will open for you. There are no heavy consequences for coming into contact with the space without the key; you would just remain unaware."

"And no one knows about this crystal yet. It was even named by the old man. The old man has many enemies since he became the Head of Hutton District. Hutton District is the biggest and most developed district in Ember Estate, and the mayor of Ember had supported the opposition party member that lost to the old man."

Eli was hardly concentrating; he was staring ahead at the huge white castle, more embedded in place on a rising fountain of blue flowing sand more than 55 feet off the ground. It was surrounded by twelve massive platforms raised to the same level as the mansion by different fountain of blue sand. On all of these platforms, there were aircraft—old gen, new gen, and the Genesis M-12. The Vurub glided and parked on an empty platform.

Eli stepped down from the aircraft. Since he became a demon kin, this was the first time he was truly amazed. There was a makeshift bridge made of smaller stones leading to the mansion lawn, which he couldn't see before from the aircraft because of their size. They were held up by different smaller flowing fountains of blue sand. Eli walked through the bridge; his excitement had already waned, leaving only a void. Although the place looked like a fairytale, it only awed him for less than a minute. When he stepped onto the lawn, Eli asked what was on his mind.

"What happens if the crystal gets destroyed from the outside?"

Riott looked conflicted as he hadn't thought about that possibility. "The quantum space crystal swallows any type of energy like a black hole. The energy required to shatter it would be equivalent to three stars," Atlas answered.

Eli stared at Atlas standing at the door to welcome him. She was wearing a blue shirt and white sports shorts, her hair styled into a bun. She could pass off as any casual girl, not the daughter of the Head of Hutton District.

"Mr. Eli, please come this way. Mr. Earl has been waiting."