Moon's Labyrinths

“Moon people.... Is it correct to say your people have been living on the Moon?”

“To be precise, we live in the place you call the Great Labyrinth.”

Murmurs rang out from various corners of the room.

“Do aliens really exist?”

“I... I think so!”

“Do they abduct people using UFOs?”

The Ross siblings whispered to each other. It couldn't be helped. If Plu-El was telling the truth, this might be the first contact between humanity and an alien race.

However, Plu-El shook her head from side to side.

“Aliens… Are you referring to beings that were born outside your planet? If so, we don’t technically fit that definition. We originally lived in the place called Earth.”

“This….”

The Mayor pinched the bridge of his nose. He suddenly felt exhausted. Armstrong city had fallen out of nowhere, and he was now faced with a fantastical story. All of this gave him a lot of stress.

“I’ll need a more detailed rundown of the story.”

“Let’s decide on the questions to ask her.”

The Deputy mayor spoke. However, they soon realized that they had no idea what to ask. Unexpectedly, the one to propose a solution was Plu-El.

“I’ll start by telling you about our people, and I’ll also include information that I think you might want to know. In the past, Mr. Jungbum and Fabion reacted in the same way as you guys. I’ll give you a similar rundown—”

“Ah! Wait a moment.”

The Mayor cut off Plu-El.

“I’m sorry for interrupting, but I want to clarify an issue before you move on. Fabion knew about your existence?”

“Of course. They are the ones who stabbed us in the back.”

“Those sons of bitches….”

The Mayor closed his eyes and shook his head. Even as he let out a sigh, the anger in his voice was evident. Plu-El still had her guard up, but she felt a bit of good feeling toward the Mayor. Someone else cursing her hated enemies made her happy.

“I’ll tell you the story now.”

She licked her lips as if she was going to tell a long story.

“It happened long long ago. As I’ve told you before, our people used to live on Earth. At the time, we used the overflowing magical energy on Earth to create a glorious civilization.”

“Earth had magical energy?”

Chelsea yelled. As a scientist, she couldn't hold back herself. However, when everyone looked at her with reproachful gazes, she became embarrassed. In the end, she shut her mouth and retreated a step.

“I’ll be explaining that soon. At the very least, I would like you to save any questions until I tell my story.”

Chelsea nodded.

“Good. As I’ve said before, our ancestors used the overflowing magical energy on Earth to create a civilization. It's lost now, but magic technology once dominated Earth.”

Chelsea flinched again when she heard the words 'magic technology'. However, she had been reprimanded before, so she didn’t make the mistake of interrupting Plu-El again.

“The Devices and Gems that you're using were made during that time. The people of then had created tools that would make it easier for them to use magical energy to work miracles.”

Everyone’s gaze automatically moved toward the Devices and Gems in the room.

“Our civilization advanced to a point where we had united the entire world. Our nation was called Planote.”

Sungyoon remembered that Plu-El had referred to her people as ‘descendants of Planote’.

”However, this bright civilization didn’t last long. For an unknown reason, a civil war broke out.”

Everyone in the room groaned.

“The details of the war were not passed on, but it was said that the war was horrific. All states were torn apart by it, and it looked as if the war would never end. So, the people who considered themselves the legitimate power of Planote started an experiment. They experimented to create a weapon of war that would allow them to quell the rebellions going around the world.”

Plu-El gulped before continuing.

“This weapon of war was a living weapon. The weapon was created through multiple experiments on a living creature. This creature was capable of generating fighting power using the overflowing magical energy in its surroundings. When this living weapon was created, those in charge of the experiments had said these words.”

Plu-El’s voice rang out in the quiet room.

“They said ‘We created a god!’.”

“A god….”

Someone mumbled the word. All of them understood that the living weapon in the story was very dangerous.

“The power of this being must have been overwhelming. Because of it, the war became a one-sided rout. Any battle where this weapon was used spelled overwhelming victory for Planote. All the states that went against the living weapon were slaughtered in a one-sided manner. Planote became so enchanted by the result that they gave the weapon a name. It was a name from a legend of the creator. The creator had a god as a faithful vassal, and it was shaped like a beast. The living weapon was named after this god. It was called ‘Grenoid’.”

No one said anything as they paid attention to Plu-El’s words.

“Planote believed they would regain world peace using ‘Grenoid’. However, things didn’t turn out like that. What did I say before? What did those who created Grenoid said?”

“They said they created a god.”

“Yes. Of course, there's no way humans could control a god.”

Plu-El let out a sigh.

“Grenoid went on a rampage.”

The shock was palpable in the air.

“It neutralized all the control measures placed on it. Grenoid’s only mission in life became destruction. It destroyed everything in its sight, whether they were its allies or enemies. Moreover, Grenoid’s body started to give birth to strange organisms. We called them monsters, and they started acting like Grenoid. They only knew violence and destruction.”

