Chapter 229: The Secret Of Return
The team waited in the dim, humming silence of the tower, their eyes locked on Mirabella. She leaned back, the flickering light of the gateway casting sharp shadows across her face.
"Think of Galaxy Fall as a video game," Mirabella began, her voice carrying the weight of forbidden knowledge. "When a game is in its early launch phase, the servers simply aren’t equipped to carry billions of players at once." She pointed a slender finger at herself, then at Carl, and finally at Precious and Kent.
"The four of us are from Earth. We are one the ’lucky’ ones—the beta testers selected by the system to navigate the initial rollout."
Everyone blinked in a mixture of surprise and growing confusion. The concept of their entire reality being a phased launch was a chilling thought.
"True, a staggering number of people must have been pulled toward Galaxy Fall when it descended," Mirabella continued, her gaze distant. "But not everyone appeared here. Most of them are currently held in a separate, interstitial space. The terrifying part is the temporal dilation: time in that void moves far slower than our current reality. In that space, a single minute is equal to a whole month here."
"Wait..." Precious’s voice trailed off as the math began to settle in her mind. "I think I’m getting you. You mean that after one month passes for us, more people will be allowed into Galaxy Fall?"
"Correct," Mirabella confirmed. "Every month, a new wave of survivors will be dropped into the first server. After two months of leveling, they will be teleported to the second server to begin their studies at the academies. At that time, they’ll be our juniors—the freshmen following in our footsteps." She shifted her gaze to Carl.
"Do you understand the cycle now?"
"That means they’ll also have to compete?" Carl asked, his mind already drifting to the logistics of a planet-wide draft.
"The Glory Flag competition happens once a year, so yes, they will compete next year," Mirabella said, relaxing into the plush fabric of the couch.
"To us, it will feel like three months of grueling training," she added, her gaze turning cold and sharp. "But to those stuck in the void, it’s only a few minutes of waiting. However, no matter how you look at it, this rule is a massive disadvantage to Earth. The two worlds’ times are in sync. Sending such a small trickle of humans into Galaxy Fall drastically reduces our progress. Earth won’t have a large force of powerful defenders for years."
She clenched her fist, the leather of her gloves creaking. She looked at the three Earth-born fighters with an intensity that made them flinch.
"Never get comfortable in this world. Always remember that Galaxy Fall isn’t our home. We are Earthlings; we can’t change that through levels or titles. Get this into your heads: you are here to get stronger so you can defend your world and protect your families. You aren’t here for a vacation."
The three looked at one another, the weight of their responsibility settling like lead. Kent eventually spoke up, his voice barely a whisper. "But in class, Lord Hayatobi said our families—anyone over thirty years old—can’t enter Galaxy Fall. He said they must be in that void space you mentioned."
"He is right, but he kept something vital from you guys," Mirabella said, watching their reactions carefully.
"Huh? What’s that?" Carl asked.
"It’s true that anyone thirty or older can’t enter the Galaxy Fall servers as players, but that doesn’t mean they can’t return to Earth eventually," Mirabella revealed. "In fact, I am certain that by now, Earth has already received the news." She turned to Precious.
"You have any family left?"
"Yes, my little brother," Precious answered, her voice cracking. "My parents were in California when the system descended." She raised her Galaxy bracelet, the word "EARTH" etched onto the interface in glowing letters. "But no matter how I try, I can’t go back. The system won’t let me."
"What about you?" Mirabella turned to Kent.
"I have two younger sisters, twins, I just hope they’re safe." He exhaled, his gaze fixed on the ground:
"Just like Precious, I also can’t leave Galaxy Fall."
"You can’t because you two are still weak," Mirabella said, the bluntness of her words acting as a catalyst. "Become a Lv200 fighter, and you’ll unlock the authority to come and go as you please."
"Really?!" Precious asked, her eyes wide with a sudden, desperate hope.
"Um... I don’t mean to interrupt," Rose interjected, looking between the Earthlings. "But what about the other students? In the third round, we are all being sent to Earth, and not everyone is Lv200."
"That is a temporary event," Mirabella answered. "The door will be opened to everyone specifically for the match. But if you reach Lv200, you’ll be able to unlock that door permanently and pass through of your own volition."
TAP! TAP!
The Dragon Academy team turned toward the entrance. Ethan and Zach walked inside, the silence following them like a shroud. They pointedly avoided eye contact with Mirabella’s group, moving straight toward the shimmering gateway. Mirabella didn’t look away; her eyes remained fixed on Ethan’s rigid back until he vanished.
"All of you can go and wait for us," she said, gesturing her team toward the gate.
"What about you?" Hitachi asked, his eyes opening as he sensed her lingering suspicion.
"I will be right behind you," Mirabella nodded.
Precious bowed deeply toward Mirabella. "I don’t know how you have all this information, but thank you for sharing... if you need anything in the future, please let me know."
Mirabella gave a singular, sharp nod. She watched as her team entered the gateway one by one, the hall slowly emptying until only two remained.
"Wait, Carl," Mirabella said, her voice freezing him in place just as he reached the threshold.
Hitachi glanced back at the two for a lingering second, his intuition flaring, before he stepped through the light, leaving the two Earthlings alone in the obsidian hall.
"What is it, Big Sister?" Carl asked, turning back to her.
Mirabella stood up, the regal indifference gone, replaced by a cold, calculating focus.
"Do you notice anything strange about Ethan?"