07-11-2025, 06:32 PM
It's a new and hopefully exciting story with our four heroes: Nicole, Manuel, Daniel and Bastian - you may already know the four from their experiences in the "New Elements".
There you could witness how Bastian had to worry about his Daniel, who was involved in an adventure that almost got out of hand for our four protagonists.
They all exceeded their own abilities in the search for the mysterious meteorite. And often they had to overcome their fear to prevent the stone from falling into the wrong hands.
In the end, they had succeeded. They had thwarted the plans of an unscrupulous corporation to use the stone for military purposes. And even though it was quite painful at times, Daniel and Bastian had overcome all obstacles. Manuel and Nicole had also grown a little closer again. In the end, the stone sank into the sea, and the danger was averted.
The adventure they experienced is actually over. But it's not quite over yet. The four of them will have to find out in this new story.
You won't find a simple continuation of "New Elements," although the plot continues. Rather, the story offers a glimpse into the remaining questions. It looks between the characters and back into the past. Alongside the heroes you know, you'll also find new ones who have influenced more than just this short story.
It's an adventure story, a story so fantastical that it would surely never happen. Or would it? Of course, it's entirely fictional. But not everything is mere fantasy. There's a grain of truth in it, too.
So then, enjoy reading. And let me know what you thought.
Greetings Andy
"The sky will darken. From a ball of fire comes the miraculous, the terrible, that will one day determine our world. Only those who think beyond themselves will defeat the force."
Peredus, ca. 1027 uZ
Time for the Act
"If someone has identified a problem and does nothing to solve it, they are part of the problem."
(Indian proverb)
It's early morning. Mavachee knows he shouldn't be here right now. The Guardians of the Faith and his father are discussing how to behave toward the strangers.
Maybe there will be war here too.
He knows the danger. If he's discovered here in his quest, it will mean certain death. And yet, he must avert the threat from his people, from the world.
As a young boy, he often hid in the secret passages leading to the sanctuary and watched the temple guards perform masses. He therefore knows his way around here well and can enter the temple without taking the official guarded route.
He has to negotiate the last stretch on his knees. The passage has now become too low.
His plan requires a lot of courage and determination.
Despite being the king's youngest son, he's not exactly the bravest. At least, that's what it seems like during the contests and sacrifices.
His gut feeling has often told him that it's wrong to settle a dispute with his fists, and that it can't be right to sacrifice the life of an animal, or even a human, to the gods. This has earned him a reputation as a coward among his brothers.
Today, however, he is the only one who has truly recognized the approaching danger. And he is the only one who knows what he must do to prevent something worse from happening. His courage has not deserted him.
The tears of the sun, after which the conquerors are finished. Gold, which for his people is a possession of heaven, of the gods, is for the foreigners the source of all greed and cruelty.
He saw how they killed his people in the coastal village, vandalized the temples, and took all the sacred objects. That can't happen here in his city. What the temple also contains is too dangerous.
The narrow, dusty ventilation shaft leads into a huge hall.
As a precaution, he extinguishes his small oil lamp so as not to be discovered.
Weak daylight penetrates the spacious room from a few small openings in the ceiling.
He moves nimbly out of the shaft and stands with his bare feet on a stone ledge.
A small stone, barely larger than a seed, breaks loose and falls. Its echo reverberates in the vast space as if a pillar had fallen over.
Mavachee crouches down. His eyes have now adjusted to the darkness. He scans the room, listening for any sounds that might indicate the approach of the guards.
But it remains quiet.
He carefully slides down from the ledge onto the smooth, cold stone floor, taking great care not to drop even the smallest grain.
His athletic body gracefully absorbs the jump. Not the slightest sound now betrays his presence.
Quickly but very carefully he moves to the altar.
On top of it is a small golden box. The outer surfaces are decorated with sun reliefs.
Mavachee puts his hands on the side handles and tries to open the box.
At that moment he feels that someone is standing behind him.
Familiar and Unknown
"Together, that's a beautiful word..."
(Ted van Lieshout, »Brother«)
Laughing, Daniel throws his shirt into the lake.
Like a small sail, the ball inflates in the wind and lands slowly and gently on the surface of the water.
Fine circles of waves move from there across the water and break on the small pebbles on the shore at my feet.
"And now?"
I put my right hand into the water.
It's freezing cold.
There, a few meters in front of me, the strange little fabric boat floats and slowly begins to sink.
Daniel looks at me with wide eyes.
He gets goosebumps and starts to feel cold.
"I told you, I'd give my shirt off for you."
My gaze wanders back to the water. The white spot has now disappeared, and the small fabric boat has sunk.
When I look closely, I think I see a bright spot on the bottom. But maybe it's just a ray of sunlight.
Daniel grins.
I grin back and jump into the lake.
It's really freezing cold.
My breath catches for a moment.
The waves crash over me.
As if in a tunnel, I move through the wet element, diving down.
It's getting darker and darker.
The water presses on my eardrums, the cold pinches me all over.
The bright spot I thought I saw is no longer visible.
I can feel the gravel bottom of the lake in front of me. But Daniel's shirt remains missing.
My lungs tell me that the moment has come to resurface.
As if by reflex, I do the same.
I've just reached the surface of the water again when Daniel comes swimming towards me.
"Basti, you're crazy," is the first thing I hear. Then, after the grim face, I finally get a smile.
We swim back to shore and quickly get out of the water.
With our feet back on solid ground, we look at each other and both burst out laughing.
"Come on, hurry. Otherwise we'll freeze here."
The sand now feels warm under our feet as we walk to the car.
The sun almost has the power of summer. Almost.
Only the wind is still quite cold.
We arrive at our vehicle completely soaked and Daniel with his upper body bare.
A few meters away, an elderly couple has parked their car and is now looking over at us, shaking their heads.
When we start taking each other's clothes off, they get into their car with an incomprehensible remark and drive away.
Luckily, Daniel has a blanket with him.
We spread out our things on the hood and roof of the car while we both snuggled up together in the warm blanket on the back seat.
Being so close to each other, we warm up again very quickly.
But when another vehicle arrives at the parking lot and a whole horde of pensioners pours out, we decide to go back.
I quickly jump out of the car and grab our things. Even though I'm still on the far side and thus not fully visible to the approaching group of tourists, I still get a few surprised looks from afar.
Daniel and I quickly put on our shorts and drive off.
The surprised faces make us both laugh again.
There are moments that are so intense, as if they were happening in slow motion, so that I can really take in and enjoy every detail.
I look at my Daniel.
The morning sun shines through the window and catches his eyelashes and eyebrows. A shimmer lies on his face. His hair is fluffy. His features are soft, a smile rests on his delicate lips. I know exactly how they feel and can sense them in my imagination.
I carefully stroke his right shoulder.
He smiles at me.
Since he's the driver, I hold back. Even though I'd love to feel his lips against mine and his body so close to me. His closeness exudes excitement and security at the same time. When he hugs me, I feel that this is simply meant to be, that we belong together.
