Red light

 They sat side by side in a small sightseeing plane. The aircraft gathered speed across the grassy field and lifted off the ground. At that moment, everything took on a new dimension. Was the feeling she experienced excitement or happiness? Heights always filled her with euphoria. She touched his hand, as if wanting to share what she was feeling; in truth, she felt drawn to his hand. Her palm slipped into his. She felt a faint vibration. Surprised, she looked down at their joined hands and stared in disbelief at the soft white light radiating from their clasped palms. "Is this some kind of hallucination that happens at high altitudes?" she wondered. She tried to enjoy the flight, but found it difficult.

Her body jerked. She had dozed off for a few seconds, but then she roused herself again.

"You're falling asleep," he said. "You should go to bed."

"No, I want to be with you a little longer, please," she pleaded.

The room was filled with a velvety darkness that enveloped them. They savored the cozy atmosphere of the moment as they sat side by side on the sofa.

"Did you notice it on the plane?" she asked, breaking the silence. "You mean the white light?" he replied.

"So you did notice it! Yes. And the vibrations."

"I thought it was some kind of hallucination," she said. As usual, he began to analyze the theory she had put forward.

At that moment, she decided to take a risk. Her heart was pounding wildly. She moved closer, and before he could react, she was straddling his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. As their lips met, a golden light suddenly washed over them, illuminating the room like a stage set. The look of astonishment in his eyes made her smile, even though she didn't understand what was happening either. Where was the light coming from? It continued to glow even after they broke the kiss. They realized then that *they* were the source of the light.

They stared at each other in bewilderment. He was flustered, clearly blushing. She was far more spontaneous. The light was on her mind, yet he was the center of her attention. His nearness had an electrifying effect on her senses. Unable to resist, she kissed him again…

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They were still slightly out of breath, and the red light shone so intensely that they had to squint. The world swirled and churned around them; darkness mingled with the crimson glow, and the sound of nearby surf crashed against their ears. Had they experienced a union of souls in ecstasy?

She gently pulled away, and the light faded. Darkness enveloped them. She stood up and threw the door wide open; the cool night air rushed into the room. Taking a deep breath, she stepped outside. Thousands of stars were streaking across the sky.

"Such a massive meteor shower?" a voice came from behind her. She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist. At that moment, their hearts began to glow with a red light. "I’d like to see them up close," he said. "We can fly there," she replied. They both laughed. Suddenly, their feet lifted off the ground, and they began to rise. Instinctively, she grasped his hands, and he held her tighter against him. They ascended slowly at first, then gathered speed. She closed her eyes. "I’m about to wake up," she told herself. But the cool air rushing past her cheeks and tugging at her clothes left no room for doubt. It wasn't a dream.

"Can you control it somehow?" his voice asked. "I haven't figured out how yet. A manual would come in handy," she replied.

They were already high above the ground; the tiny lights far below looked like pinheads. When she glanced upward, the meteorites were already uncomfortably close. A shiver ran through her. "How do we stop this?!"

She concentrated hard on the desire to stop. And, to their surprise, their speed began to decrease. They breathed a sigh of relief—but only for a moment. Flaming boulders were hurtling past them at breakneck speed. In truth, they couldn't even make out the objects themselves—only streaks of fire. It was only a matter of time before one of them struck!

"Try thinking about the return journey," he shouted into her ear. „Thank goodness he’s here; otherwise, I’d be starting to panic.“

But what was happening? A flying object had just pulled up alongside them. No, it wasn’t a boulder. It was a capsule, and inside sat a strange, dark-purple creature. A black fluid pulsed through its veins. Its four eyes were fixed on their glowing hearts.

Then, a voice resonated in their minds, though they saw nothing resembling a mouth. "Beings of the red heart, come with us to our new home." Before they could ask how, a capsule appeared, engulfed them, and suddenly they were inside. He placed his hand against the glass in front of them, but the glass instantly spoke: "Don't touch me!" He jerked his hand away. "It’s some kind of biological material, or something," he muttered under his breath. "Biological material?! I am the daughter of a Kogon—an officer of the Aerial Guard, specifically assigned to the High Summoner of the Red Light."

So, they were sitting inside a living organism. And yes, they could now feel a faint pulse permeating the entire capsule. Beyond the glass, the fiery trails of other creatures streaked past.

