The Dawn of the New World

"WE CAN'T DIVE!" he pointed towards the shell that was tied down by different colored chains of light that had appeared out of nowhere.

Or at least they looked like chains of light from afar but were actually the physical manifestations of various laws and the closer one looked the more different they would appear.

Even at first glance there were more than three hundred of them and that number was slowly increasing. They were not attached to anything physical but just empty points in space all around it.

The water splashed loudly as the seashell tried to break free of their grasp but either only a law could contend with a law or enough brute force to level mountains with a touch.

Hao Xuan calmly gestured for the merman to come over and muttered, "Take her inside. Be ready to leave when its time. Don't stop for even a moment."

With a vigorous nod, he took Princess Ceni from Hao Xuan even though she was trying her best to hold onto him with her frail hands.

"NO! Let me go! Hao Xuan listen to me, you must come with me, you can't stay here!"

Hao Xuan didn't even look at her as his gaze was fixated on the gargantuan object in the sky.

The merman had to suffer innumerable slaps and scratches as he dragged her into the shell while constantly apologizing, "I'm sorry princess lady but orders are orders, this is no place for people like us."

When they entered the top half of the shell came down and closed shut behind them. And only then did he put her down.

The inside was actually not like what she expected at all. The walls, floors, and ceilings were all made from a white calcified bone-like material. There were no gooey insides for the most only what looked like a giant bulbous protrusion at the entrance with something like a chair behind it.

Princess Ceni punched the merman in the arm with everything she had but that didn't even make him flinch.

"LET ME OUT RIGHT NOW! I ORDER YOU TO OPEN THIS THING!" she yelled but he only sighed in response.

He took the seat in front of the bulbous growth while shaking his head as the other 'passengers' gathered around them.

"I can't. Not only is it too risky but we have to prepare to leave as soon as the opportunity presents itself."

Getting comfortable in the seat the merman placed his hands on the bulbous growth bringing it to life.

It began to move and beat rhythmically like a heart while numerous pores opened up from all sides and long jelly-like tendrils popped out.

The main section of the bulbous mass opened up to reveal what looked like a giant eye.

Lights flickered above it as various images began to pop up one by one. It showed the scenes from the outside where Hao Xuan stood on the beach alone.

Princess Ceni was immediately taken by it.

"Is this happening now?!" she asked urgently.

"Yes," the merman confirmed.

The old man with the long flowing white beard stepped forward and gently tapped him on the shoulder, "Youngin, show me what he is looking at."

The merman rotated his hands in opposite directions as the view slowly changed to the sky.

The first thing everyone saw was was the five-sided star-shaped object in the atmosphere. The old man craned his neck to get a closer look through squinted eyes.

"Can you see what it looks like any closer?"

"I am not sure, let me try."

The tendrils receded back into the growth as the seashell slowly shook a couple of times. Princess Ceni didn't know what was going on but the image zoomed in all of a sudden by about 15 times or so.

"It's even higher than the moon!" the merman commented as a round shape slowly clarified in front of the star.

The moon was somewhere in front of it but in comparison it was so small that no one could even see it normally.

More and more details popped up in the next few seconds along with a clearer image. There were thousands of lights along each of the five arms that were obviously artificial but the central body that connected them all was much different.

It was moving albeit very slowly. It looked like the movement of grass from afar.

The old man suddenly staggered back clutching his beard, "B-By the gods! What have they done!?"

"What? What is that thing??" Princess Ceni immediately inquired.

The old man's eyes were opened so wide that it looked like they were about to pop out of his head.

"Ho-How could they do this? HAVE THEY LOST THEIR MINDS!?" he screamed loudly which startled everyone.

The merman gulped audibly, "Senior, what is it? Is it some kind of a weapon?"

The old man shook his head without looking away, "No...nothing that simple. It's a "thing". Something that shouldn't exist in this world or any of the others. It came from beyond the borders of our universe a very long time ago."