We've been a couple for almost a year now. It's been a pretty exciting time at times. The adventure shortly after we met was almost too much to handle. But it's truly wonderful to be with my Daniel.
Daniel seems to read my thoughts. I can see it in his smile. He leans toward me until our lips touch. A tender kiss shows me that he feels the same way.
It was supposed to be just a morning walk together. Now it's turned into a trip to the beach. When we tell Nicole, she thinks we're crazy. Maybe we are. And so what?
I learned quite early on that what everyone considers normal is often just average and that a bit of craziness is what makes life real.
When we get home, we first get dressed. If only it weren't already just after nine o'clock. Unfortunately, there's no time left for anything else. Daniel has to go to work, and Nicole and I have a report assignment.
We each quickly drink a glass of juice and leave the apartment. We walk quickly down the stairs. Once at the bottom, we exchange a tender kiss as a farewell. The front door opens, and Ronja, our neighbor, comes in.
She smiles at us and wishes us good morning.
We wish her the same and go out onto the streets.
Unfortunately, our paths are now parting until this afternoon.
Actually, I don't feel like working right now. But since we both had to leave so late today, this Monday morning was also very nice, with our little excursion.
Daniel takes his bike and rides off. He smiles at me again and disappears around the next corner.
The night was quite chilly, so my Healey is still having some trouble starting. It's a nice car, but it does have a few minor quirks due to its age.
Apparently, this is the same for cars as it is for people.
Nevertheless, the engine starts up and the journey begins. The sun is still shining. The morning rush hour is already over. This makes the ride truly pleasant, and I make rapid, relaxed progress.
Nicole is already waiting for me in front of the house. She's quite excited. I can tell from a distance, as she's nervously waving her folder around.
"Morning, Bastian. You're quite late, we have to hurry."
"Hi Nicole. Don't panic, there's still plenty of time. You're ruining the whole beautiful morning."
"Nice morning? Today is Monday. What's so nice about that? Oh yeah, Daniel had to leave later today too. All right. What did you all do this morning?"
She puts on an ambiguous grin.
Their ulterior motives are therefore very easy to recognize. So I deliberately respond calmly and calmly.
"We went swimming at the lake."
From her expression, I can now tell that she's wondering whether I was serious. Finally, she grins at me again.
"Knowing both of you, I can imagine that's still true. I always knew you had a little hiccup. But that it's now infected Daniel too?"
So I was right that she would think we were crazy when we told her about our trip.
So I briefly recount to her our morning on the rest of the journey. Her reaction is laughter and a shake of the head.
We have now arrived and I have spotted a free parking space.
Nicole is getting a little nervous again. Perhaps this is due to today's interview and our unusual interviewee. I've barely parked when Nicole jumps out of the car.
"Bastian, are you coming? ... Hello, Mr. Bergen," she calls to me.
"Yes, right away. I'm just looking for the wide-angle lens." Oh, Nicole is pushing something around here.
Ah, there it is. I grab my camera bag, quickly unwrinkle my shirt, and off we go. We have an interview with a retired general. It's about peace policy and NATO's willingness to use violence.
The general lives in a luxurious apartment building in the city center.
Our appointment is at 11:00 a.m. We enter the lobby exactly five minutes early. The doorman politely directs us to the seventh floor and guides us to the elevator.
Nicole has compiled a rather impressive list of questions.
I will try to take some portrait shots that are as impressive as possible.
Our elevator arrives on the seventh floor.
Nicole adjusts her skirt again. We exchange a quick smile and off we go.
The doorman had already informed us and so our conversation partner was already waiting for us in the hallway.
The general is a man of about sixty with short gray hair. He wears a gray turtleneck sweater and dark gray trousers.
All in all, it looks simply grey.
However, his eyes flash with life and energy, giving him a mysterious, eerie quality.
He greets us with a handshake and a friendly smile.
"Good day, Ms. Bergmann. And you are Mr. Bergen?"
"Yes, good day, Mr. Lessner. Or should I say General?" I reply.
"No, no. You can skip the general stuff."
He leads us into his rather impressive apartment. In his study, he invites us to take a seat in a comfortable leather suite.
A pot of tea and a bowl of pastries are already waiting on the table.
We answer yes to the question about a cup of tea and our host pours us all the fragrant drink.
After a brief preamble, we get straight to the point. Nicole begins with general questions and gradually moves on to our actual topic: NATO's war in Afghanistan.
General Lessner commanded one of the first German combat units. But he only served for thirty days before leaving the theater of war and, shortly thereafter, the military.
He could not accept what is generally referred to as collateral damage. Even for him as a professional soldier, the anticipated losses among the civilian population were nothing more than murder. He had seen and experienced what was not shown in the media reports of the "clean" war.
As the conversation progresses, it becomes clear that our host and we often share the same opinion. Accordingly, our interview is very pleasant, and our interlocutor is very cooperative.
Thanks to the good light coming into the study through the large glass facade, I'm able to take some very interesting photos. I'm always struck by the general's hidden, cryptic gaze.
Nicole now asks her final questions and we thank her for the interesting afternoon.
Our host says goodbye to us.
At the door, however, he says to me in a completely different tone, almost uncertainly: "Mr. Bergen, please stay a moment. I have a personal matter to discuss with you."
I look at him in surprise and then at Nicole.
Nicole shrugs briefly and says she'll wait downstairs in the café where my Healey is parked.
Mr. Lessner thanks her for her understanding and asks me to come into his office again.
I am extremely curious to hear what personal information this gentleman, whom I met only two hours ago, has to tell me.
Maybe he knows someone in my family?
But why that uncertain tone earlier? I have a very bad feeling.
He says, "Please sit down again and look at this."
He takes a gray folder from his desk and hands it to me.
I open it.
It's a kind of report.
When I read the date and place of the event, everything inside me tenses up.
I jump out of the chair and drop the folder.
I stand there petrified. Mr. Lessner has come over to me and is trying to calm me down. Since my knees are shaking too much, I sit down again.
He picked up the folder again and placed it on the table in front of me.
"What's that? What is that?" I ask him.
"Look at page five, and you'll know. That's the truth. A truth that will surely interest you."
I carefully open the folder again.
What I'm reading brings back very painful memories. It's an account of the events surrounding Daniel's kidnapping and the hunt for the meteorite fragment, during which I almost lost my Daniel.
Hopefully we never have to go through something like this again.
There's an image on page five. It's very grainy, meaning it was heavily enlarged from the negative.
I can see Daniel. He has something in his hand, or rather, he's throwing something away. It looks like a stone.
Now I can guess what the picture depicts. It's the moment when he throws the meteorite fragment into the sea.
Apparently he was photographed from a great distance.
"What's this? Why are you showing me this?"
Mr. Lessner takes the folder and turns to the next page. He begins to read aloud.
