Chapter 75: Beyond the Horizon Gate

Word filtered through the global net of a strange signal originating from beyond the established orbital platforms. It wasn't human, not in any known language or digital signature. Dr. Aris Thorne, a reclusive xenolinguist (and no relation to Elias, thankfully), believed it was a beacon, a greeting from an intelligence far beyond Earth. He called it the "Horizon Gate."

The new global consortium, formed after the Architect’s defeat, saw this as an unprecedented opportunity. A massive, collaborative effort was launched: Project Starlight. It wasn't about war or conquest, but about understanding. They dispatched the Odyssey, a repurposed interplanetary freighter, outfitted with cutting-edge communication arrays and a crew of scientists, linguists, and even a few data archaeologists like Kaito, who was invited for his unique insight into complex, non-human data patterns. As the Odyssey pierced the upper atmosphere, leaving the concrete horizons behind, humanity looked out, not just within, towards boundless new possibilities.