Avi quickly ran up to Luna, sensing that something bad had happened.

“Luna?” - She asked.

Luna kept looking around, as if she were scared that she could still be in a simulation. - “Where... where are Virka and your parents?”

“Right behind the tent.” - Avi replied.

Luna threw herself at Avi, wrapping her arms around her neck, and began to cry. Avi, silently, lay her hand on Luna's head and tried to calm her down. A minute or so passed before Luna realized that people could notice.

She wiped her tears and spoke to Avi. - “It's nothing, it's nothing. Please, let's keep this between us. I didn't find anything useful there anyway.”

“Okay.” - Avi said, showing deep empathy for her friend. - “If you don't want to talk about it, let's leave it be.”

The two girls returned to the rest of the crew at a slow pace, so Luna would have more time to pull herself together. Virka was the only person to notice that something was wrong, but didn't comment at all.

“Did it go well?” - Charlotte asked, but Luna shook her head.

“She didn't find anything.” - Avi answered. - “It wasn't a short mission, we should let her rest.”

“No, don't worry about it.” - Luna said. - “We can continue. What's our next stop?”

“The Butterfly Emporium is nearby.” - Virka wanted to assist the girls in changing the topic. - “I'll call a carriage.” - She raised her hand towards the busy street in an attempt to get the attention of the cabs.

Almost immediately, one of the carriages turned in their direction and stopped next to the sidewalk. Its driver was a robot in crease-ironed formal pants, a tailored brown vest, and a tall, pointy hat. Numerous white braids hung from the machine's skull, their tips being multicolored, shining clasps.

The robot invited Avi and her companions inside, then spoke. - “Good day. Where shall we go?”

“To the Butterfly Emporium” - Virka requested.

The carriage started, and Charlotte soon started looking around the vehicle. She was pleasantly surprised by how old-fashioned their mode of transport was.

“I would've never guessed that we would have a chauffeur. I was confident the whole experience would be automated.” - Charlotte commented.

“I guarantee that it'll be to your benefit. It's nice to pass the time with a conversation, and you can benefit by taking advantage of the knowledge of someone who knows the city well.” - The robot replied.

“I don't doubt it.” - Charlotte said. - “In a city as large as this one, it's not hard to get lost.”

“...and to think that it used to be just a small outpost.” - The robot added.

“Really?” - Chalotte inquired.

“Yes, the first settlers came here ten thousand six hundred fourteen years ago, by following the electric junctions.” - The robot explained. - “They were pilgrims of the Cracked Hammer, to be more precise.”

“Is it some kind of religious group?” - Charlotte wondered.

“Precisely. Worshippers of the machine-demiurge. They believe that the universe was forged by a superior entity that existed outside of time and had no will or thoughts of its own. They call it – the first architect.” - The chauffeur said.

“Sounds like an unfounded claim.” - Luna commented.

“Do you have a better one?” - Avi interjected, trying to annoy Luna a bit.

“No, all of the alternatives are limited to abstractions that go beyond the limits of my understanding.” - Luna replied.

“Indeed, it's a tough issue. Some people say that reality came from nothing, others assume that it has always existed. In both cases, it's hard to explain it with just our finite minds.” - The robot elaborated, guessing it was what Luna meant.

“...and what do you believe?” - Charlotte asked.

“Me? Haha...” - The robot laughed. - “I believe we should focus on the present, on these few moments that we still have. To enjoy the warmth of Goliath, until its core inevitably dies out.”

“Goliath... is dying?” - Avi whispered.

“Everything is...” - The robot declared. - “...but we shouldn't worry too much. Our Ark still has enough energy for an innumerable number of cycles. Before it dies, Anaari's plague will finish us off, or we will just turn back to ashes.”

“That's a rather pessimistic outlook.” - Virka mentioned.

Avi's fingers dug deep into her seat. - “We can't let it happen!”

“Some things need to be accepted.” - The robot said. - “To fight with Anaari, or the time itself, isn't an easy battle. Nobody won it yet.”

“That doesn't mean that victory can't be achieved!” - Avi exclaimed.

“Maybe, maybe you're right...” - The robot responded. - “...but it would require a miracle. Life needs energy, and it's hard to keep it in one place. It radiates away and irrevocably disappears in the void. The law of expansion proves that it's impossible to continue traveling with a negative energy output.”

“What is he talking about?” - Avi whispered to Luna.

“The universe should theoretically be expanding, and that fact, together with the speed of energy particles, creates a mathematical model where, even with FTL travel, the temperature lost by a finite system of energy collectors is larger than the potential gain. It's basic knowledge.” - Luna explained.

Avi didn't understand anything. - “Oh... okay. Could you say it in human words?”

“Take your body, for example, it continuously depletes energy in the form of heat. It's impossible to collect that heat and use it to cultivate enough food to restore the deficit, because most of the energy is escaping in different directions and can sometimes pass through obstacles. I will not elaborate on the latter, due to your lack of knowledge of quantum physics...” - Luna explained. - “...but the point is, without an infinite energy source, it's impossible to prolong the existence of life forever.”