"...Mr. Krüger likely took the object during the seizure. As the surveillance photo shows, he threw it into the sea around 6 p.m. Further surveillance revealed no evidence of the object's whereabouts elsewhere. ... Even extensive searches in the affected coastal region failed to locate the object due to the debris present. We therefore recommend continuing the search for Object 2 in Ecuador."
They were really monitoring Daniel. It's a good thing he acted so quickly, otherwise the meteorite might have fallen into the wrong hands.
But what does searching for the second property in Ecuador mean?
That is exactly what I am asking Mr Lessner.
He explains to me that the military had been searching for the meteorite for a long time. The disappointment was all the greater when the deal with Carlson Technologies fell through. However, the military's research was pursuing a second lead. According to historical records, a similar miraculous stone was said to have existed in South America in the Middle Ages. Spanish accounts from the colonization of South America always quote the local inhabitants as speaking of the "messenger of the sun." If that's true, then there was a second meteorite in South America besides the one in France.
And that means the danger may not be over yet.
The Road begins
Mavachee feels the faint breathing behind him and tries to turn around. But it happens too quickly; he's grabbed and someone puts a hand over his mouth.
His heart seems to stop.
Thoughts race wildly through his head.
He wants to defend himself and turns around skillfully.
Now he looks his supposed attacker directly in the eyes.
For him the most beautiful eyes in the world.
It's Akiio.
She silently hugs Mavachee and gives him a kiss.
Mavachee is worried but also happy to have her with him now.
He gives her a thoughtful look and a smile and turns back to the golden box.
He carefully grasps the sides and opens it a crack.
For a moment, a dazzling light shines from within.
He quickly closes the box again and takes it off the base.
Actually, he always imagined it to be more difficult.
Together, Mavachee and Akiio move back to the ventilation shaft.
Akiio climbs up first and takes the box from Mavachee. Mavachee climbs after him.
Once inside the shaft, they light the small oil lamp and crawl through with their precious load. Daylight can be seen far behind.
Mavachee knows they must hurry and leave the temple precinct before the temple guards return from their consultation with his father. When they see that the 'messenger of the sun' has disappeared from the sanctuary, the place will be teeming with guards and warriors.
You reach the mouth into the open.
There, they take a moment to survey their surroundings. There's no one in sight. The path is clear.
They quickly climb down from the temple and run into the nearby forest.
When they reach the thick bushes, Mavachee stops and turns to his girlfriend.
"You shouldn't have come here. If they catch me, then..."
"What then? Do you think I can just watch them execute you? Then I'd rather stand by your side. Mava, I need you, I love you."
"I love you too. It's nice that you're with me."
They smile at each other and continue walking through the forest with their cargo.
They take turns carrying the box.
They've been walking like this for several hours, along small paths off the main trade route toward the coast. They still have a good twelve hours of walking to go. Since they've been on the trail for just as long, exhaustion is slowly setting in.
Akiio has brought some provisions with him. A spot with clean water is quickly found, as well as a suitable resting place.
Meanwhile, darkness is falling. It quickly takes over the golden sky and envelops the forest in total darkness.
The two don't dare light a fire. The risk of being discovered by the warriors who have surely already mobilized would be too great.
The nighttime noises in the dense forest are eerie. But, snuggled up close together, they still fall asleep.
Dangerous To know
“Knowledge of things is not yet understanding of things”
(Proverb)
I now leaf through the folder carefully and skim through each of the collected reports.
The military appears to have been searching for the meteorite for over ten years. A good two years ago, they learned of the presence of the second meteorite. The trail does indeed lead to Ecuador. However, according to the results, the second stone could also have ended up in Italy or even Poland. A German missionary is said to have brought part of the gold treasure there to safety. A letter from 1519 mentions a messenger. However, it is not clear whether this refers to an actual messenger or the so-called meteorite.
The contents of the folder are really interesting. But they also scare me.
Our first search was too dangerous. It was only by sheer luck that we got out of there.
“And why are you showing me this?” I ask Mr. Lessner.
He thinks for a moment.
"You and your friends are the right people to do something to prevent the search for the stone from being driven solely by greed and selfishness. At least, that's what I think. Otherwise, they would have tried to take advantage of the first stone."
"And why are you asking me this alone and not together with Ms. Bergmann? She has to have a say in this."
"The search depends mainly on you and Mr. Krüger."
He knows about my private life. I somehow have the feeling he knows a lot more. Do I perhaps know him from somewhere? I'm not entirely comfortable with him anymore. I become skeptical and decide not to say anything else for now, nor to ask any questions.
"Well, I'll discuss it with my friends. I can take the folder with me, right?"
I want to grab the folder, but Mr. Lessner is quicker and takes it from the table. He looks at me thoughtfully. I think he's also considering whether he can trust me. Finally, he hands me the folder.
"No one except her friends is allowed to see the documents. This is very important."
I nod, take the folder and stand up.
Hopefully, I'm not wrong about getting involved. I'm curious to see how Nicole, and especially Daniel, will react. I don't really have a good feeling, but somehow my gut urges me to deal with it.
Mr. Lessner bids me farewell. We agree that I'll contact him by tomorrow. I'm glad when I leave his apartment and take the elevator down.
The doorman says a friendly goodbye, and I step out onto the street. Nicole is standing in front of the café, talking to another young woman. They both turn to me. I recognize Ronja, my neighbor. The traffic is quite heavy now, so I have trouble crossing the street. When I reach them, I get a strange feeling, a kind of déjà vu. The whole situation seems somehow familiar.
»Hi Ronja, what are you doing here?«
"I was shopping here when I saw Nicole and your car parked here."
Nicole now looks at me expectantly.
"Well, what else did he want?"
Since Ronja's listening, now's definitely not the right time to tell Nicole about my conversation with Mr. Lessner. So, first I need a white lie.
"Oh, he knows my parents and was just asking about them."
"That took quite a while," says Nicole. Luckily, she doesn't ask any further questions. The three of us chat a bit more and then say goodbye to Ronja. When I ask if we can take her with us, she says no. She smiles at us again and then disappears into the nearby shopping mall.
Nicole and I are leaving.
It's already afternoon, and I haven't eaten anything today. My stomach is now telling me this quite loudly. Nicole feels the same way.
So I call Daniel. He hasn't taken his lunch break yet either. This works out perfectly, because we can arrange to meet for lunch at the small restaurant in front of his office.
"Nicole, that wasn't true earlier. The thing with Mr. Lessner. But I didn't want to talk about it in front of Ronja."
"So what was it about then?"
"It was about the meteorite."
Nicole is now also looking at me very thoughtfully.
»I'd better tell you and Daniel at lunch what Mr. Lessner still had to discuss with me.
Nicole continues to look at me thoughtfully. The drive to Daniel's is very quiet. Neither of us says anything.
There are a couple of outdoor tables in front of the restaurant. While it's not exactly summery warm, it's perfectly comfortable for outdoor seating.
Daniel has already made himself comfortable at one of the tables. When he sees us approaching, he stands up and goes to meet us. He greets us both, and I get a kiss. That makes me smile again, even though I certainly haven't been wearing such a friendly face the entire trip.
