40. Echoes of the Hypogeum: Malta’s Hidden Legacy
Meanwhile, the Nova Exhibition was in full swing, crowded with visitors from across the Galactic Empire. They had come to see the Eye of Nova, rumored to be on display for the first time.
Suri’s father, along with Sabi’s and Maru’s fathers, were trying to send a secret message through the exhibition catalog while everyone was distracted by the Eye of Nova. Seraphin Omega was supposed to help the fathers but instead was attempting to possess Emperor Nova by using equations.
The three fathers watched the exhibition from a hidden corner, away from the central hall.
A catalog listed all the artifacts on display. By clicking on an artifact in the catalog, the viewer would see an instant holographic video with an AI announcer explaining the artifact’s history and origin.
Suri’s father clicked on the Hypogeum listing.
Then, Alice the Lightning Flower appeared. Alice would convert the explanation and footage of the Hypogeum into an echoing message for Suri.
They traveled mentally across the Mediterranean’s blue sea, arriving at beautiful Malta. Malta was home to many megalithic temples.
The arrangement of these temples formed a vast pattern, like a giant constellation. But it wasn’t a constellation visible from Earth. It resembled the Nazca Lines or the Amazon geoglyphs.
The temple walls were covered in spiral patterns—not mere decorations, but something resembling hieroglyphs or equations, something like DNA structures but subtly different.
“…There is an underground sanctuary called the Hypogeum, where a peculiar acoustic effect occurs. It’s like an echoing resonance that reacts only to certain frequencies. And beneath these megalithic temples lies an even more enormous structure. All the megalithic temples discovered so far are just the tip of the iceberg. That immense structure is said to connect to Sirius Malta.”
“They will return. When the stars align perfectly, the lightning guest will arrive. And the sword will open.”
“Listen carefully, kids… To neutralize the lightning shield, first…”
Alice was relaying the fathers’ message through the echo of the catalog.
“Something terrible has happened. The Emperor is wearing a Crown Cipher. We might not be able to infiltrate his mind. I’m seeing it for the first time too… They say ancient alchemists crafted it with special magic. Once worn, the mask resonates with the wearer’s mental energy, creating a protective barrier. It supposedly blocks all supernatural mental domination. This makes possession… useless, doesn’t it?”
Seraphin’s face darkened, yet bore a strange smile.
At that very moment, Emperor Nova appeared to deliver a congratulatory speech.
All the spectators were fixated on Emperor Nova. He wore a mask filled with holograms—the Crown Cipher.
Emperor Nova began his speech, mask on:
“Our empire has reached a stage where magic is completely gone… We are the strongest empire in the universe, perfected. To prove it, the Sword Star’s memory no longer reappears. This means peace has come. With this peace, I decided we could hold this exhibition. Our empire, and that Eye of Nova—the Big Bang Stone that only emperors can name—Nova’s Eye is the eye of each era’s emperor. None can escape this eye. I will never forgive anyone who disturbs the peace of the empire.”
The audience applauded, cheering loudly.
“However, regrettably, we have enemies trying to destroy our empire. Through this exhibition, I will eliminate them. Whoever finds them and brings them to me alive shall receive a massive imperial reward.”
Just then, a yellow beam shot out from Nova’s Eye.
That beam projected onto the exhibition’s wall in crystal-clear definition.
“Ah…”
The three fathers almost collapsed from shock.
Projected on the wall as wanted criminals by the Nova Empire were none other than the three children.
At that moment, Alice hid inside the exhibition catalog.
Simultaneously, shards of light sprang forth like coil springs all around the central hall.
They were Bird Spies, beings at the nano scale that had been hiding in the air. About 9–10 nanometers in size, they blended seamlessly with air currents, refracting light so perfectly that they were invisible. They possessed the most advanced intelligence capabilities through quantum entanglement.
“…I need to save myself first, I guess…”
Seraphin muttered and took off.
The Bird Spies immediately reported to Emperor Nova about Alice’s presence and the secret catalog messages.
The Emperor’s gaze was not one of rage or excitement, but cool and confident, certain he could control the situation. He ordered the Bird Spies:
“Find the conspirators who set up this exhibition.”
At that moment, Seraphin Omega stepped forward, shouting in an exaggerated tone:
“Those ones, right there…”
He pointed at the three fathers.
Seraphin pulled a small device from the necklace around his neck and displayed selectively recorded footage.
“Congratulations. Quite an invention you’ve made.”
Seraphin Omega gestured to the table holding the notebook.
The three fathers stared intensely at the table.
“Because the table itself functions as a high-sensitivity sound sensor, it records every conversation precisely. Oh, and it uses top-notch quantum technology, so it can’t be hacked. Except by me… hahaha.”
Emperor Nova ordered the three fathers to be sent to the cosmic cliffs.
Faceless figures with hoods appeared and took the fathers away.
However, Alice’s echo message from the exhibition catalog had already been transmitted to the children.
Suri, Sabi, Maru, and Marblem were now listening to and watching the historical account of Malta’s civilization that the fathers had sent.
Malta’s civilization was family-oriented.
They farmed and tilled the soil, and above all, they cherished magic.
They had a magical sanctuary called Avalon.
Within Avalon stood a sacred tree protected by the Bahar people.
To them, magic was a concept that bound the family together as one.
Each possessed unique magical abilities, yet they never built towering structures. At most, they lived in megalithic temples about three stories high.
Their dwelling spaces were often clover-shaped…
It resembled the simple, cozy style of children playing house.
It was a very modest, very snug civilization.
[To be continued…]
** Starting November 2023, The Korea Daily is excited to publish the fantasy novel series “Sword of Malta – Lightning in 72 Years” on our website. This new captivating series follows a trio of young adventurers on their quest to uncover the mysteries of ancient civilizations, including the Maya and Inca. In an exciting development, Netflix is currently adapting the novel’s storyline into a film.
The ‘Sword of Malta – Lightning in 72 Years’ is the latest novel authored by Jeeyoon Ha, who created the “Pangaea series.” Ha’s debut novel, “The Pangaea: Finding Xibalba,” was selected by the Korea Creative Content Agency in 2022 as part of their initiative to support the global export of fantasy literature.
Readers can eagerly anticipate the online publication of two installments each month, with new chapters appearing bi-weekly, offering a regular escape into this magical realm. *Mark Oh translated the Korean novel into English.
