There was Deltrin, a traveler of worlds, who was on the brink of finishing his quintessential quest, which began with him fortuitously stumbling upon the declaration of a treasure. His final destination was a planet, whose beauty and presence seemed to cloak the secrets of the past that Deltrin had intended to reveal. But what secrets could be so intriguing to make this man want to travel for five long years, visiting worlds filled with danger and beauty? Unlimited wealth, the fountain of youth, or the origin of life. Whatever it was that drove this questor to repeatedly chance his life, it was powerful, but it was hidden. Concealed somewhere within the walls of the temple.
      How to describe such a celestial presence. The temple was a vision for the gods. Standing erect upon a remote island in the middle of the ocean, alone as if it were the home of a deity. It was made of crystal, gleaming proudly in the presence of the four suns in the sky, making it difficult to distinguish the diamonds in the ocean and the crystals in the temple.
      Deltrin had spent five days inside, searching for clues, waiting for a revelation, but nothing had happened. The crystal statues decorating the rooms kept their silence, giving no hints to the treasure’s whereabouts. He had been through every room ten times over, but nothing was to be found that remotely satisfied what the treasure map described. Deltrin repeated the final stanza of the riddle in his head, hoping that something would click. Alone I sit in a temple of shards, coming out when my fathers embrace. The skeleton bands, with the jewels in their hands, will uncover my illustrious face. Deltrin could not solve the riddle. What could it be referring to? The entire riddle gave the impression that this treasure was something more than wealth. It was tangible power, translated through some kind of instrument. But what does power look like?
     The air in the temple was sweet, warm, almost inviting nostalgia, but the candlelight softness of the atmosphere could not subdue his impatience. He simply could not find what he was looking for.
      Frustrated, he fell to the ground and sat for a while, running ideas in his head that he hoped could help him in his discovery. In time he laid down on the crystal floor and stared up through one of the spires of the temple into the blue sky, slowly falling asleep.
      Minutes passed, feeling like days, until Deltrin felt a shift of temperature. It was getting mysteriously warmer within the temple. He opened his eyes and looked up into the sky and noticed something new. A tiny ray of light had broken through the cloak of space and had gently laid its warmth upon Deltrin’s cheek. He brushed his face to see if he was still dreaming, and found to his pleasure that the heat was real.
      Another tendril broke free and fell to the surface, followed by another, and then another. In seconds, thousands of rays of light found their freedom on the planet below, raining their glory upon Deltrin’s willing body.
      Finally, an explosion of light ignited in the sky, and a fifth star was unveiled with pure radiance, slamming its energy upon the surface with divine power and grace. The crystal temple swelled with light in response to this brilliant incantation. The statues in the rooms came alive to the will of this deity and invoked the spirits of the temple to send a beam of fire back into the sky that stretched to the farthest reaches of the galaxy.
      Deltrin sat in silent awe of this display. There was no doubt in his mind that this mysterious awakening was the precursor to the treasure’s discovery. His eyes were glued to the hypnotic ballet of lights, until something disturbed his attention.
      A new light appeared, isolated from the main beam of energy. It was coming from one of the walls. Deltrin walked closer to the strange occurrence and noticed that part of the wall had become liquid. He peered into the mellifluous crystal and saw that something was inside the wall.
      With trembling hands, he forced himself through the living structure and pulled out the treasure inside, his eyes aglow with wonder. As his hands emerged from the liquid, he realized he was holding a heavy casket in his hands, roughly a cubic foot in volume. The casket was cold, but the heavy beating of Deltrin’s heart pulsed through his fingertips and rejuvenated the ancient tomb. A pulse began to beat from within.
      Was he dreaming or did his arrival give birth to the contents inside the box? It did not matter, for whatever it was, dream or no dream, it was magnificent.
      Deltrin’s hands no longer trembled. The two heartbeats formed a rhythm and harmonized. Energy surged through his veins, smoothing out his strains of fatigue, and flew outward in all directions. Baptized by this release of life, Deltrin was born again. He could see light and color in hues he had never seen before. The voices of ages past could be heard whispering in his ears, and on the tip of his tongue, life and youth left a sweet flavor.
      He took a deep breath and felt the warm air rush into his lungs. He was one with life, one with nature, one with the treasure. What was this sublimity he had awakened? Rather, who was it?

