Wild Terra: Legend Of The Seven Gems

In a dimly lit room, almost devoid of light, one could still make out certain shapes that unmistakably resembled those of a scientific research facility, a laboratory, or perhaps the command center of a space agency. It was impossible to say with certainty what kind of space it was. A series of sounds cut through the icy silence of the room—ticking, the beeping of software trying to update, or perhaps indicating the detection of something. A silhouette appeared at the threshold, entering the room with such familiarity that it seemed as though the figure knew exactly where to go, even though the darkness made it difficult to discern any details. Despite the obscurity, the figure of a young man could be made out, striding purposefully toward a curious object. At first glance, the object resembled a microscope. He ran his hand over one of its controls, and then the sound of liquid rushing forth echoed through the room, akin to the pour of coffee from a machine. The young man began to whistle in melody—energetic, as though it were the lively beat of a pop or rock song. He seemed to catch the rhythm, and then, unexpectedly, sang a few words aloud, "Bring me your higher love, yeah!"—whistling once more, though it was clear he only knew that part of the song.

Suddenly, the lights blazed to life, as if some external force or presence had activated them. The young man jumped back, startled, as though seeing a ghost. It was as if the lights had never switched on automatically before, not in this room, at least. Now, as the light flooded the space, it revealed a young man, tall, standing at a height of around six feet. He possessed strikingly handsome features—a chiseled jawline, sculpted as though by the Norse gods themselves. His lips were the shade of pink found on the petals of an Amazonian flower, while his hair, chestnut brown, was styled in a somewhat old-fashioned manner, reminiscent of the young British men of the 1950s. He wore a white lab coat, much like that of a chemist or physician, and his eyes sparkled with the emerald hue of the precious gemstone. He stood there, taking in his surroundings, clearly puzzled by what had triggered the lighting. The room around him was vast, futuristic in appearance, with enormous computers whose screens stood some eight feet tall, perhaps even ten. These monitors stretched long, some reaching over fifteen feet in length, accompanied by towering control panels, all adorned with tactile keys. The room was filled with various gadgets and artifacts, their forms and uses seeming beyond human understanding—objects so revolutionary they might have hailed from another world. The decor was equally puzzling, mixing posters of all eras and styles—from movies and concerts to celebrities like Elvis Presley, Beethoven, Charlie Chaplin, Philippe Mory and Georges Méliès. One could also spot items from ancient civilizations—Sumarian, Egyptian, Sabean, books—and contemporary relics, including volumes by Jules Verne, Hans Christian Andersen, and Voltaire. Among all this, there was also a touch of femininity in the room's decoration, though it seemed to belong to the young man.

It was then that a voice echoed, both soothing and chilling, with the precision of an automated system but carrying an unmistakable human undertone.

"Good day, Lewis. You appear somewhat disoriented. Were you frightened?" The voice took on a sarcastic tone. "It seems you've spilled your coffee."

"Ha ha, very funny, Gaïa," Lewis responded, his voice tinged with mild annoyance. "Why did you turn on the lights? I thought your programming didn't allow you to activate the interfaces and operating systems in this room."

Gaïa, in her distinctly British accent, replied, "Well, you see, now my program permits me to do so. The WTG-0794 protocol has just been activated."

Lewis stood still for a moment, processing the words. "That's not possible," he muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief. "How can that be? I thought only your creator could activate that program, and that you weren’t able to do so autonomously. For the program to activate, there had to be a prior decision regarding the gems. If it triggered suddenly, it means the gems are already linked to someone—or something. But that can’t be! You explicitly told me that Dr. Ylarah Noh was the only one who could initiate the research process or choose what the gems would be linked to."

Gaïa's voice was calm, though the weight of her words was clear. "Yes, I know. But it seems this program was pre-installed without my knowledge. Or, it would suggest that Dr. Ylarah is still alive, though she has left no trace in nearly five hundred years. And I am the only presence here in this laboratory, if you can call me that. Until you found this place, there was no one else. So, the most logical explanation is that Dr. Ylarah herself pre-installed this protocol."

Lewis felt his mind racing. For three years, he had discovered and studied this place, slowly unraveling its mysteries, though there were still aspects that had eluded him. He had always considered some of Gaïa's words to be fanciful, almost like a joke. But today… today he would finally see the famed gems in action. He stepped back, a childlike glee overtaking him, as if he had just been rewarded for a series of small tasks. The anticipation was palpable.

