Sword of Malta – Lightning in 72 years (47)

47. The Unveiling of Truth

“It’s not about living or dying… it’s about dying or living! Please help us get to Malta.”

Suri cried out desperately toward Emperor Nova.

At that moment, intense lightning crackled through the air. The Emperor flinched in surprise, then closed his eyes tightly before opening them again. He flicked his finger toward the Altima room’s wall as if throwing something. Lightning shot from his fingertip and struck each wall in sequence. In an instant, every wall transformed into a transparent window.

Through these windows, Nova—the central district of the Nova Empire—became visible. The perfectly aligned constellations filling the empire’s sky shook and distorted like drawings on paper. The transparent barrier, the lightning shield—that had covered the Nova Empire’s sky for thousands of years peeled away, instantly revealing the real universe. The shield had finally been dismantled.

In the very center of the true universe, Canis Major shone proudly, with Sirius Malta clearly visible within the triangle at its apex—the ear part of Canis Major.

People poured into the empire’s plaza. All stared in disbelief through the open universe at the beautiful Sirius planet where red, blue, and yellow lightning exploded like fireworks. The silver obelisk standing majestically in the city square and the golden triangular pyramidion at its apex spun at tremendous speed, emitting swirling light.

The reality engine had begun operating. The pyramidion released thousands of years’ worth of stored lightning into the open universe. This burst of energy formed a mass that circled Nova’s sky like a satellite galaxy.

“All this time, the sky we saw was fake.”

The people gathered in the plaza exclaimed.

“Look over there… over there!”

Someone shouted. In the center, Sirius appeared, along with the hidden cliff far to the right. Starlight was falling like a waterfall.

“It’s the space cliff.”

Suri could barely breathe. The space cliff was the empire’s highest security prison.

Thump… thump… thump… thump…. Prison doors began opening one after another. The doors hidden among the cliffs, previously invisible, were now opening. The sound of thousands of prison doors opening simultaneously echoed through the void of space. Moving like ghosts, figures draped in long clothing from head to toe emerged one by one.

“System error. All cells opening. All security protocols deactivated.”

The mechanical voice of the space cliff’s central control system sounded urgent.

The technology embedded in the Emperor’s Cipher Crown had been the control device for the quantum network of the lightning shield covering the Nova Empire’s sky. As the Cipher Crown was destroyed, both the lightning shield and the space cliff were failing.

Major changes were also happening in the Altima room. A tram’s arrival signal sounded, violently shaking the walls. At that moment, an old map hidden in Maru’s arms suddenly popped out and stuck to the room’s wall like a magnet.

“Guys… I found something totally awesome.”

Maru, who had disappeared momentarily, proudly displayed the old map.

The ancient contents of the map adhered to the wall began to sink deeply into its surface. Shortly after, strange letters started vigorously leaping out from the wall. As the Cipher Crown’s control vanished, the map’s contents transformed into complex mathematical constants, variables, and quantum mechanics formulas that floated away from the wall and hovered lightly in the air. They came to rest above the three children’s heads, the possession magic formula invented by their fathers.

B = ∫(Ψ * δ) dt + α(ω – ω₀)² + β|E|²

“I can’t believe it… our dads actually did it.” Suri gently touched the formulas with his hand. Though they scattered upon contact, they quickly returned to their original positions.

“I was the first and only person to receive possession magic… now that record is going to be broken. What am I supposed to do if they create a formula like this? How am I supposed to live?… Not kidding… not serious…”

Marblem was smiling, yet not quite smiling.

“Oh no… Seraphin Omega’s plan wasn’t the Emperor at all—it was the Memory of Stars. By possessing it, they could brainwash the universe’s owner into thinking they’re the Oracle… They were trying to conquer the universe beyond Nova, beyond taking Altima… Right? Isn’t that right, Marblem?”

Suri grabbed Marblem and shook him.

“First, get the mining rights to Altima through the Emperor… then the Memory of Stars… they could have become the strongest in the universe. This is a war started by the Oracle… if this continues, Malta civilization will disappear forever. Forever… without a trace…”

Suri’s face was flushed red as he spoke, words spraying from his mouth.

“Suri… that’s all well and good but stop projecting your issues onto me. Such a bothersome guy… Anyway, it’s bitter… the result of this adventure is that Earthlings were the villains…”

Marblem gently pushed Suri away.

“Then what about the lightning that comes every 72 years? The Memory of Stars sent it to Malta… but what about the lightning shield in between? Wait… didn’t the Emperor say he lost the protocol?… Ah… Oracle… did they take Malta?” Sabi was experiencing mental collapse.

“There’s no time for this. We need to get to Malta now.” Suri shouted.

[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.