“Wait... but doesn't that source have to exist?” - Avi pondered for a moment. - “Otherwise, the immortals wouldn't exist.”

“Immortals?” - The chauffeur asked.

“Virka, can you explain?” - Avi politely requested.

Virka was reluctant, but agreed. - “There are lifeforms that can live forever, but even their bodies have their limits. Without a surplus of energy, they hibernate. When the universe finally dies, they should fall into an eternal sleep.”

“Huh, lifeforms that can live forever...” - The robot said. - “...I never heard about anything like that, are you sure you don't mistake longevous species for them?”

“No.” - Virka replied. - “I know what I'm talking about.”

Love this novel? Read it on NovelBin to ensure the author gets credit.

“...but a perfect hibernation would require a system analogous to a reverse infinity engine. Our world, however, is finite, so I don't think it's possible for something like that to exist.” - The chauffeur responded.

“...but it does exist. Don't ask me why and how, because I don't know.” - Virka uttered.

“I have a hypothesis.” - Luna declared. - “The immortals could've come from an infinite plane of existence, different than ours, where, through an entanglement, a global energy-harnessing network of singularities was formed. It could cause a local collapse of spacetime, forming the immortal infinity cores.”

“An infinite universe.” - The robot commented. - “What an innovative idea.”

Avi remained silent. She couldn't stand their technobabble.

“Does that mean that theoretically, it's possible to travel from this universe to its infinite counterpart?” - Charlotte asked.

Luna was quick to continue. - “Usually, the travel from an infinite universe to a finite one is possible, but the other way around, not. To create an appropriate funnel-like wormhole, there would have to be an object of infinite nature in our universe, but even infinite cores aren't enough. It requires at least an infinity engine, an endless source of net-positive energy output. Not something that consumes energy or exists in a neutral, hibernated state. Of course, we would also need to assume that a compatible infinite plane exists, because there are different types of infinities and we can't assume that the layer, which created the infinity engine by the collapse, still exists.”

“Ah.” - Charlotte was lost halfway through. - “Could you sum it up?”

“I mean, yes, it's possible, but the universe, from which the infinity engine originated, would have to cease existing. You would have to find another compatible universe. How? I don't know... but even then, a natural existence of an infinity engine in our universe is close to impossible and would be a miracle.”

Luna's explanation seemed to trouble Virka, who asked. - “You're saying... that the creation of the infinity engine would require sacrificing the entire universe of immortals?”

“There is no other option. It's directly implied by the law of cardinal leaps, but please, don't ask me for mathematical proof. Even sketching you the outline would take years.” - Luna said.

“...but I must ask, did you hear about Morin's Chronicles?”

“No.” - Luna replied. - “Can you elaborate?”

Virka was clearly sadder. - “Those are the records from before the dark ages.”

“How old are they?” - Luna inquired.

“It's hard to say...” - Virka said. - “...but it's a myth of creation. It describes our universe, precisely the times before the first stars formed.”

“You made me curious.” - Luna replied. - “Do you have a copy?”

“Only short records from the age of labyrinth...” - Virka informed. - “...I'll share them once we are back on the spaceship... but they mention something parallel to the infinity engine.”

“A myth is a myth, and any resemblance can be purely coincidental.” - Luna guessed.

“I... I wouldn't be so sure. It was 'Beholder' who gave these records to me, and he hesitated a lot. At first, I also thought these were some fantastical tales...” - Virka said.

“Do you believe that the infinity engine exists?” - Luna asked.

“I don't want to...” - Virka uttered. - “...but I'm afraid there might be truth to it.”

“The universe could be saved with the infinity engine...” - Luna replied. - “...and even more could be achieved, but I can understand what its existence would imply.”

Virka bit her lip.

“That's a lot of speculations.” - The chauffeur pointed out. - “Although I will admit, your theories are quite intriguing. How do you know about immortals? Nobody ever mentioned anything like that on Goliath.”

“One of them... 'Beholder' was my friend.” - Virka admitted.

The chauffeur could tell that the atmosphere was a bit more gloomy. - “Was?” - The robot asked.

“He... he is dead.” - Virka explained.

“My condolences.” - The robot added.

There was a long silence, during which their carriage entered one of the main streets and sped up.

“It should be a straight road ahead, the next junction is the exit to the Butterfly Emporium.” - The robot informed. - “If there is anything else you would like to know about the city, do ask.”

Avi leaned forward and looked at the tall spire. - “I would like to know more about this building. It was marked as a restricted area on the map.”

“Oh, that. Don't worry about it. It's the sacred place, reserved for pilgrims.” - The robot said. - “There, they keep relics obtained from the times when Goliath traveled through the superclusters of wreckages in the dead zones.”

“Dead zones?” - Luna asked.

