Chapter 121: The Bioluminescent Chants
The silence of space gave way to an emerald haze the moment the Arche Chronos crossed the portal's threshold. Through the viewports, immense root-like structures hung suspended, lit by countless phosphorescent spores. Each particle floated with an inner glow, weaving a living constellation across a groundless sky.
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1. Preparations and Embarkation
1.1. Selecting Key 04
In the hushed darkness of the chart room, Lora placed Kaleido Capsule No. 04 on the circular table—its luminous core pulsing at 0.84 Hz:
Natural rhythm: 0.84 Hz—spore release cadence
Harmonics: 2.17 Hz (carrier wave) and 5.49 Hz (subharmonic counter-choir)
Major risks: sensory immersion, collapse of the barrier between memory and vision
> Lora: "Here your senses will become prisms. Keep your bearings: every flicker is a verse, every drift of spores a refrain."
1.2. Technical Outfitting
Mira Zéphyr oversaw the installation of Photomnesic Filters around the Kaleido Core to attenuate emotional spikes by 60%:
Anti-spore nets: polymer mesh to block overly intense particles
Cognitive-stasis pods: individual capsules pressurized to 1.1 atm, insulating the mind from hallucinatory surges
Neural anchors: harnesses that tether the cortex to a reference tempo
> Mira: "Without these safeguards, you risk being swept into a collective trance."
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2. Portal Crossing
2.1. Fractal Calibration
On the bridge, Sowan displayed the final telemetry:
Primary phase: 0.84 Hz
Secondary harmonics: 2.17 Hz / 5.49 Hz
Polarization: 2.4 J/ns
Initial stability: 99.94%
The gravito-quantum field deepened to a violet hue, forming a luminous torus around the ship.
> Sowan: "Sync at 99.94%. Crossing in 3… 2… 1…"
2.2. Sensory Immersion
The Arche slid into the violet prism. Four seconds of vertigo: the body felt like an echo, then nothing but brine-sweet air buzzing with thousands of bioluminescent murmurs.
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3. Emergence in the Suspended Forest
3.1. First Panorama
Through the viewports, the floating forest unveiled itself:
Root platforms: vast sheets of translucent vines linked by bridges of glowing spores
Streams of light: multicolored spore currents drawing arabesques in the air
Mirror pool: an aerial lake reflecting the myriad lights like an inverted sky
> Renan (softly): "It's… like waking in a dream…"
3.2. The Temple of Luminous Spirals
At the network's heart stood the Temple of Luminous Spirals: a ring of organic glass columns, each edged in phosphorescent filaments. At its center, a Bioluminescent Core pulsed, casting waves of light in sync with the spores' rhythm.
> Éira-Sel: "These spirals are living archives—each turn contains the cycle of a collective thought."
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4. Harvesting the Spheres of Light
4.1. Delicate Retrieval
Lyra donned her bioluminescent-receiver headset. The Argo Mobiles, fitted with gentle-flow robotic arms, plucked three Spheres of Light:
1. Sphere A: Twilight melody—whispers of a suspended dawn
2. Sphere B: Nocturnal chorus—thrums of a mythic aurora
3. Sphere C: Ether breath—pulse of a shared dream
Each sphere hummed softly, projecting a miniature hologram: luminous processions, submerged rituals on living coral bridges, aquatic dances weaving flesh and thought.
> Leïla: "Handle them like relics—fragile and essential."
4.2. Coherence Shield
Lia activated the Seal of Coherence (2.17 Hz inverted): an underwater sonic veil stabilizing the environment and preventing ecstatic visions from spilling over.
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5. Crisis and Extraction
5.1. Saturation Spike
Suddenly, the spheres flared, flooding the forest with a blinding strobe. Sensors warned:
> "Fluctuation: –0.18 %—field overload imminent."
> Mira: "Your EEGs are spiking! Get to stasis pods, now!"
5.2. Emergency Retreat
Renan gave the order:
> Renan: "Everyone aboard—evacuate! We leave before the portal collapses!"
The Argos latched onto the bay as the hull groaned under the dimensional strain. At 0 s, the portal snapped shut in a pure lilac shimmer.
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6. Return to Belthar-9 and Archiving
6.1. Vortex Closure
The Arche reappeared in Belthar-9's orbit. The violet vortex sealed, isolating the suspended forest once more.
6.2. Sealing the Spheres
In the Capsule Hall, each Sphere of Light was placed into Kaleido Capsule No. 04, accompanied by the captured holographic chant. Lora delivered her findings:
> Lora: "The Bioluminescent Chants gifted us a spore-poem, a hymn of celestial fireflies. Let these spheres illuminate our archives."
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7. Epilogue – Promise of the Next Reflections
> Mayu: "We have danced with light and harvested the spores' song. Tomorrow, we will soar over violet dunes to hear the Stellar Wind Rituals. Each portal brings us closer to the Galaxy's full chorus. Onward, together, in this infinite odyssey."
On the Infinite Map, the indigo marker of the Bioluminescent Chants pulsed one last time— a living beacon guiding Memory's Guardians to the next chapter of lost and rediscovered worlds.