     The five stars rested in the sky as Deltrin left the celestial temple behind on the planet. Stumbling with anxiety to his map room, the Questor placed the tube on the table. He took a deep, rewarding breath and removed the hatch that protected the contents inside, where he found two books.
     One was filled with mathematical equations, theories, notes, most everything Deltrin tried to avoid in his life. He placed the book back in the casket, hoping his frustration would be remedied with what the other book had to offer. The second manuscript’s cover was decorated with a mysterious insignia. There were many different figures surrounding a single sphere, like something found in an ancient religion.
     Flipping through the pages, Deltrin found to his delight no equations of any kind. Instead, the book seemed more like a journal of the past than a laboratory book. Intrigued by the historical document, Deltrin took the book and found solace in his sleeping quarters. He fell comfortably in his favorite chair and dropped the book in his lap.
“So, this is what power looks like.” He thought to himself, staring at the book. “I figured it to be something else. Maybe it’s a book of spells, or a revelation of life’s secrets.”
      He thought back to the book of equations.
“Perhaps these books are blueprints to something. Something grand.”
     With the company of a refreshing drink by his side, Deltrin opened the engraved cover and read the title page.
“For Us.” Was all it said.
      He smiled, hoping for a brief moment that the ‘us’ the title referred to included him. Feeling part of something grand for the first time, Deltrin continued to read…

      A thousand dreams have colored their worlds in my mind, but not even my imagination could paint the marvels I have seen throughout my journeys. If only I could describe beauty as well as nature can create it. Perhaps, if I begin my story, the words will create the pictures themselves as I proceed. For so many years, I have not been able to articulate my past. So many years have I had silent memories I could see only in my mind, in my dreams, and in the reflection of my tears.
      I have lived a long and wonderful life, traveling to distant worlds with my comrades. I am alone now, but have not forgotten the extraordinary quest to which my friends and I devoted our lives, and the many wonders we encountered in its duration.
     I have seen the birth of worlds, the death of stars, the creation of thousands of civilizations and their evolution. Now that I have nearly completed the mission, I have one final objective that will consummate this quest; a quest that has persisted for nearly four billion years, which will eventually be revealed.
     You, who have found this monumental piece of work, will realize your importance once you have read the history of the great experiment that I divulge on this parchment. You may not however, understand the manuscript you found adjacent to this book. That is to be expected. You must take the manuscript to a group of scientists whom you trust. Once they read it, they will come to know what to do. But first, please read of our history. It is the only way that I, as well as my beloved friends, can stay immortal.

     Deltrin took a sip of his drink, toasting to his apparent importance. Growing up, he knew he would spend his life roaming around in space, participating in risky missions that he made important for himself. At twenty-five, he became a Questor, a title given to travelers who worked for a government. They would occasionally work surveillance missions, but usually, it was geared more towards reconnaissance. Only those who had the experience in trekking around the stars, as well as having a personal knowledge of the planets could earn their title. Deltrin was very young compared to the others, but was exceptionally talented and bright. When he reached thirty-eight, he had completed several missions, but nothing could have prepared him for the mission at hand.
     Now that his mission was reaching its termination, he would soon add to his repertoire a journey that would be told to endless generations, but not as soon as he had hoped. He had spent half a decade of his life seeking the conclusion of his mission, but as he would soon find out, his mission was only half over.
      He did not know many people, and certainly he did not know any scientists personally. He was, however, familiar with a group working on a project known as “Hyperlight”.
      The project had a simple objective: To build a machine that could decelerate the rate of consumption of hydrogen in stars. Some scientists of the universe knew that the universe would eventually become a valley of lifeless planets and rocks as soon as all the stars’ energy was depleted. They decided that if they elongated the life of stars, the eventual termination of the universe would be pushed further into the future. There were obvious complications involved in the experiment, however, the main problem was finding out how to get into the star itself. No one knew what the internal blueprints of a star looked like. Even worse, there are no two identical stars, so the lifeline was not a constant.
     It was obvious that the scientists had several things on their minds, and were busy enough with their experiment, but Deltrin knew no one else who fit the requirements. He had no choice. He read on…