But Daniel notices that something is wrong and asks us about it straight away.
"What's going on? You both look like wet poodles."
Nicole shrugs and nods her head at me. I take a deep breath and start to tell her everything. The only thing I manage to say is, "Come on, let's sit down first."
Now the waiter comes over and asks us what we'd like to drink. We each quickly order something, then they both look at me expectantly again. I'm not sure how to begin, though. So I put the folder on the table and simply say, "Mr. Lessner gave it to me. Take a look at it."
I quickly put my hand over it and want to add some explanation. But again, I can't think of the right words. So I simply push the folder over to them.
Nicole opens it and Daniel looks inside.
Since her expression is already quite grim, I can't detect any change. Daniel just raises his eyebrow slightly.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” he asks.
"I didn't ask that until Lessner gave me the folder. He then showed me pages five and six."
The two of them turn to the pages in question and skim the text.
"Oh shit, there's another stone like that."
Nicole couldn't have put it more aptly.
"Why did he give you the folder?"
"I don't know exactly why me. But he apparently wants us to search for the stone and find it before the military does. I don't entirely trust him, though. I'm a bit uneasy about him. It seems like he knows more than he's telling. What do you think?"
Daniel hasn't said anything so far and has just thoughtfully looked at the text and the picture of him.
“Where on earth did they take my photo from?” he says.
"That must have happened from quite a distance. From the looks of the image, it was greatly enlarged from the negative."
"I don't really know. Actually, we said we'd never do something like that again." Nicole looks first at Daniel and then at me.
"That was my thought too. But what if the stone falls into the hands of the military?"
“Why isn’t this general looking for it?” Daniel asks the group.
"I've been wondering that too."
The answer came from behind. We turned around in shock.
The Road for the hiding place
It gets quite cold in the forests. You'd think it's hard to feel cold in such a jungle. But it's still true.
Mavachee and Akiio lie snuggled together on a small woolen blanket. The sunlight slowly breaks through the trees.
There is a rustling in the bushes opposite their sleeping place.
Akiio awakens.
She sees the leaves moving almost imperceptibly there.
Is it a human? An animal? Is there danger?
They spent the night not far from one of the old highland roads. It's quite possible that a messenger, a chasqui, discovered them.
She reaches for her things and takes her knife in her hand.
Now she wakes up her boyfriend.
Mavachee looks at her briefly, sleepily, and then immediately realizes the possible danger from Akiio's look.
He too now looks for his knife and takes the box wrapped in cloths.
He carefully observes the entire forest around him, but cannot find any further signs of the presence of possible pursuers.
The two communicate with each other through glances.
At the same time, they roll into the bushes to the right and left of their sleeping place.
Startled by the noise, a large bird flies out of the rustling bush.
Relieved, they emerge from the thicket again.
They embrace. Mavachee brushes Akiio's black hair from his face. They gaze into each other's eyes for a long time.
"I hope this turns out well. I'm afraid of losing you, Mava," Akiio replies to her friend.
Mavachee gently pulls Akiio towards her and kisses her on the lips.
"In our hearts we will never lose each other."
Akiio remains silent and holds her friend tightly. In her heart, however, she senses the inevitable doom approaching.
After a quick refreshment with the remaining provisions and water from the nearby spring, they set off again.
The narrow paths through the thicket of the South American jungle are not a safe journey, even for Mavachee and Akiio, who practically grew up here. Added to this is the danger posed by their people's warriors, who are surely already searching for the sacred stone and for them. Not to mention the strangers they are getting ever closer to.
Their destination is the country's east coast, where the foreigners began to subjugate their people.
The two friends know the power of the stone and know that if the strangers gain possession of it, it will only bring disaster and destroy their world entirely. They don't understand Mavachee's father, Kiteh. He has been talking to the temple guardians for almost a year about how they should behave towards the strangers. Yet it's quite obvious. The foreign men have invaded their land with weapons.
Mavachee and Akiio witnessed together how they brutally subjugated their people and killed all who showed any value. Whether man, woman, or child. Mavachee will never forget the sight of one of the strangers riding one of the large animals and beheading a child running toward Mavachee with his blade. He saw the small body simply collapse as it ran. He couldn't move. He couldn't comprehend it. This image burned itself into his soul. A deep horror and immense hatred spread within him.
If Akiio hadn't pulled her friend aside at that moment, he would surely have been the next to be struck by the blade.
The strangers call themselves Espanios. To Mavachee, they are beasts.
And his father talks and talks and talks. Why don't they act? Is it really so hopeless to fight against this brutal power?
They were only two solar cycles away from their city when Akiio and Mavachee stole the sanctuary to keep it safe. This means the same gruesome fate could befall their city as early as the next night.
Both try not to think about it.
Their plan was to bring the 'messenger of the sun' to safety behind the foreign troops, where everything had already been searched for gold. There, the probability was highest that no one would find the stone.
The temple guardians wanted to rely only on the safety of the temple. Everyone knew that none of the other temples had withstood the attackers.
Today, the two friends will arrive at the coast. They hope that the strangers have moved on by now. They plan to hide the stone in the deep vault of the small temple in the ancient city. And since none of the temple guardians knows where the stone is kept, none of them can reveal it.
The sun moves across the sky, accompanying the pair on their journey. They make good progress and reach the rocky slope that leads down to the coast in the late afternoon.
From afar, they can hear the sound of the sea. Fresh sea air blows through the humid forest.
From the edge of the cliff they look down into the valley to the village.
The first thing they see are three mighty boats in the water just off the coast.
They see many people in the village. Upon closer inspection, however, they realize that they are almost entirely strangers. No, not almost. They don't see a single member of their own people.
They conclude that they can't hide the stone here. And that they're in danger of being discovered by the strangers. That would be the worst thing that could happen with their precious cargo.
A glance is enough. Akiio and Mavachee retreat back to the protection of the forest.
They consider what to do next. On the one hand, the danger is truly too great to go down into the village. On the other hand, they've also seen that the temple still stands. Even if it were destroyed later, no one would find the vaults. They're far too deep for that.
And they know that hardly anyone knows about the underground vaults. Mavachee learned about them from his grandfather. He doesn't know anyone other than Akiio who knows about the secret location.
They therefore decide to continue with their plan and hide the stone down there. They plan to go down to the village at night. Until then, however, they want to rest.
Mavachee goes back to the edge of the cliff alone to get some more information about the situation.
He has laid down behind a rock and is looking down.
Smaller boats depart from the larger ones toward the shore. As soon as they arrive, various items are loaded onto them and they sail back. Now, however, he also notices people being pushed onto the boats, bound. They are prisoners. Anyone who resists is beaten with clubs.
Every blow also strikes Mavachee deep inside. He feels the pain his people must endure. He feels the hatred rising within him again.
The helplessness, the feeling of being powerless, brings tears to his cheeks. He closes his eyes. For the moment, he wishes he could be a child again and live peacefully in his own world.