"Where are we flying to?" she asked, unable to suppress her curiosity. "We are flying to the planet Orion," the Kogon replied.

„How is it that we can breathe here?* he wondered. There were plenty of other questions he wanted answered, too.

They were clearly heading toward the planet ahead. In appearance, it somewhat resembled Earth. ! “The blue planet,“ they thought.

But they were already close, and the kogon spoke up: "We are descending." They flew through the clouds and suddenly saw expanses of green and blue beneath them. As they neared the surface, they realized the blue areas were bodies of water. „Are the green ones forests?“ she wondered. The kogon touched down and spat them out. Thousands of kogons and purple beings darted about around them. They noticed that the vast majority of these creatures had only one eye; some had two, but those were few. The kogons spat out their cargo and immediately flew off toward the water. The purple beings hurried toward a massive rock formation and gathered there. The folds of their bodies rippled—were legs perhaps hidden beneath them? But then, both observers noticed that the beings were not touching the ground.

Before they could examine the beings and the planet in greater detail, the High Summoner of the Red Light appeared behind them.

"Please, come with me." They followed him. He led them toward the rock that loomed ahead. The purple people stepped aside as they walked forward. That mass of purple bodies with black veins rippled like a strange, otherworldly ocean.

They reached the rock face. The Summoner stood before the purple sea of ​​bodies, looking as though he were about to make a speech. After all, everyone was waiting for something. Then, they both heard the Summoner’s voice: "Behold." One of his folds rose, pointing toward the rock. They looked in that direction. There was a boulder in front of the rock face. No—it wasn't a boulder. They stepped closer. It was a dark crimson, almost black formation, with fluid pulsing inside it. She looked at the Summoner. "What is it?" "This is the Artery of Orion. Life on this planet is possible only because of this vein, through which the life-giving blood of Orion flows." It sounded incredible, yet everything here was so incredible that they were hardly surprised.

"Beings of the red heart, we need your help. We left our home on the planet Syrim because raiders from the star Morfor attacked and destroyed our world," the Summoner said.

"But how can the two of us help you?" he asked skeptically.

"We need your red light." Strange. Without a moment’s hesitation, they clasped hands. Their hearts began to glow with red light. At that moment, the purple sea let out a low roar; it seemed the inhabitants of Orion were fascinated by the red light.

"Step closer," the Summoner said. "And touch the Artery of Orion."

They looked into each other's eyes, and he nodded. Their hands touched the pulsing membrane. At that moment, a stream of crimson light burst from their hearts, penetrating the artery and mingling with Orion’s blood, which was seething and surging turbulently within. Both of them could feel it beneath their hands. A split second later, an immense torrent of energy erupted from the vein. This geyser of pearlescent hue shot upwards, enveloping the planet in an invisible mantle.

The violet sea stirred excitedly, its folds undulating.

The flow of energy waned, and they realized just how exhausted they were. The Summoner gave a subtle nod, and a Kogon appeared. Before she lost consciousness, she heard the Kogon’s voice: "We thank you, beings of the red heart."

When she came to, she was sitting inside the Kogon, resting her head on its shoulder. "Are you awake?" he asked. She nodded. "Will the shield work?" she asked anxiously. He smiled. "It’s working!" She looked at him in astonishment. "How do you know?" "I saw it with my own eyes—well, actually, I didn't," he laughed. She didn't understand. "The shield works by making the planet invisible. I saw it for myself." She breathed a sigh of relief, but a thought immediately struck her. "How will the Kogon get back home? If the planet can't be seen?" The Kogon’s voice answered her: "I won't return." "What?" they both cried out at once. "This is a one-way mission. I won't have the energy to return," the Kogon stated calmly. "But... but... what about your father? What about you? Don't you want to go back?" "I was charged with bringing our saviors safely home. That is my task." They made the return journey in a somber mood. They spoke no more, but their fingers remained intertwined, and their hearts pulsed with a red glow. They touched down on the ground, finding themselves outside on Mother Earth. "Thank you..." Before she could finish, the Kogon shrank down into a small sphere. He picked it up from the ground and slipped it into his pocket.

Now they looked around. They were standing on the beach in front of the house. They were returning home. She paused in the doorway and, before closing it, glanced up at the sky. "Do you think the Earth has an artery, too?" He smiled knowingly into his beard.