     The mission was an experiment of significant proportions. Everything seemed to be in place, but for one final link, gravity. It was the final piece of our puzzle. We had toiled over the equation for years, and all the while, the solution was right in front of us. I cannot remember how we found it. Perhaps it was just an ambiguous attempt at trying something different on the blackboard. I do not know. What I do know is that the discovery opened a door that would forever change the meaning of our existence.
     Our project was two billion years in the making, which, even for us, seemed like a very long time, but we knew the effects of our creation would unite life in a way that has never been achieved.
     Most of the time was spent experimenting with models, which were greatly reduced in size. We placed our models in different atmospheric situations, which gave us ideas as to where we would ignite our creation. We discovered many things in our experiments; things that we had never even seen occur in nature. The discoveries in the lab made the wait for us almost unbearable, which may have sped things up. Do not get the wrong impression. We knew exactly what we were doing, and made sure that all our calculations worked. Two billion years gave us plenty of time to make certain. However, as I have found, even two billion years of experience can leave room for error. Unfortunately, I could not see this during the experiment.

     When we were ready to complete the most important step in our project, we decided that we could not simply witness the success alone. It was expected that we share our glory with others and not bask in the greatness alone.
     We initially invited a small group of beings from different planets, mostly other scientists and royalty. In the end, we decided to fill our entire ship with guests. The only reason we invited a few guests was because we feared we had no room in our ship. Our oversight was quickly remedied. We enjoyed the thought of having more beings on our ship, considering the project was to benefit all creatures and not just a select few.
     It was fortunate for all of us to have such a gathering. Not only was the congregation a pleasant way of seeing old friends, but it was also a wonderful opportunity to meet new ones.
     I knew I would remember the day we journeyed into a new era for the rest of my life, however long it would last. The excitement glittered in everyone’s eyes. All were staring into a void that we assured them would soon become a vast array of light and colors. No one knew how the experiment would turnout, except us, to a certain degree.
     Our ship was billions of light years away from where the initial stage of the experiment was to take place. We told our guests that the distance was necessary and the effects would still be seen.
     We were all ready to start with the countdown when we were interrupted by an incoming message. All it said was “greetings” in a language that I had to have translated for me. We all stared out of the window in the back, to see where the message originated. To our surprise, there was another ship behind us. The crews had heard about the secret gathering and had no desire to miss witnessing such a momentous occasion. They were not alone.
     We could see distant lights coming closer and closer. More ships had decided to join us. In minutes we were surrounded by hundreds of vessels, all having the desire to see the blast that would be heard ringing in our ears for eons to come. Within thirty minutes, we were leading a pack of over fifteen thousand interstellar cruisers, joining us to see what our guests called “the display of magic.”
     I was pleased to see so many beings had come to witness the outcome of our experiment. I cannot begin to describe the emotions I felt when I saw all those ships adjacent to ours. For a brief moment of time, the many disagreements and oppositions between all the different races and civilizations were put aside. Everyone came together to unite as one, all because of a single event; our single event. The scene must have looked incredible from a distance.
     Ships of all different sizes gathered around us, meeting for the first time and creating relations that would last for as long as the stars. Our altruistic attempt to unite worlds had worked, and as soon as we had finished the introductions, it was time to show why members of twenty-two thousand different species had come to join us.
     We sent a universally translated message to all ships, telling them to turn off all their primary and non-emergency lights, in order to view the first stage of the experiment without any unnecessary interference. Obviously, some systems could not be shut down, so there were ships with some light interference, but the pollution from the lights would not be enough to take away from the view.
     Lights began to flicker off in the distance, one by one, until the once brilliant Zirconian sector that we were in turned black. Our hearts pumped our blood so fast, we could feel the heat generating, seeping through our veins, and spreading into the air around us. The experiment was ready, and so were we.