He now wants to quickly return to Akiio and stands up hastily.
He has barely stood up when a blow throws him to the ground.
There you could witness how Bastian had to worry about his Daniel, who was involved in an adventure that almost got out of hand for our four protagonists.
They all exceeded their own abilities in the search for the mysterious meteorite. And often they had to overcome their fear to prevent the stone from falling into the wrong hands.
In the end, they had succeeded. They had thwarted the plans of an unscrupulous corporation to use the stone for military purposes. And even though it was quite painful at times, Daniel and Bastian had overcome all obstacles. Manuel and Nicole had also grown a little closer again. In the end, the stone sank into the sea, and the danger was averted.
The adventure they experienced is actually over. But it's not quite over yet. The four of them will have to find out in this new story.
You won't find a simple continuation of "New Elements," although the plot continues. Rather, the story offers a glimpse into the remaining questions. It looks between the characters and back into the past. Alongside the heroes you know, you'll also find new ones who have influenced more than just this short story.
It's an adventure story, a story so fantastical that it would surely never happen. Or would it? Of course, it's entirely fictional. But not everything is mere fantasy. There's a grain of truth in it, too.
So then, enjoy reading. And let me know what you thought.
Greetings Andy
"The sky will darken. From a ball of fire comes the miraculous, the terrible, that will one day determine our world. Only those who think beyond themselves will defeat the force."
Peredus, ca. 1027 uZ
Time for the Act
"If someone has identified a problem and does nothing to solve it, they are part of the problem."
(Indian proverb)
It's early morning. Mavachee knows he shouldn't be here right now. The Guardians of the Faith and his father are discussing how to behave toward the strangers.
Maybe there will be war here too.
He knows the danger. If he's discovered here in his quest, it will mean certain death. And yet, he must avert the threat from his people, from the world.
As a young boy, he often hid in the secret passages leading to the sanctuary and watched the temple guards perform masses. He therefore knows his way around here well and can enter the temple without taking the official guarded route.
He has to negotiate the last stretch on his knees. The passage has now become too low.
His plan requires a lot of courage and determination.
Despite being the king's youngest son, he's not exactly the bravest. At least, that's what it seems like during the contests and sacrifices.
His gut feeling has often told him that it's wrong to settle a dispute with his fists, and that it can't be right to sacrifice the life of an animal, or even a human, to the gods. This has earned him a reputation as a coward among his brothers.
Today, however, he is the only one who has truly recognized the approaching danger. And he is the only one who knows what he must do to prevent something worse from happening. His courage has not deserted him.
The tears of the sun, after which the conquerors are finished. Gold, which for his people is a possession of heaven, of the gods, is for the foreigners the source of all greed and cruelty.
He saw how they killed his people in the coastal village, vandalized the temples, and took all the sacred objects. That can't happen here in his city. What the temple also contains is too dangerous.
The narrow, dusty ventilation shaft leads into a huge hall.
As a precaution, he extinguishes his small oil lamp so as not to be discovered.
Weak daylight penetrates the spacious room from a few small openings in the ceiling.
He moves nimbly out of the shaft and stands with his bare feet on a stone ledge.
A small stone, barely larger than a seed, breaks loose and falls. Its echo reverberates in the vast space as if a pillar had fallen over.
Mavachee crouches down. His eyes have now adjusted to the darkness. He scans the room, listening for any sounds that might indicate the approach of the guards.
But it remains quiet.
He carefully slides down from the ledge onto the smooth, cold stone floor, taking great care not to drop even the smallest grain.
His athletic body gracefully absorbs the jump. Not the slightest sound now betrays his presence.
Quickly but very carefully he moves to the altar.
On top of it is a small golden box. The outer surfaces are decorated with sun reliefs.
Mavachee puts his hands on the side handles and tries to open the box.
At that moment he feels that someone is standing behind him.
Familiar and Unknown
"Together, that's a beautiful word..."
(Ted van Lieshout, »Brother«)
Laughing, Daniel throws his shirt into the lake.
Like a small sail, the ball inflates in the wind and lands slowly and gently on the surface of the water.
Fine circles of waves move from there across the water and break on the small pebbles on the shore at my feet.
"And now?"
I put my right hand into the water.
It's freezing cold.
There, a few meters in front of me, the strange little fabric boat floats and slowly begins to sink.
Daniel looks at me with wide eyes.
He gets goosebumps and starts to feel cold.
"I told you, I'd give my shirt off for you."
My gaze wanders back to the water. The white spot has now disappeared, and the small fabric boat has sunk.
When I look closely, I think I see a bright spot on the bottom. But maybe it's just a ray of sunlight.
Daniel grins.
I grin back and jump into the lake.
It's really freezing cold.
My breath catches for a moment.
The waves crash over me.
As if in a tunnel, I move through the wet element, diving down.
It's getting darker and darker.
The water presses on my eardrums, the cold pinches me all over.
The bright spot I thought I saw is no longer visible.
I can feel the gravel bottom of the lake in front of me. But Daniel's shirt remains missing.
My lungs tell me that the moment has come to resurface.
As if by reflex, I do the same.
I've just reached the surface of the water again when Daniel comes swimming towards me.
"Basti, you're crazy," is the first thing I hear. Then, after the grim face, I finally get a smile.
We swim back to shore and quickly get out of the water.
With our feet back on solid ground, we look at each other and both burst out laughing.
"Come on, hurry. Otherwise we'll freeze here."
The sand now feels warm under our feet as we walk to the car.
The sun almost has the power of summer. Almost.
Only the wind is still quite cold.
We arrive at our vehicle completely soaked and Daniel with his upper body bare.
A few meters away, an elderly couple has parked their car and is now looking over at us, shaking their heads.
When we start taking each other's clothes off, they get into their car with an incomprehensible remark and drive away.
Luckily, Daniel has a blanket with him.
We spread out our things on the hood and roof of the car while we both snuggled up together in the warm blanket on the back seat.
Being so close to each other, we warm up again very quickly.
But when another vehicle arrives at the parking lot and a whole horde of pensioners pours out, we decide to go back.
I quickly jump out of the car and grab our things. Even though I'm still on the far side and thus not fully visible to the approaching group of tourists, I still get a few surprised looks from afar.
Daniel and I quickly put on our shorts and drive off.
The surprised faces make us both laugh again.
There are moments that are so intense, as if they were happening in slow motion, so that I can really take in and enjoy every detail.
I look at my Daniel.
The morning sun shines through the window and catches his eyelashes and eyebrows. A shimmer lies on his face. His hair is fluffy. His features are soft, a smile rests on his delicate lips. I know exactly how they feel and can sense them in my imagination.
I carefully stroke his right shoulder.
He smiles at me.
Since he's the driver, I hold back. Even though I'd love to feel his lips against mine and his body so close to me. His closeness exudes excitement and security at the same time. When he hugs me, I feel that this is simply meant to be, that we belong together.
We've been a couple for almost a year now. It's been a pretty exciting time at times. The adventure shortly after we met was almost too much to handle. But it's truly wonderful to be with my Daniel.
