Story: The Endless Voyager: (Part-2) | The Impossible Shift

 

Chapter 7: The Journey Resumes

The Aurora did not stop growing.

Despite the tensions between Eden-3 and the newly awakened cryo-passengers, a decision was made—some would remain on the planet, but others would continue the ship’s mission, finding some other habitable planet. Elias Voss, Adrian Kade, Kiera Sato, and a handful of Eden-3’s explorers stepped aboard.

Mara Solas stood at the edge of the docking bay, watching them leave. “If you find something out there,” she said, “don’t forget where you came from.”

Elias nodded. “Neither should you.”

The Aurora’s engines hummed to life. The vast, ever-shifting corridors whispered as the ship prepared to leave. And then, with a pulse of distorted space, it vanished from Eden-3’s sky—plunging once more into the unknown.

Chapter 8: The Impossible Shift

Days passed.

The ship’s systems operated smoothly. The new crew—both from the original Earth and Eden-3—adjusted to life aboard. They explored forgotten districts of the Aurora, where echoes of old civilizations whispered through empty corridors.

But then… something happened.

A shudder ran through the ship. Lights flickered. The ever-growing walls seemed to pause their expansion, as if the Aurora itself was watching.

A warning blared through the speakers:

> TIME DISPLACEMENT DETECTED. GRAVITATIONAL ANOMALY ACTIVE.

Elias and Adrian rushed to the bridge. “What the hell is happening?” Elias demanded.

The answer came in a single, terrifying image.

Outside the viewing screen, Earth loomed. But it was wrong. There were no satellites, no artificial lights—only vast untouched landscapes. And yet… in the river valleys and on the hilltops, there were cities.

Primitive, yet unmistakably civilized.

Kiera’s voice was barely a whisper. “We’re in the past.”

Chapter 9: The Fearful Ones

A scouting team descended in a small landing pod, touching down near one of the settlements. The air was thick with the scent of woodfires. Mudbrick houses stood in neat rows. The people—tall, strong, dressed in woven garments—stared in terror as the pod opened.

Elias stepped out first, hands raised. “We mean no harm,” he said, knowing they wouldn’t understand.

A spear whistled past his head.

The villagers screamed and fled. A few stood their ground, gripping primitive weapons, eyes wide with fear.

“We need to establish communication,” Adrian said. “Kiera, get the linguistic scanner working.”

It took hours. The device recorded their speech patterns, analyzing their structure, deciphering meaning. Slowly, words began to form.

When Elias spoke again, the people understood.

“We come from the sky,” he said. “But we are like you.”

A young woman, with dark hair and piercing amber eyes, stepped forward cautiously. “No one comes from the sky,” she said. “Only the gods.”

Elias glanced at the others. “Then we have a lot to explain.”

Chapter 10: The Forbidden Gift

Days turned into weeks. The Aurora’s crew studied the civilization, documenting its culture, its laws, its myths.

The people were advanced—more than expected for this time period. They had writing, mathematics, even early astronomy. And yet, they were terrified of change.

Elias spent more time with the young woman, who introduced herself as Lyara. She was not just any villager—she was a scholar, a seeker of knowledge.

One night, as they sat beneath a sky untouched by modern light, she asked him, “Is it true? You know the stars?”

Elias nodded. “I could take you to them.”

She laughed, but there was wonder in her eyes.

But not all was well. Some among the Aurora’s crew believed they should help these people advance. They debated giving them small pieces of technology—a better plow, a water filter.

Adrian warned against it. “We can’t interfere too much. Even small changes could alter their entire future.”

But secrets never stayed hidden.

One night, a village elder stumbled upon a glowing holo-tablet, left behind by an Eden-3 scientist. The images it projected—maps of the stars, equations that meant nothing to them—were seen as witchcraft.

Panic spread.

The next morning, the village was in chaos.

And Elias and Lyara were caught in the storm.

Chapter 11: The Choice

Torches blazed. The village elders declared the outsiders a danger. The word curse spread like fire.

“They will change our world!” one man shouted.

Elias grabbed Lyara’s hand. “We need to leave. Now.”

Lyara hesitated. “They are my people. I cannot abandon them.”

“You have to,” Elias pleaded. “They won’t listen.”

She looked back—at the home she had always known, at the world she had loved. Then she looked at him.

And made her choice.

As spears were raised, Elias and Lyara ran. The landing pod’s hatch hissed open, and they leaped inside.

The last thing Lyara saw as the pod lifted into the sky… was her people watching in awe and terror.

Chapter 12: Aboard the Living Ship

Lyara stood on the bridge of the Aurora, staring in silent shock at the world below.

She had crossed from myth into reality.

“I don’t belong here,” she whispered.

Elias placed a hand on her shoulder. “Neither do we.”

But something else worried Adrian. The Aurora had not moved since arriving. The ship—this living thing—was watching.

“Something brought us here,” Adrian said. “And it’s not done with us yet.”

As if in response, a deep hum echoed through the corridors.

Somewhere, deep within the ship’s ancient heart, something had awakened.

And the journey was far from over.

—To Be Continued…