     We received thousands of blessings from all the ships in the fleet. In response, we sent to every ship a universal countdown. The seconds were like years and I could feel myself aging as they crawled across the clock. I couldn’t wait any longer. The anxiety was burning my skin. I never knew that I would feel this way. After all, I spent two billion years in the laboratory, fixing and constructing everything with my fellow scientists. So why all the commotion now? I knew what was going to happen, but that didn’t matter anymore. It seemed like I had forgotten everything that happened in the lab, and every single second told a secret. The anticipation was genuine.
     Ten seconds.
     My hands were fidgeting and my fingers were dancing so fast I could no longer control them. I looked around to see if I was the only one who was feeling the same fire. Everyone was consumed by the imminence of the ignition. I could see it in their eyes, growing larger and larger as the time crept closer and closer to its entirety.
     Five seconds.
     The past was flashing before me, like some slide show. I saw the first stages of the experiment, frustrating and painful. It was as if someone had been watching our every move, and now I was observing what this phantom spy had seen. Then the time sped up, showing me the highlights of the experiment, the day when everything culminated into one glorious device. The smiles and congratulations pervaded the entire laboratory.
     I snapped out of my little trance and noticed there were only three seconds left on the timer. We were close.
     Two seconds.
     One second.
     I held my breath.
     Nothing dramatic happened suddenly, but rather a subtle birth of something grand, very quiet, almost mysterious. A ripple in the void emerged from where the experiment was to originate, and traveled close to what we figured to be twenty billion light years in all directions. After the ripple, a blue cloud emerged from the void, spherical in shape. This phantom orb glowed brightly, but as it continued to grow, it lost its illuminant luster, losing the appearance as a source of light and taking on the shape of a crystalline prison.
     The outer ring of the orb was filled with billions of specks of lights. A blanket of stars encircled the void, finally ceasing to grow as soon as it reached as far as the ripple. For a while, nothing else happened. There was the blue orb, hollow with nothing inside its belly, at least not yet.
     Our guests looked around at each other confused, not knowing if there was something else to expect. They saw we were still keeping our attention on the spectacle in the void. Following our lead, they turned back to see what was next to come.
      Inside the center of the orb, a new light began to glow. It was faint at first, almost mistaken for another star, yet its intensity began to grow. The light became incredibly brilliant, separating it from the rest of the stars in the outer ring of the orb. My eyes grew wider with anticipation, waiting impatiently.
      The light in the center flashed and sent another ripple so powerful that the orb itself expanded in attempts to keep the blast from escaping. The white light blew apart in all directions, throwing multi-colored trails of light further out within its container.
“Augment, one-hundred thousand percent.” I told the helm.
“Aye sir.”
      With a close-up view, we were able to see clearly what was happening inside. Thousands of explosions ripped open the black insides of the orb, revealing an endless spectrum of colors within the dark hollow void. The detonations increased exponentially, filling up the entire screen with iridescent light; an area close to one million light years in diameter. All this happened in about fifteen seconds.
“Helm, pull back view by ten thousand percent.”
“Ten thousand percent sir.”
      At this range, we were able to see that the separate explosions consolidated to form another sphere of activity inside the blue cloud barrier. A few stray tendrils of light separated from the globe of explosions, erupting into what looked like fingers reaching out for something unattainable. In time, the commotion began to cease and the spherical light within the blue orb slowed its expansion almost to a halt.
“Bring her back to normal view, helmsmen.” I said relieved.
      At that view, the inner light was no larger than the size of a small egg. I held out my hand and placed this apparently small container of shimmering iridescence within my fingers and thought for a second if I would ever hold this realm of a trillion stars in my control again. Our tiny universe was newly born and looked magnificent beyond words.

     Deltrin paused at the last sentence. He had to read it again, not believing his eyes the first time they scanned the sentence. “Universe? A baby universe?”  Intimidation took over his emotions, suddenly making him feel that he was way over his head. However, that had never stopped him before, so he swallowed his fear with his next drink and continued on with sheer excitement…