Daniel seems to read my thoughts. I can see it in his smile. He leans toward me until our lips touch. A tender kiss shows me that he feels the same way.
It was supposed to be just a morning walk together. Now it's turned into a trip to the beach. When we tell Nicole, she thinks we're crazy. Maybe we are. And so what?
I learned quite early on that what everyone considers normal is often just average and that a bit of craziness is what makes life real.
When we get home, we first get dressed. If only it weren't already just after nine o'clock. Unfortunately, there's no time left for anything else. Daniel has to go to work, and Nicole and I have a report assignment.
We each quickly drink a glass of juice and leave the apartment. We walk quickly down the stairs. Once at the bottom, we exchange a tender kiss as a farewell. The front door opens, and Ronja, our neighbor, comes in.
She smiles at us and wishes us good morning.
We wish her the same and go out onto the streets.
Unfortunately, our paths are now parting until this afternoon.
Actually, I don't feel like working right now. But since we both had to leave so late today, this Monday morning was also very nice, with our little excursion.
Daniel takes his bike and rides off. He smiles at me again and disappears around the next corner.
The night was quite chilly, so my Healey is still having some trouble starting. It's a nice car, but it does have a few minor quirks due to its age.
Apparently, this is the same for cars as it is for people.
Nevertheless, the engine starts up and the journey begins. The sun is still shining. The morning rush hour is already over. This makes the ride truly pleasant, and I make rapid, relaxed progress.
Nicole is already waiting for me in front of the house. She's quite excited. I can tell from a distance, as she's nervously waving her folder around.
"Morning, Bastian. You're quite late, we have to hurry."
"Hi Nicole. Don't panic, there's still plenty of time. You're ruining the whole beautiful morning."
"Nice morning? Today is Monday. What's so nice about that? Oh yeah, Daniel had to leave later today too. All right. What did you all do this morning?"
She puts on an ambiguous grin.
Their ulterior motives are therefore very easy to recognize. So I deliberately respond calmly and calmly.
"We went swimming at the lake."
From her expression, I can now tell that she's wondering whether I was serious. Finally, she grins at me again.
"Knowing both of you, I can imagine that's still true. I always knew you had a little hiccup. But that it's now infected Daniel too?"
So I was right that she would think we were crazy when we told her about our trip.
So I briefly recount to her our morning on the rest of the journey. Her reaction is laughter and a shake of the head.
We have now arrived and I have spotted a free parking space.
Nicole is getting a little nervous again. Perhaps this is due to today's interview and our unusual interviewee. I've barely parked when Nicole jumps out of the car.
"Bastian, are you coming? ... Hello, Mr. Bergen," she calls to me.
"Yes, right away. I'm just looking for the wide-angle lens." Oh, Nicole is pushing something around here.
Ah, there it is. I grab my camera bag, quickly unwrinkle my shirt, and off we go. We have an interview with a retired general. It's about peace policy and NATO's willingness to use violence.
The general lives in a luxurious apartment building in the city center.
Our appointment is at 11:00 a.m. We enter the lobby exactly five minutes early. The doorman politely directs us to the seventh floor and guides us to the elevator.
Nicole has compiled a rather impressive list of questions.
I will try to take some portrait shots that are as impressive as possible.
Our elevator arrives on the seventh floor.
Nicole adjusts her skirt again. We exchange a quick smile and off we go.
The doorman had already informed us and so our conversation partner was already waiting for us in the hallway.
The general is a man of about sixty with short gray hair. He wears a gray turtleneck sweater and dark gray trousers.
All in all, it looks simply grey.
However, his eyes flash with life and energy, giving him a mysterious, eerie quality.
He greets us with a handshake and a friendly smile.
"Good day, Ms. Bergmann. And you are Mr. Bergen?"
"Yes, good day, Mr. Lessner. Or should I say General?" I reply.
"No, no. You can skip the general stuff."
He leads us into his rather impressive apartment. In his study, he invites us to take a seat in a comfortable leather suite.
A pot of tea and a bowl of pastries are already waiting on the table.
We answer yes to the question about a cup of tea and our host pours us all the fragrant drink.
After a brief preamble, we get straight to the point. Nicole begins with general questions and gradually moves on to our actual topic: NATO's war in Afghanistan.
General Lessner commanded one of the first German combat units. But he only served for thirty days before leaving the theater of war and, shortly thereafter, the military.
He could not accept what is generally referred to as collateral damage. Even for him as a professional soldier, the anticipated losses among the civilian population were nothing more than murder. He had seen and experienced what was not shown in the media reports of the "clean" war.
As the conversation progresses, it becomes clear that our host and we often share the same opinion. Accordingly, our interview is very pleasant, and our interlocutor is very cooperative.
Thanks to the good light coming into the study through the large glass facade, I'm able to take some very interesting photos. I'm always struck by the general's hidden, cryptic gaze.
Nicole now asks her final questions and we thank her for the interesting afternoon.
Our host says goodbye to us.
At the door, however, he says to me in a completely different tone, almost uncertainly: "Mr. Bergen, please stay a moment. I have a personal matter to discuss with you."
I look at him in surprise and then at Nicole.
Nicole shrugs briefly and says she'll wait downstairs in the café where my Healey is parked.
Mr. Lessner thanks her for her understanding and asks me to come into his office again.
I am extremely curious to hear what personal information this gentleman, whom I met only two hours ago, has to tell me.
Maybe he knows someone in my family?
But why that uncertain tone earlier? I have a very bad feeling.
He says, "Please sit down again and look at this."
He takes a gray folder from his desk and hands it to me.
I open it.
It's a kind of report.
When I read the date and place of the event, everything inside me tenses up.
I jump out of the chair and drop the folder.
I stand there petrified. Mr. Lessner has come over to me and is trying to calm me down. Since my knees are shaking too much, I sit down again.
He picked up the folder again and placed it on the table in front of me.
"What's that? What is that?" I ask him.
"Look at page five, and you'll know. That's the truth. A truth that will surely interest you."
I carefully open the folder again.
What I'm reading brings back very painful memories. It's an account of the events surrounding Daniel's kidnapping and the hunt for the meteorite fragment, during which I almost lost my Daniel.
Hopefully we never have to go through something like this again.
There's an image on page five. It's very grainy, meaning it was heavily enlarged from the negative.
I can see Daniel. He has something in his hand, or rather, he's throwing something away. It looks like a stone.
Now I can guess what the picture depicts. It's the moment when he throws the meteorite fragment into the sea.
Apparently he was photographed from a great distance.
"What's this? Why are you showing me this?"
Mr. Lessner takes the folder and turns to the next page. He begins to read aloud.
"...Mr. Krüger likely took the object during the seizure. As the surveillance photo shows, he threw it into the sea around 6 p.m. Further surveillance revealed no evidence of the object's whereabouts elsewhere. ... Even extensive searches in the affected coastal region failed to locate the object due to the debris present. We therefore recommend continuing the search for Object 2 in Ecuador."
