Three Spheres

Chapter 19 - Variance

The details of the wall, the dust and the arthropods make the past their home. Everything moves slowly, while the two boys stare at scrawled panels with profound intrigue.

_ You're the third person who noticed that the mural emits energy. _ Fumio says putting his hand and then his cheek on the stone.

_ This is weird. Don't most of you guys here have the Spirit Sphere as a Talentum?

_ On the contrary. We have few Veneficus on our team; myself included. The others are Rangers. We don't have any Paladin here either. The other person who felt it was also a Veneficus.

Amadeo rubs his chin. Running his finger over small gashes in the stone, he says:

_ Do you know what's behind this? Perhaps this "energy" isn't from the wall.

_ Maybe it's behind it...! I can talk to the engineers to ask if they...

However, Fumio is interrupted when Amadeo moves a large piece of stone backwards. He keeps pushing until, finally, a narrow passage appears. Without saying anything else, he enters. Fumio follows behind.

On the other side, they discover an almost clean room, little decimated by the eternal march of time. Many drawings are scattered on the walls, all with similar premises: New illustrations of the Goddesses, representations of various creatures, schematics of the realms, faded algebraic formulas...

Amadeo opens a huge smile! Turning to Fumio, he exclaims:

_ This is amazing! Is this the first time you came here?!

_ Actually... _ Fumio laughs _ No. We already discovered this room a few weeks ago. _ Amadeo's jaw drops _ But since I said I wouldn't tell you anything, I closed the passage and left it for you to find. You were faster than I expected!

Amadeo starts to laugh and replies:

_ And here I am, thinking I was rocking! _ He pauses _ I think it's time for you to tell me what you guy have been thinking about all of this.

_ Well, if you insist... _ Fumio approaches one of the new walls _ Are you familiar with the Theory of Essential Variance?

_ Different species have different Spheres. No one has ever been able to prove it, but there's enough evidence in nature to support this theory as "almost" irrefutable.

_ Exactly. We believe that these panels are referring to it. Do you see that for each little creature drawn, they also designed the Spheres? And the designs are different. _ Fumio points out examples _ We're still trying to decipher part of the text that we haven't been able to read yet, but it seems that it refers to the inter-specific evolutionary process of the Spheres.

Amadeo's eyes shine with the realization of such fact. Standing before each illustration, he exclaims:

_ This is a little human! We have "Evolutionary" Spheres, which improve from generation to generation... Here, is a Vampire, maybe? With "Transforming" Spheres that allow changing the physical, spiritual, or mental structure. Those are the coolest for me! There, in Pixies and Banshees, the "Oscillating" Spheres with a constitutive energy that transits between the three! And... _ He pauses, looking steadily at the illustration of a female creature with flowing hair.

_ This is probably a Witch, with the most dangerous Spheres... "Growing", which accumulate energy over hundreds of years. _ Fumio completes.

_ Don't you think it's scary to know that there are Witches out there? It has been a long, long time since none has appeared, after the "Great Hunt" of the Apocalyptic Era, but still...