You acquire the peace you no longer obscure.

Captain Soo Beran was monitoring the silver vessel as it skewered through the air across a massive, pitch-black crater that had eluded all probing techniques.

"Illuminate the darkness, Mé," he asked.

"Photon emission ready," she announced. "Commencing launching sequence now."

A beam of light issued from the elongated, triangular vessel and pierced through the layers of now-greying black. Then something peculiar was registered: a mirror beam soared from within the unfathomable depths and met it along the way, at which time the two appeared stationary for a moment before vanishing at once.

The Captain observed in silence, then asked the Mái-Ruan pilot to make another test. "Modify the angle of transmission."

"Second emission ready. Launching sequence initiated."

The second trail of light reached the surface obliquely, and an immediate luminous swirl from within formed around it, both dissipating closer to the surface.

"Well done. You may return."

Mé Khn acknowledged and turned back.

The Captain was waiting for the detailed report, aware that the interconnectedness of the area made the understanding of this crater pivotal to their mission's success.

Mé's vessel pierced through the energy field and landed in the spacious Docking Hall, where she descended. A human from Planet Alteor, she had fair skin, dark hair, and a sensitive nature. Soon she was greeted by Meknáni Sto, a pilot himself and humanoid of white tiger ancestry.

"How was the trip?" he asked.

"Interesting," she smiled, "but I don't think it has revealed that much."

"How so?"

She gently shook her head, then described the journey, adding, "There's a source of light within. If we want answers, we have to reach it and explore the pit from the inside out."

"Potentially dangerous," observed Meknáni as they were exiting the Hall. They turned left in the corridor and headed for the elevators. "Umbe's told me that the electromagnetic activity increases the closer you get to the pit."

"I've heard it, too," she replied, stepping in. "However, it might be our only chance. The pit's just–"she paused to search for the right word–"hermetic from the outside. It's like one of those boxes from Luma'N, which are see-through when seen from a specific angle, but opaque from all others. In a way."

Meknáni laughed. "Good. All that remains now is to find the right angle to look at our gigantic box."

Yet however numerous the attempts, the pit remained just as mysterious as before. The limited data they could verify was that the electromagnetic activity wouldn't harm them if the proper individual forcefield were used to counteract it, thus a ground recognition team was shortly assembled.

Mé and Meknáni were among the ten pioneers who would step into that hermetic darkness. Umbe Nasár joined them in the Docking Hall. He was a Boor, a hermaphrodite with subtle traces of amphibian descent, predominantly male by choice.

"Oh, I do not like this," he said. "What if we never come out?"

Meknáni smiled and glanced sideways at his colleague. "Don't cry on my shoulder if that happens."

Sla Malút approached. She was the youngest Savier to ever be accepted on a Recognition Mission of this amplitude beyond the expanse of the Hexor Galaxy and among the three apprentices of the century to graduate from the Architect's Temple with a full M'naar – a title of excellence awarded with the highest rigour. Excitement swelled in her eyes.

"Are we ready or are we ready?" she asked.

"Umbe proposes to go first and let us know it's all safe," laughed Meknáni, making Umbe draw instantly near him.

"I'll stay by your side," he told Meknáni in a hushed tone, to which the white-tiger humanoid nodded, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Where's Maýla-i?" he then asked aloud.

Boor as well, Maýla-i Hé resembled Umbe, but was more light-hearted. Predominantly female by choice, she was just arriving together with Arít Nasí and Menior Lem, both of whom Saviers – tall, the first very pale-skinned, and the latter of a dark skin pigment.

"The weather's fine for a dive," commented Arít as gleeful greeting.

"A plunge into the unknown," completed Menior, nodding.

"The unknown has never been unknowable," remarked Mé.

"Spoken like a true Savier," answered Arít, to which they all laughed, for she was a Mái-Ruan. "Who's left to come?"

"Uiio, Sakna-Sa, and Gre," said Menior, looking around. "Here they are."

Uiio Mne (Mái-Ruan as well) was conversing with Sakna-Sa, one of the leading Savier scientists of her age and a former mentor in the Architect's Temple.

Gre Mahná saluted them first. "I hear there's a kingdom in there, and that we're the ones who'll bridge our worlds together."

Sakna-Sa turned and smiled to him, her face as luminous as her hair. "I see someone's enjoyed their last vacation and has some reserves of ease left to tap into."

"Always have, always will," replied the Savier.

The vessel had been readied. Soon, they were piercing through Umbar's immense forcefield gate and skewering atop Seremna before briefly arriving at the crater and landing next to a line of gigantic, bioluminescent trees with intermingling branches.

The sky was clear. The pit was an unreadable unknown.

They set out to secure the rope system. The fabric contained photon filaments intended to light their way through darkness. A similar technology existed in their light blue uniforms, whose inaudible pulsations emitted uninterrupted location signals to Umbar.

Rope system ready, they connected it to their belts and walked up to the edge, thereupon letting themselves glide into the darkness.

"Location signal lost," confirmed Sky Chart, to which the Captain nodded.

The photon filaments instantly shaped a white halo around the team, which was now rappelling steadily along the massive wall.

"Remember to ease into it," Gre advised his companions. "The pit's responded to our signals of light. It may very well respond to our emotions as well."

Umbe heaved a deep sigh. "It's so dark in here," he muttered.

"Keep an eye on the way clear signal as constant reminder of your safety," advised Meknáni in a more hushed tone.

The green pulsation on their left sleeves by the wrists brought some comfort to Umbe, indeed, but not enough to ensure peace of mind. Jaw, set. Breathing, heavy.

They progressed in silence for a while longer, then Gre requested them to stop. "Alright, let's try an experiment." He was glancing at Umbe predominantly. "I want each of you to conjure up a strong, positive emotion and try to relive it now. Let's see how the pit responds."

"All at once?" asked Uiio, a few crew members away.

"Yes, all at once."

"What if they're dissonant?" Meknáni asked.

"They cannot be," Gre explained. "Each emotion is a frequency, and positive emotions correspond to frequencies of harmonious, high vibration."

"An orchestra of feeling," observed Sla.

"Make it peace of mind that you're focusing on, if you will," Gre suggested.

"I can do that," said Sakna-Sa.

One by one, they agreed to perform the experiment and, closing their eyes, they searched for a good feeling that would pass as both greeting and well-wishing to whomever had replied to their light beams.

In the midst of the darkness, their light was pulsating. Their ropes were shining white, as did their uniforms, and a subtle, overall halo gleamed steadily at arm's length distance around them. In that safe space, they each began, unknowingly, the most transformative process of their lives: stepping beyond the limitations of spoken tongue.

And the pit perceived their message and answered back.

Now comes the challenge, the stretching of the mind, for in they went, but where have they arrived?