They were really monitoring Daniel. It's a good thing he acted so quickly, otherwise the meteorite might have fallen into the wrong hands.
But what does searching for the second property in Ecuador mean?
That is exactly what I am asking Mr Lessner.
He explains to me that the military had been searching for the meteorite for a long time. The disappointment was all the greater when the deal with Carlson Technologies fell through. However, the military's research was pursuing a second lead. According to historical records, a similar miraculous stone was said to have existed in South America in the Middle Ages. Spanish accounts from the colonization of South America always quote the local inhabitants as speaking of the "messenger of the sun." If that's true, then there was a second meteorite in South America besides the one in France.
And that means the danger may not be over yet.
The Road begins
Mavachee feels the faint breathing behind him and tries to turn around. But it happens too quickly; he's grabbed and someone puts a hand over his mouth.
His heart seems to stop.
Thoughts race wildly through his head.
He wants to defend himself and turns around skillfully.
Now he looks his supposed attacker directly in the eyes.
For him the most beautiful eyes in the world.
It's Akiio.
She silently hugs Mavachee and gives him a kiss.
Mavachee is worried but also happy to have her with him now.
He gives her a thoughtful look and a smile and turns back to the golden box.
He carefully grasps the sides and opens it a crack.
For a moment, a dazzling light shines from within.
He quickly closes the box again and takes it off the base.
Actually, he always imagined it to be more difficult.
Together, Mavachee and Akiio move back to the ventilation shaft.
Akiio climbs up first and takes the box from Mavachee. Mavachee climbs after him.
Once inside the shaft, they light the small oil lamp and crawl through with their precious load. Daylight can be seen far behind.
Mavachee knows they must hurry and leave the temple precinct before the temple guards return from their consultation with his father. When they see that the 'messenger of the sun' has disappeared from the sanctuary, the place will be teeming with guards and warriors.
You reach the mouth into the open.
There, they take a moment to survey their surroundings. There's no one in sight. The path is clear.
They quickly climb down from the temple and run into the nearby forest.
When they reach the thick bushes, Mavachee stops and turns to his girlfriend.
"You shouldn't have come here. If they catch me, then..."
"What then? Do you think I can just watch them execute you? Then I'd rather stand by your side. Mava, I need you, I love you."
"I love you too. It's nice that you're with me."
They smile at each other and continue walking through the forest with their cargo.
They take turns carrying the box.
They've been walking like this for several hours, along small paths off the main trade route toward the coast. They still have a good twelve hours of walking to go. Since they've been on the trail for just as long, exhaustion is slowly setting in.
Akiio has brought some provisions with him. A spot with clean water is quickly found, as well as a suitable resting place.
Meanwhile, darkness is falling. It quickly takes over the golden sky and envelops the forest in total darkness.
The two don't dare light a fire. The risk of being discovered by the warriors who have surely already mobilized would be too great.
The nighttime noises in the dense forest are eerie. But, snuggled up close together, they still fall asleep.
Dangerous To know
“Knowledge of things is not yet understanding of things”
(Proverb)
I now leaf through the folder carefully and skim through each of the collected reports.
The military appears to have been searching for the meteorite for over ten years. A good two years ago, they learned of the presence of the second meteorite. The trail does indeed lead to Ecuador. However, according to the results, the second stone could also have ended up in Italy or even Poland. A German missionary is said to have brought part of the gold treasure there to safety. A letter from 1519 mentions a messenger. However, it is not clear whether this refers to an actual messenger or the so-called meteorite.
The contents of the folder are really interesting. But they also scare me.
Our first search was too dangerous. It was only by sheer luck that we got out of there.
“And why are you showing me this?” I ask Mr. Lessner.
He thinks for a moment.
"You and your friends are the right people to do something to prevent the search for the stone from being driven solely by greed and selfishness. At least, that's what I think. Otherwise, they would have tried to take advantage of the first stone."
"And why are you asking me this alone and not together with Ms. Bergmann? She has to have a say in this."
"The search depends mainly on you and Mr. Krüger."
He knows about my private life. I somehow have the feeling he knows a lot more. Do I perhaps know him from somewhere? I'm not entirely comfortable with him anymore. I become skeptical and decide not to say anything else for now, nor to ask any questions.
"Well, I'll discuss it with my friends. I can take the folder with me, right?"
I want to grab the folder, but Mr. Lessner is quicker and takes it from the table. He looks at me thoughtfully. I think he's also considering whether he can trust me. Finally, he hands me the folder.
"No one except her friends is allowed to see the documents. This is very important."
I nod, take the folder and stand up.
Hopefully, I'm not wrong about getting involved. I'm curious to see how Nicole, and especially Daniel, will react. I don't really have a good feeling, but somehow my gut urges me to deal with it.
Mr. Lessner bids me farewell. We agree that I'll contact him by tomorrow. I'm glad when I leave his apartment and take the elevator down.
The doorman says a friendly goodbye, and I step out onto the street. Nicole is standing in front of the café, talking to another young woman. They both turn to me. I recognize Ronja, my neighbor. The traffic is quite heavy now, so I have trouble crossing the street. When I reach them, I get a strange feeling, a kind of déjà vu. The whole situation seems somehow familiar.
»Hi Ronja, what are you doing here?«
"I was shopping here when I saw Nicole and your car parked here."
Nicole now looks at me expectantly.
"Well, what else did he want?"
Since Ronja's listening, now's definitely not the right time to tell Nicole about my conversation with Mr. Lessner. So, first I need a white lie.
"Oh, he knows my parents and was just asking about them."
"That took quite a while," says Nicole. Luckily, she doesn't ask any further questions. The three of us chat a bit more and then say goodbye to Ronja. When I ask if we can take her with us, she says no. She smiles at us again and then disappears into the nearby shopping mall.
Nicole and I are leaving.
It's already afternoon, and I haven't eaten anything today. My stomach is now telling me this quite loudly. Nicole feels the same way.
So I call Daniel. He hasn't taken his lunch break yet either. This works out perfectly, because we can arrange to meet for lunch at the small restaurant in front of his office.
"Nicole, that wasn't true earlier. The thing with Mr. Lessner. But I didn't want to talk about it in front of Ronja."
"So what was it about then?"
"It was about the meteorite."
Nicole is now also looking at me very thoughtfully.
»I'd better tell you and Daniel at lunch what Mr. Lessner still had to discuss with me.
Nicole continues to look at me thoughtfully. The drive to Daniel's is very quiet. Neither of us says anything.
There are a couple of outdoor tables in front of the restaurant. While it's not exactly summery warm, it's perfectly comfortable for outdoor seating.
Daniel has already made himself comfortable at one of the tables. When he sees us approaching, he stands up and goes to meet us. He greets us both, and I get a kiss. That makes me smile again, even though I certainly haven't been wearing such a friendly face the entire trip.
But Daniel notices that something is wrong and asks us about it straight away.