     From the other side of the room, someone breathed, awakening us all. I blinked a tear and smiled. I looked at my friend beside me and laughed. It was either that or crying, and considering the jubilance we were all feeling, crying would have dampened the mood.
     People came out of their dream state eventually and reacted in whatever way their emotions thought appropriate. A new sensation overtook me as I brought my focus and attention on the baby universe once again. Something greater than anything I could comprehend had embraced me, putting its warm hands over my eyes, allowing me to see existence in a new light. It was a very humbling experience, making me feel somewhat smaller, knowing that there will always be new doors to open with every new discovery.
     What I saw next I must tell you about, for it may explain a few things that will come later in the story.
     When I had finally sat down, taking the opportunity to look at the universe, I fell into another dream-state. This time, it was more than just a dream.
     The picture was ambiguous at first, but eventually, it focused into incredible detail. I saw before me a single branch, which at first, was cryptic with its symbolic presence. That single branch was then placed on another branch that had hundreds of little twigs attached to it. It was as if some force was displaying some fantastic glimpse of an oracular future to me. Thousands of branches appeared in sequence, all connecting in some way to a single, sturdy tree.
     Then it stopped for a brief moment. I thought the vision was over, but I was wrong. New branches with multitudes of their own extremities become visible, as the imaginary canvass flourished with life. They continued to multiply, until I could no longer see the initial branch. I was left in a daze, watching the tree spread out, growing in all directions, making the branches look like a web. The sturdy trunk of the tree finally appeared and my apparition shifted its shape, and then suddenly disappeared.
     I blinked and wondered why I was shown such a strange display. I then looked out beyond the blue halo, where the tree reappeared in the center of the infant universe.
     To this day, I do not know if I was the only one who received that vision. The fluorescent tree, which I have dreamed of these many long years, changed me forever. It was a premonition, whose significance will be revealed as you read on.

     Deltrin quickly got up from his seat, and rushed over to see the map he placed on his desk. Something had clicked in his mind and he had to quench his pondering. The figure displayed on the map was finally explained from what the last statement had just mentioned. Satiated, he returned to his seat and read on…
 

     Several ships began to depart, leaving us with their warmest congratulations. Our passengers also decided to board other ships that accommodated beings of their own race. Within time, our ship was alone once again, allowing us to proceed with the third stage of our experiment.
     The closer we approached the blue halo, the more it seemed to glow. It was much more resplendent close up than from an extreme distance. Our shadows danced upon the floor of the bridge, until our ship was completely immersed in the blue mist. We were surrounded by a myriad of stars, born instantly from the explosion. The blue mist changed into a more violet color the further we traveled into the fog.
     We sailed through this sidereal ocean for several hours, observing all the different shapes and sizes of the stars we could bear to watch. They were celestial with their pure eminence pouring into our ship, splashing against every wall. We were swimming in a pond, blanketed in pure light. Every color we could name spread itself throughout the room. We were ghosts in our ship, feeling the light pass through our bodies, each ray more purifying than the last.
     We were in no danger in this realm. Our ship was at a safe distance from any star’s gravitational pull or intense heat, so our journey was a pleasant one. The shield was several light years thick, accommodating billions of stars. The orb stretched for what seemed an indeterminable distance, which was exactly what we needed it to do. The main purpose of this entity was to keep the inner universe safe from any other outside universe, and vice versa. All the other universes in our system had protective barriers to basically hold in the activity, so nothing interfered with, or partially destroyed part of another universal realm. It was unnatural, but it was necessary to preserve the harmony that already existed.
     The bridge had increased in temperature from the amazing light of the outside sources, but we didn’t mind. The warmth was life and we could feel its power surround us, strengthening us. We could have melted to a liquid, and would not have noticed.
     The temperature of the bridge began to decrease as we found ourselves leaving the shield behind. The windows began to get darker and darker, until our only light source was the tiny universe in front of us, growing steadily in the center. Everything in between was nothing but black.
     We gave our silent good-byes to the mist behind us, perhaps thinking we would never see it again. The bridge was cold inside, lacking the warmth the stars provided. I still felt the youth souring through my veins, but it was not the same without the stars. I did not, however, worry about it too much. I knew our upcoming adventures would be satisfying enough.
     We would not breach the inner universe for many thousands of years, so it was time to get some rest. We had gone through a terribly long day and our sleep was greatly deserved and needed. Our course was set, and soon enough we all retired to the de-animation chambers, where we would sleep for millennia to come. I did not think my dreams could compensate for what I saw earlier, but it was worth a try.