Chapter 1.2 - Earth

Without any notice, the old man vanished before Adam's eyes, revealing an unobstructed view of Earth. As an instant reaction the young man lost his breath. 

The view was so magnificent it took the air out of his lungs. He was consumed by the immensity of our planet, even tilting his head up and down he still couldn't see it completely. The human eye was not capable of capturing Earth in its totality. Adam could only see a fraction of it at a time, like he was watching the biggest IMAX screen ever. 

Directly in front of him was a big piece of land that ended in the sea. White fluffy stains were flying over it, causing a contract with the ocher coloration of the view. Roughly guessing, Adam thought it could be the Sahara desert. 

It was so vivid and overpowering, the boy reached out to touch it. He was being drawn into it, like Earth was calling him. 

"Is this God?" Cuz it felt like it to him. Being there, in the face of a World it was the definition of meeting the divine. 

"In a way, yes." Calder was by his side, admiring the greatness of the Blue planet. "If you reach out to her, she may let you live."

Not for a second Adam took his eyes off the Planet. Helplessly he had been trying to capture everything that was in front of him but to no use. Too many overwhelming details were worth remembering. Every breath came out shaky. His body was also feeling the power that emanated from the Earth. 

Inside him, the same feeling of when Calder told him he was dead it was growing more intense. Adam was close to understanding it when he let go of his insecurities and reached out to the divine entity in front of him. From the tip of his finger came the name of the emotion, belonging. Adam felt like he belonged there.

At the same time his brain processed it, another deep experience overwhelmed him. His body was pulled by a crushing force that didn't allow him to move. The only thing he knew was that he was hurtling straight into Earth's atmosphere.

From movies, Adam knew anything entering Earth's orbit would be pulled toward it. He was aware that the speed he was moving was far too fast for a human body to endure. As he was getting closer, flames began to involve him. The pressure was so strong he couldn't even flinch even though fire was taking over his body.

Surprisingly, it didn't hurt. Adam was literally on fire but he wasn't burning. With a nervous laugh, he looked ahead at the approaching landscape. It was getting closer and closer. He was like a missile aimed directly at the heart of the planet. 

His speed was only increasing. The target was the ground of the Sahara. At first, it was fun but as the ground was getting dangerously close, he lost his breath. The boy was like a reverse rocket and it was going straight into the core of the Planet.

Physics didn't exist at that moment. Adam could see the sand dancing on the dunes. He never saw anything like it, such a beautiful image right before impact. There was no time to react, he could only hold his breath and brace for impact. 

Eyes shut tight, he waited. But nothing happened.

Adam opened one eye and what he saw was even crazier. He was still moving. There was no change of direction, no slowing down. His body just passed straight through the sand and the soil and kept diving deeper into the Earth. 

His body was in flames, making him look like a firework. Compared to the vastness of space, Adam was feeling claustrophobic. The passage was narrow, it was literally as wide as his shoulders. 

As he descended the temperature began to rise. It wasn't from the fire on his body, it was like being inside an oven. Soon after the temperature changed, the walls around him melted, glowing red-hot like lava.

Strangely, Adam felt he was almost at his destination. 

Around him, everything became molten rock. He was at the core of the Planet. That spoiled playboy was swimming in magma. Not even in his wildest dreams Adam imagined going through something like that.

It was terrifying yet strangely comforting. 

Before he could process it further, he breached the magma barrier and was blinded by an intense light. While he couldn't see anything, he noticed his feet were not touching the ground. Adam was suspended in the air, floating towards the center of the light. 

Gradually, he opened his eyes and was surprised that he could do so. There was nothing around him but light, and he was at its heart. Fascinated with the purity of the color, a shimmering white that glinted with gold.

Looking closely, in the origin of the light, there was a crack. Somehow, Adam knew it was a passage and that he had to step through.

Adam glanced around. Calder was nowhere to be seen or heard. He felt compelled to cross the light. No words were spoken, but he knew it was what he had to do.

Reflecting on the idea, the young man realized he wasn't afraid. Not because he was brave—he wasn't— it was simply because it wasn't dangerous. The light was good, and crossing would be too. 

Taking a deep breath to steady his heartbeat before the trip, Adam floated towards the passage and disappeared.