"What's going on? You both look like wet poodles."
Nicole shrugs and nods her head at me. I take a deep breath and start to tell her everything. The only thing I manage to say is, "Come on, let's sit down first."
Now the waiter comes over and asks us what we'd like to drink. We each quickly order something, then they both look at me expectantly again. I'm not sure how to begin, though. So I put the folder on the table and simply say, "Mr. Lessner gave it to me. Take a look at it."
I quickly put my hand over it and want to add some explanation. But again, I can't think of the right words. So I simply push the folder over to them.
Nicole opens it and Daniel looks inside.
Since her expression is already quite grim, I can't detect any change. Daniel just raises his eyebrow slightly.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” he asks.
"I didn't ask that until Lessner gave me the folder. He then showed me pages five and six."
The two of them turn to the pages in question and skim the text.
"Oh shit, there's another stone like that."
Nicole couldn't have put it more aptly.
"Why did he give you the folder?"
"I don't know exactly why me. But he apparently wants us to search for the stone and find it before the military does. I don't entirely trust him, though. I'm a bit uneasy about him. It seems like he knows more than he's telling. What do you think?"
Daniel hasn't said anything so far and has just thoughtfully looked at the text and the picture of him.
“Where on earth did they take my photo from?” he says.
"That must have happened from quite a distance. From the looks of the image, it was greatly enlarged from the negative."
"I don't really know. Actually, we said we'd never do something like that again." Nicole looks first at Daniel and then at me.
"That was my thought too. But what if the stone falls into the hands of the military?"
“Why isn’t this general looking for it?” Daniel asks the group.
"I've been wondering that too."
The answer came from behind. We turned around in shock.
The Road for the hiding place
It gets quite cold in the forests. You'd think it's hard to feel cold in such a jungle. But it's still true.
Mavachee and Akiio lie snuggled together on a small woolen blanket. The sunlight slowly breaks through the trees.
There is a rustling in the bushes opposite their sleeping place.
Akiio awakens.
She sees the leaves moving almost imperceptibly there.
Is it a human? An animal? Is there danger?
They spent the night not far from one of the old highland roads. It's quite possible that a messenger, a chasqui, discovered them.
She reaches for her things and takes her knife in her hand.
Now she wakes up her boyfriend.
Mavachee looks at her briefly, sleepily, and then immediately realizes the possible danger from Akiio's look.
He too now looks for his knife and takes the box wrapped in cloths.
He carefully observes the entire forest around him, but cannot find any further signs of the presence of possible pursuers.
The two communicate with each other through glances.
At the same time, they roll into the bushes to the right and left of their sleeping place.
Startled by the noise, a large bird flies out of the rustling bush.
Relieved, they emerge from the thicket again.
They embrace. Mavachee brushes Akiio's black hair from his face. They gaze into each other's eyes for a long time.
"I hope this turns out well. I'm afraid of losing you, Mava," Akiio replies to her friend.
Mavachee gently pulls Akiio towards her and kisses her on the lips.
"In our hearts we will never lose each other."
Akiio remains silent and holds her friend tightly. In her heart, however, she senses the inevitable doom approaching.
After a quick refreshment with the remaining provisions and water from the nearby spring, they set off again.
The narrow paths through the thicket of the South American jungle are not a safe journey, even for Mavachee and Akiio, who practically grew up here. Added to this is the danger posed by their people's warriors, who are surely already searching for the sacred stone and for them. Not to mention the strangers they are getting ever closer to.
Their destination is the country's east coast, where the foreigners began to subjugate their people.
The two friends know the power of the stone and know that if the strangers gain possession of it, it will only bring disaster and destroy their world entirely. They don't understand Mavachee's father, Kiteh. He has been talking to the temple guardians for almost a year about how they should behave towards the strangers. Yet it's quite obvious. The foreign men have invaded their land with weapons.
Mavachee and Akiio witnessed together how they brutally subjugated their people and killed all who showed any value. Whether man, woman, or child. Mavachee will never forget the sight of one of the strangers riding one of the large animals and beheading a child running toward Mavachee with his blade. He saw the small body simply collapse as it ran. He couldn't move. He couldn't comprehend it. This image burned itself into his soul. A deep horror and immense hatred spread within him.
If Akiio hadn't pulled her friend aside at that moment, he would surely have been the next to be struck by the blade.
The strangers call themselves Espanios. To Mavachee, they are beasts.
And his father talks and talks and talks. Why don't they act? Is it really so hopeless to fight against this brutal power?
They were only two solar cycles away from their city when Akiio and Mavachee stole the sanctuary to keep it safe. This means the same gruesome fate could befall their city as early as the next night.
Both try not to think about it.
Their plan was to bring the 'messenger of the sun' to safety behind the foreign troops, where everything had already been searched for gold. There, the probability was highest that no one would find the stone.
The temple guardians wanted to rely only on the safety of the temple. Everyone knew that none of the other temples had withstood the attackers.
Today, the two friends will arrive at the coast. They hope that the strangers have moved on by now. They plan to hide the stone in the deep vault of the small temple in the ancient city. And since none of the temple guardians knows where the stone is kept, none of them can reveal it.
The sun moves across the sky, accompanying the pair on their journey. They make good progress and reach the rocky slope that leads down to the coast in the late afternoon.
From afar, they can hear the sound of the sea. Fresh sea air blows through the humid forest.
From the edge of the cliff they look down into the valley to the village.
The first thing they see are three mighty boats in the water just off the coast.
They see many people in the village. Upon closer inspection, however, they realize that they are almost entirely strangers. No, not almost. They don't see a single member of their own people.
They conclude that they can't hide the stone here. And that they're in danger of being discovered by the strangers. That would be the worst thing that could happen with their precious cargo.
A glance is enough. Akiio and Mavachee retreat back to the protection of the forest.
They consider what to do next. On the one hand, the danger is truly too great to go down into the village. On the other hand, they've also seen that the temple still stands. Even if it were destroyed later, no one would find the vaults. They're far too deep for that.
And they know that hardly anyone knows about the underground vaults. Mavachee learned about them from his grandfather. He doesn't know anyone other than Akiio who knows about the secret location.
They therefore decide to continue with their plan and hide the stone down there. They plan to go down to the village at night. Until then, however, they want to rest.
Mavachee goes back to the edge of the cliff alone to get some more information about the situation.
He has laid down behind a rock and is looking down.
Smaller boats depart from the larger ones toward the shore. As soon as they arrive, various items are loaded onto them and they sail back. Now, however, he also notices people being pushed onto the boats, bound. They are prisoners. Anyone who resists is beaten with clubs.
Every blow also strikes Mavachee deep inside. He feels the pain his people must endure. He feels the hatred rising within him again.
The helplessness, the feeling of being powerless, brings tears to his cheeks. He closes his eyes. For the moment, he wishes he could be a child again and live peacefully in his own world.
He now wants to quickly return to Akiio and stands up hastily.
He has barely stood up when a blow throws him to the ground.