“It's a leftover, disintegrating star and planetary matter, and also a region of ancient superstructures, located in the far space.” - The robot said. - “It's still consumed by Universal Necrosis, but some of the technologies can be recycled.”

“Wait... so the void isn't empty!?” - Avi exclaimed in shock.

“Yes, it's not... but it's mostly graveyards and nothing more. They are vaster than anything you saw yet, and behind them there is a cloud of scattered fragments of some ancient construction that resembles remnants of a wall.”

Luna listened, fully focused. - “Your observations... would explain my calculations.”

Avi stared at Luna questioningly.

“It's nothing... I just used to research those regions of the universe. At first, I assumed it was a difficult-to-explain anomaly in mass distribution or remnants of the explosion of a massive super-object. Later, I figured out that our universe could be surrounded by a spherical wall constructed by some highly intelligent species.” - Luna explained.

“Are you saying that the fragment that Goliath found was only a segment of something so large?” - The chauffeur replied. - “That changes everything we know about the universe.”

“There is always a chance that I could be wrong... but well, we really are surrounded by a cloud of mass that resembles a sphere torn apart by expansion.” - Luna added.

“That's... impossible.” - Avi uttered. - “It would have to be incomprehensibly large... I can't even begin to imagine how big it would be compared to Goliath.” - She slowly turned to Luna, not believing the implications. - “How many... living beings were there before us, and for how long?”

Luna was eager to present her calculations. - “If that superstructure really existed, I would need to take into account the expansion speed, its current diameter, and the thickness of the shell based on the amount of light it lets through. I estimate the maximal population to be in the range close to ten to the power of eighty... but that doesn't take into account the people required to build this colossus. However, I would like to point out that the population didn't have to be sapient.”

Avi felt like struck by a cannonball. She was terrified. - “Luna... but if it's true... it would be impossible for all of them to just disappear... to achieve nothing.”

“The state of our world speaks for itself...” - Luna stated. - “...although the knowledge they had doesn't have to be lost.”

Avi curled up. - “We... we can't survive. These numbers... compared to them, our probability of success is near zero.”

“Does that mean you want to give up?” - Luna asked. - “Will you stop trying? Will you stop caring about everyone you've met until now?”

Avi averted her gaze. - “No....” - She sounded resigned, though.

“Avi, that I know, is too bad in math to care about numbers, big or small.” - Luna stated.

“I care about a different thing, lives that were behind everything that exists today.” - Avi uttered with sadness.

“Based on the holy books of pilgrims, that were once found in the void, we are living at the end of times, and a new beginning is coming, but before it happens, everything has to return to aether or nether.” - The chauffeur interrupted. - “Then, from two primordial oceans, the cycle of life will begin anew. The old past will be forgotten, so the new may be born.”

“I won't accept these teachings.” - Avi protested. - “Life of every being, their memories and identity, shouldn't simply vanish.”

“Even if it's the price we have to pay, so the new life can exist?” - The robot asked.

“New life should be allowed to exist without sacrificing the old.” - Avi said.- “That's what I believe in.”

“That would contradict fundamental laws of the universe.” - The robot replied. - “There must be a balance between creation and destruction. Something has to die, so the new can live. Everything transforms, that's our destiny.”

Luna nodded. - “Partially, I agree. If there were more aether than nether, or the other way around, the universe would collapse into a singularity pretty quickly. Avi, what you believe in is nearly impossible and goes against science.”

“Shove your science! It's not the answer to everything!” - Avi declared. - “WE are more than that. Life is a priceless miracle. We can't reduce it to numbers, laws, rules, and theories. Even if the world itself would scream that I'm wrong, I still will believe that none of us is replaceable.”

Luna smirked. - “That's what I wanted to hear.”

“The pilgrims would call it heresy...” - The chauffeur warned. - “...you have to be careful in this city if you want to spread that kind of conviction.”

“Hmpf.” - Avi crossed her arms. - “If they have already given up on the world, I don't care about them one bit.”

“I understand, but please remember what I've said. There are groups of fanatics here, and their church influences the legal rulings.” - The robot added.

“That sounds strange, we didn't notice any oppressive regime yet.” - Charlotte noticed.

“Because almost all citizens are machines without faith, or support the pilgrims.” - The robot said. - “Without any outside influence, they live in a bubble.”

“I understand. Thank you for the advice.” - Charlotte replied.

The carriage turned onto the exit and entered until part of the city. In the distance, the shape of a large glass stadium was visible, inside which green vegetation grew.

“We are almost there. It was nice to hear some information from the outside.” - Their chauffeur uttered.

“We enjoyed the ride too.” - Avi replied on behalf of the group.

“The Butterfly Emporium is this city's pearl. I'm sure you will like it.” - The robot added as he entered the parking line. - “It will be four thousand credits.”

“Here.” - Luna handled the payment.

They said their final goodbyes, and when the carriage disappeared, Avi ran to the oval entrance, calling. - “Hurry up!” - She didn't wait for the others and entered inside.