Lewis tries to calm himself and collect his thoughts, murmuring quietly, "Alright, Lewis, take it easy, take it easy. It’s not as if you’re standing in a laboratory that’s been here for centuries, yet it holds technologies that are light years ahead—centuries, even millennia ahead. It’s not as if you’ve never heard about these so-called gems that are supposed to date back for millennia, but contain immeasurable power… Calm down!! "

Gaia, despite the low tone of his voice, could perfectly hear what he was saying. In her elegant British accent, refined and dripping with aristocratic sophistication, she teasingly responds, "Quite a curious way you have of reassuring yourself, Lewis. I might start to believe you doubt everything I’ve shared about this place and my creator, even though you know full well what lies hidden here "

Lewis, a bit embarrassed and rubbing the back of his neck, replies, "Yeah, I know, it doesn’t make sense to you, but even after three years of telling you about this place, I never imagined I’d actually be living this moment. I don’t know how to explain it—how could you, as an artificial intelligence, possibly understand what it feels like for a human to experience all of this? "

"Ouch!!", Gaia said

'No ! No ! I wouldn't...", Trying Lewis to say.

Gaia interrupts, her voice laced with playful mockery, "Oh, dear, you’re in quite the state of confusion! But rest assured, there’s no need to explain; I grasp the sentiment, even if not in the same way you would. As for being offended, it is nearly impossible for me to feel such emotions. But I must admit, I do take a certain pleasure in teasing you... in my own way, of course, according to my programming. "

Lewis, still caught up in his excitement, stammers, "Well, okay... But, uh, what’s going to happen now? What’s the protocol? What are we supposed to do? Any idea who the gems have chosen? What do they look like? Who are they? "

Gaia responds, her voice taking on a more commanding tone, "Steady, Copernicus. I’ll guide you through the protocol, but as for the rest, I haven’t the faintest clue. To proceed with the analysis and pinpoint the chosen individuals, we must first retrieve the capsules. Only then can I scan them to determine whether this is the phenomenon we believe it to be. After that, I’ll identify the seven who are destined to carry these powers. Your task is simple: go fetch the capsule so I can proceed with the analysis."

Lewis, acknowledging her instructions, agrees, " Alright, I’m on it. " He walks briskly to a corner of the room and picks up a cylindrical container, its design artistically mesmerizing. The gloves inside are like nothing he’s ever seen before, their texture, pattern, and the way they interact with his skin utterly unique. Once he’s suited up, he hurries across the vast room. It’s no easy task—the space is enormous and vast—but he finally reaches the far end, where a metallic structure, akin to a giant safe, awaits. The craftsmanship, the colors, the intricate design—everything about it speaks of an ingenuity rarely seen by human eyes.

He presses a few tactile keys on the surface, which activate with a soft hum as his fingers approach, and then enters a code—or perhaps a program—that opens the vault in a way that seems almost magical. Within, a box hovers, levitating gracefully like a maglev train, glowing with an intense light. Carefully, Lewis reaches out and gently lifts it, feeling the subtle vibrations as he carries it towards the control interface.

Meanwhile, Gaia emerges from the floor a rectangular structure, about a meter and a quarter tall, one meter wide, and two meters long. Lewis, now standing at the interface, looks at Gaia and asks, "What exactly is that?"

Gaia, responding with her usual composed tone, simply states, "Dr. Ylarah referred to it as the 'Orthogonium'. "

She then instructs him to place the box—now seemingly dubbed the 'shimur'—onto the strange structure, which appears to shift and morph in ways that are nothing short of mesmerizing. The surface of the structure deforms and reshapes as if the laws of physics themselves are being bent in real-time. Lewis is entranced by this spectacle as he carefully places the box on the structure.

As soon as he does, the box opens automatically, breaking down into tiny nanotech particles, which scatter like a cascade of glowing dust. Then, as if by some supernatural force, seven gems emerge, each pulsating with vibrant energy. They are different in color and each bears a symbol, an animal etched into its surface as though created by laser precision. A red gem with the image of a beaver, a white one with a snowy owl, a yellow gem with a lion, a green one with a jaguar, a blue one with a polar bear, a grey one with a bald eagle, and an orange one with a Siberian tiger.

Gaia, her voice now more assertive, announces, "Activation of the DNA authentication program initiated." A brief pause follows, the gems rotating around the Orthogonium structure. Finally, the screens flash images of the solar system, Earth, North America, and then Vancouver, Canada.

"Location confirmed," Gaia declares, her voice calm, but with a note of finality.

Lewis stares at the control screen in stunned disbelief. Trembling, he exclaims, "My God, I... I can’t believe it..."