The Stone of Arin
It was said that the ancients spoke of it in hushed reverence. The Stone of Arin—a relic not of this Earth, not even of this universe, as some believed. A meteorite, older than the stones of any continent, pulsing with secrets of creation. It had appeared in the foothills of the Mayan civilization centuries ago, a gift from the gods—or so they had claimed. But now, it stood in its rightful home: an airtight glass chamber, encased deep within the Central Science Observatory in the year 2297.
The Arrival
Dr. Kael Arion stood before it, a towering yet lean figure with shoulders built sharp as if carved from obsidian. His dark umber skin gleamed under the artificial lights of the chamber, and his braided hair, adorned with metallic beads, swayed with every deliberate movement. He wore the standard outfit of the United Planets of Gaia—a one-piece bodysuit made of thermo-adaptive fibers that shimmered between navy and silver. A utility belt hung low on his trim waist, and etched into the fabric over his chest glowed his rank insignia: Chief Archaeologist.
Kael wasn’t just an expert in the ancient. He was a child of it. Every line in his frame seemed to carry the weight of those ancestors who’d looked to the stars and wondered if the gods lived amongst them. As a descendant of the Mayan diaspora of old, he had grown up hearing the myths of the Stone—and now, he was the first man ever to study it up close.
“You’ve been waiting for me, haven’t you?” he whispered to the artifact, his breath misting on the glass. His dark eyes reflected the meteorite’s jagged, shimmering surface, darker than midnight but glinting like the void of stars. It was no ordinary stone. Traces of unclassified compounds and energy signatures pulsed faintly within it, almost like a heartbeat.
A Discovery Unearthed
“Don’t flirt with the rock, Kael. It doesn’t flirt back,” came the dry voice of Dr. Mali Reyes through his earpiece. She, his colleague and closest advisor, stood at a bank of holographic displays in the adjacent lab, watching his every move. “We’re running the energy-dimensional resonance scan now. You might want to step back unless you enjoy turning into a quantum echo.”
Kael chuckled, stepping away from the chamber. “I’ll risk it. Maybe the Stone will reveal its secrets to me alone.” His voice was smooth, with a natural authority born of experience and a whisper of mischief.
“Please, save the romance for your autobiography,” Mali snapped, though a smirk tugged at her lips that Kael could almost hear in her tone.
As the resonance scan initiated, the chamber filled with an eerie, spectral glow. The meteorite began to emit low vibrations. Then, something happened that no amount of simulations or projections could have foreseen.
The Stone cracked. Not shattered, but fractured just enough for a faint wisp of light—golden and iridescent like molten starlight—to spill out. The room plunged into momentary silence, the kind that feels heavier than sound.
The Visitor
“What in the…” Mali’s voice blurted through Kael’s earpiece.
Kael froze, torn between awe and dread. He moved closer to the chamber despite protocol screaming against it. The light coalesced, twisting into human-like form. Limbs, a glowing chest, and a face sculpted as if by cosmic winds. Hovering in the air before him was no mere illusion, no simple projection. It was alive.
“Dr. Kael Arion,” the being spoke, its voice layered with an almost harmonic timbre. It uttered his name as if it had been waiting epochs to meet him.
Kael instinctively stepped back, his chest rising heavily under the shimmering bodysuit. “Who—or what—are you?” he demanded, his voice steady despite the roiling storm within him.
The being tilted its head, movements fluid, alien. “We are the Witness. We are bound to this vessel—the Stone you so revere, yet misunderstand. Your kind calls us a rock. We are no object. We are memory.”
Kael’s mind whirred. “Memory of what?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
“The first creation. The collapse of stars. The birth of your world. The fracture of ours,” it said, its voice layered with sorrow. “We came to warn. That which broke us seeks to break you, too.”
A Faced Choice
Alarms blared suddenly throughout the compound as the energy readings from the artifact soared beyond Earth’s safety thresholds. Security protocols activated, and containment measures began sealing Kael inside.
“Kael!” Mali’s voice shot through his earpiece. “It’s destabilizing! Whatever’s happening, get out now!”
Kael ignored the warnings, locking eyes with the glowing entity. “Warn us? Of what? What’s coming?”
The being reached out, its luminous hand passing through the glass chamber as if it were mist. It touched Kael’s forehead, and in an instant, visions flooded his mind: Asteroids piercing atmospheres, worlds crumbling into stardust, civilizations erased in an instant, and at the heart of it all—a shadow, larger than existence, consuming entire galaxies.
Kael stumbled back, gasping. “How… how do we stop it?” he whispered.
The being began to fade, its form flickering with urgency. “Unite your kind. Awaken the other Witnesses. The answers lie in places you have yet to find. If you fail, your world will join ours—scattered among the ruins of time.”
The Beginning
Before he could gain clarity, the figure dissipated entirely, collapsing back into the meteorite. The Stone now lay silent, still, as if nothing had happened. Yet Kael knew everything had changed.
The containment seals released. Mali stormed into the room, her face pale with worry. “Kael, what just happened? Your vitals went haywire!”
He turned to her, eyes ablaze with determination. “Something’s coming, Mali. Something ancient, something inevitable. And this Stone… it’s the key to stopping it.”
She stared at him in disbelief but knew better than to question the fire in his words. “What do we do?”
Kael looked back at the artifact. His world—and countless others—now depended on uncovering its mysteries. “We find the other Witnesses. And fast.”
The race against time, the universe, and the unknown had begun.
Genre: Science Adventure
The Source...check out the great article that inspired this amazing short story: Why NASA Impacted an Asteroid
Disclaimer: This article may contain affiliate links. If you click on these links and make a purchase, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Our recommendations and reviews are always independent and objective, aiming to provide you with the best information and resources.
Get Exclusive Stories, Photos, Art & Offers - Subscribe Today!
Post Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.