Monsters. Was it the same monsters being hunted down by the Connectors? Everyone wondered, but no one spoke up. They decided to let Plu-El finish her story.

“The monsters started spreading throughout the world with incredible numbers and speed. The world became embroiled in destruction and slaughter. No one could stop them. People, organizations, society, nations… It was only a matter of time before our people were going to become extinct. So, Planote came up with an idea. They would gather all the magical energy of the world and banish Grenoid and the monsters from Earth.”

It seemed Plu-El’s lips were dry. She licked them once again.

“They gathered the world’s greatest users of magical energy. Planote’s capital was the place where the magical energy was densest. Therefore, they lured Grenoid to the capital and used the world’s first grand-scale magic spell. An incredible number of mages were gathered from all over the world. A million mages used their lives and the resources of the world to complete the grand-scale magic spell.”

The size and scale of the description dazed everyone in the room.

“The ritual was a success. The magical energy of Earth started to pulsate as it lifted all the monsters into the air. All the traces of our civilization that our ancestors had worked hard to build also rose in the air. Humans and untouched nature were left behind on Earth. However, a lot of our ancestors were also swept up in this spell. They had carried it out knowing that it might be a possibility.”

Plu-El sounded parched. She looked for some water. It was to be expected as in her defiance, she had refused water and food.

Sungyoon took out a bottle of water from his storage Gem and handed it to her.

“Thank you. Anyway, the ritual was a resounding success. Grenoid and the monsters were swept up. The traces of our civilization, the humans, the magical energy, and the ground were also taken up as casualties of the ritual. All of it gathered at one point. Then, the magical energy bound Grenoid, and a massive amount of earth surrounded it. This enclosure then turned into the shape of a ball and was shot out of Earth.

“No way….”

Chelsea placed her hands over her mouth in surprise.

“Yes. That is this place. The place you call the Moon.”

“The theory that says the Moon broke off from the Earth is true!”

The conclusion of the theory was true, but the process of how it had happened was completely different.

“The plan wasn’t a complete success. If things had gone according to the plan, Grenoid and the Moon would have been shot into space. We would have completely banished it into space as the prospect of leaving such a monster in orbit was scary. However, Grenoid didn’t take it lying down. It gathered all its remaining strength and stopped the Moon's advances to space. That is when the second war started.”

Plu-El’s eyes became distant.

“Grenoid continued its efforts to return to Earth. Our ancestors who were swept up in the ritual tried to stop it. Thankfully, the magical energy gathered from Earth and the mass of the Moon kept Grenoid sealed at the center of the Moon. However, its horde of monsters remained behind.”

The war escalated.

“Grenoid’s resistance to the ritual created four Great Labyrinths on the Moon, and our people continued to fight within these four labyrinths. Grenoid possessed too much power, and it looked like Grenoid would smash open the Moon and return to Earth. Therefore, our ancestors made a contingency plan. They gathered their remaining resources to create a fail-safe system. It was a system that would strengthen the seal, and you guys...”

Plu-El tapped her head against the wall in frustration because her bound hands couldn’t hit the wall.

“Was it the Golems?”

Cold sweat appeared on Sungyoon’s back.

“Our ancestors used it to dig holes in numerous places around the Moon. It would allow a constant flow of magical energy to leak out. The purpose of this plan was to stabilize the massive amount of magical energy within the Great Labyrinths. In turn, these artifacts would use magical energy to strengthen the seal. Thankfully, we did win the second war. But, most of our ancestors paid a heavy price for the victory. They were almost wiped out. The small number of our ancestors who survived continued to live within the Great Labyrinth. We are their descendants. We protected the labyrinths and made preparations for the day when Grenoid might break out. This is our history.”

After saying those words, Plu-El shut her mouth. It seemed she was giving everyone some time to gather their thoughts.

If so, Sungyoon was thankful for the gesture. He looked at the faces of the people around him. It looked as if their heads were about to explode. They were having a very hard time accepting the story that had come out of Plu-EL’s mouth.

“I have several questions, but….”

Sungyoon somehow opened his mouth.

“I’ll ask about the details at a later time. I think I need a lot of time to process all of this information.”

It seemed the others felt the same way. They looked at Sungyoon with grateful expressions. Chelsea, who had gone nuts when the story was being told, felt the same way as everyone.

“However, there is something we must know right now. Please tell us about Fabion.”

“Yes. I met them not long after humanity came up to the Moon.”

Unlike the old stories, Plu-El would be talking about her own experiences now. It was a time when the best period in her life converged with the worst.

“I was the first one to come in contact with Fabion. I was the first one to come in contact with humanity. At that time, I had met Mr. Jungbum.”

Her eyes turned distant as she thought about the memories.