Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lyndin’s eyes fell to the trail of flowers blossoming underfoot, and though he raised a brow he did not ask of it. Curiosity was clear in his eyes, dimmed only by the fatigue of a man who had certainly already been made aware of the approaching threat.

“I believe so. I’ve been running some tests but my research isn’t looking very productive right now. I’m hoping to isolate a few more variables to narrow down our options but it’s proving more time consuming than I anticipated.”

He didn’t seem ready to accept defeat. Despite the weight he felt, the fresh air was a bit invigorating.

Something special, unique to Earth.

Something worth protecting, no doubt.

“I wish I had better news to share. Have you started making plans?”

“You have pictures of them?” Lyndin asked, not because he didn’t trust Kerberos to speak truly but because it seemed like he was thinking deeply about this situation. “The Negaverse had some, but I’d be interested in comparing them.”

It wasn’t just that they had ‘three to six weeks’ before imminent danger, they didn’t have a lot of time tonight. Of course he had the excuse of trying to collect information, but the fewer people who were aware of his correspondences, the better.

He hadn’t been followed and there was no one nearby, but it didn’t mean they’d have that security forever.

“I have been to the Celestial Theatre, a very long time ago. I am unsurprised to hear that you would find little there. It felt like it was meant to be an entertainment room more than a meaningful resource. I do not think the Moon Kingdom would care to receive me at present but when I was a guest, there were many areas they kept under lock and key. I am sure they only mean to protect things from getting into the wrong hands but I do find their safeguards exhausting and a bit hypocritical.”

He shrugged dismissively, ambivalent but apathetic to the fact.

“I will look into those monikers. I do not care much for myth or legend when it obfuscates facts. The names do not spark any familiarity but there are others on Velencya who are more invested in the subject. I will ask for their guidance.”

Lyndin’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully while he examined the pictures. He did not take the phone, only because he seemed to expect its Senshi magic offered it some kind of protection. He let Kerberos swipe through the pictures.

“Those are the same as the ones the Negaverse has.” He spoke with a certainty he would not have offered if he didn’t think he could prove it. “I suppose whoever sent them isn’t playing favorites. An unknown sender who can bypass securities for each system is interesting, but I don’t find the technology alarming. I could probably transmit a message to your Senshi Phone and a Negaverse Tablet simultaneously. I could probably even set up a program to do it for me. But to predict the technology of the future in such a way to make that possible? I don’t know if I could do that. I haven’t pinpointed how old that prison must be but current estimates put it between a thousand and thirteen hundred of your years.”

An impressive number even without the exact specifics.

“I will wish you luck at the Moon Palace. Though it may be empty now, I do not doubt that their legacy remains safely hidden, somewhere. I hope it will be kinder to you in your time of need than it was in ours. Do you have any strongholds or contacts outside of Earth and the Moon? I’m far from giving up hope, but if this creature cannot be destroyed before it reaches Earth, what will you do? When will you know if you need to evacuate? Or, will you stay and fight until the end?”

“And those eight billion people have no idea what’s on the way?” Lyndin asked. There was no reproach in his voice; he understood that the vast majority of people on Earth were kept in the shadows about this other world they all lived in. He understood, in his own way. It wasn’t his way, but–

Well, maybe that wasn’t true. He kept secrets to keep others from panicking. He carried a silent burden.

Maybe there were those on Earth who had resources outside of a magical nature but it was far more likely that it would cause panic.

He shrugged; it was an irrelevant topic, he supposed.

“We were able to run scans on a few artifacts recovered during the trip. They seem to date around that time period, though I suppose there is room for inconsistencies. Especially if this thing is not operating within standard rules for the universe. I suppose the cage was intended to last forever. It might have, if there weren’t a faulty component. So, we are left to pick up the pieces.”

He looked to the sky briefly, and then found Kerberos’ gaze again.

“You know the Velencians are limited with resources. I cannot provide a safe haven for eight billion people when my own world is already under such strain. But, if it comes to it, I will do what I can to help as many transition off-world. We learned much through the trial and error of our own endeavors. Though, I would not wish that on anyone, we can at least ensure they are not on their own. There’s still much to be done to prevent such an outcome, so do not think too deeply on the subject yet. We’ll do all we can to ensure there’s no need to start those preparations. I am hoping that the time imprisoned has weakened it significantly but I needed clearer readings. Have you or any of your kind seen anything of it from your worlds?”

Lyndin considered this for only a brief moment before he nodded. “You should keep an eye on your world, just to be safe. If there are anomalies there, you should be tracking them. It is a shame I have so many obligations to Earth at present, I would like to see your world again.”

But, he trusted his Vanguardians. Any one of them would be as effective as he was.

“Do you need me to connect you with one of mine or did you have someone in mind?” he asked. He trusted Kerberos and he trusted his world; it would be beneficial to collect as much data as possible, especially when they weren’t sure how much of it was even going to be useful. “If you can vouch for any of yours who are reporting anomalies and want reading, I could ask my Vanguard if they would be able to do so. But I require a promise of safety for them, at least in intention. I don’t want to send them away with anyone who might wish to do them harm.”