WORKSHOP

In the beginning there was darkness. There was no light. No sky. No sound. 

But in a moment that defies logic, everything came into being — not from something, but from nothing at all.

In the beginning there as light. And from the light came colors and matter until the most spectacular show was formed - the universe.

Time started. Energy boiled. Atoms formed. And for the first time, light could travel.

The first stars were born. And with them — the real shaping of the cosmos began.

And the shape of the most powerful source of all - the stardust.

It is called by many names - stardust, cosmic dust, space dust - fuel needed to power everything in space. The same dust that all human beings are made of.

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“A vessel?”

“Yes, a vessel.”

Lua found herself in a huge workshop, full of people staring at her. She slowly opened her eyes and tried to get up when a terrible headache struck her. She held her head in her hands. The pain was intense, almost taking her breath away. She could see white and hear a conversation in the distance, but the image did not clear. The more she thought about it, the more dizzy she became.

The workers had stopped their work and gathered around her. No one could explain what a girl like her was doing behind a door that hadn't been opened in over 3 months.

"Are you okay, miss?" one of the workers finally asked, trying to get closer to her.

“Wait, Abraham! Don't come too close until we figure out what she's doing here!”

“Oh, Fort, don't be like that! It's clear she's harmless.”

“Abraham? Fort? I don't know these names. I don't know anything about these people.” Lua thought as she felt increasingly uncomfortable.

She tried to quickly analyze everything that was happening. She was sitting on a rather hard table. She was dressed in a long, white dress. Her name was Lua, but she didn't remember anything more than that. There was increasing commotion around her. The door was quite far away and now she was the center of attention. She couldn't run anywhere, even if she tried. However, she didn't feel threatened, just surrounded by strangers.

"Let me see your adapter," one of them said softly.

“Abraham! Don't touch her!” Fort said in a determined voice.

“Adapter?” Lua muttered.

“Yes, the adapter on your back. Can I see it?” Abraham asked nicely.

"On m-my back?" Lua replied.

Abraham walked behind her and opened the first few buttons of her shirt so he could see better.

"Unbelievable!" says Fort, clearly irritated. “How is it?”

Abraham's eyes remained fixed. He said nothing, just stared at the complexity of the circle, the fine lines and carefully crafted runes.

“A masterpiece! This is no ordinary adapter. How do you feel?”

“Well...I feel...okay, I-I think. Just dizzy.” Lua replyed.

“I understand. We'll get you some water. Bring her a full glass immediately!" Abraham shouted.

“Yes, sir!” Two workshop workers immediately leave to carry out the orders.

“Let's go somewhere more secluded. I think you need to rest so you can remember. Let's go slowly.” Abraham said to Lua.

He held out a hand and tried to help her up. She was weak, but she could stand. With one hand wrapped around his strong arm, Lua held on tightly to this mysterious man. Although she had never seen him before, he was a nice person. She was sure she could trust him and decided to follow him. After all, she wouldn't have known what else to do, and he gave her a sense of security.

Arriving in a separate room, Lua sat down on the couch, while the mysterious man sat down on a nearby chair. He took off his hat and let his black hair show. He had a thick beard, but it was whiter than his hair. Lua realized that he was quite old, but he still had the strength to work. He was dressed in overalls with his name written on it - Abraham - and had some utensils in his back pocket. He was sweating and wiped himself with a red handkerchief before saying his first words.

“How did you get here?”

“Honestly, I don't remember. I'm sorry.”

“Are you injured? Do you have any signs of struggle?”

“No, I don't think so. I just feel weak.”

“I see…”

“Why did you check my back?”

“Let me see if your adapter is intact.”

“Adapter?”

“Yes, I'm an adapter engineer. I fix broken adapters and upgrade existing ones.”

“What is that an adapter?”

"WHAT?! You don't remember what an adapter is?" the man said in a worried tone. He immediately realized that the girl had gotten quite scared and cleared her throat. "I see... you have an impressive adapter, but you don't remember about it."

Then he added:

“An adapter is... like a living tattoo. A tattoo that is made on the skin, in the shape of a circle. Each symbol on the adapter allows you to live in a different environment or control certain aspects. Many of them are used for travel, when changing the atmosphere while visiting other planets or function as a means of language translation.”

“OTHER PLANETS??”

“You are right. I’m sorry. Where are you exactly from?”

“I am from…I am… I do not remember! WHAT IS HAPPENING? I cannot remember anything before you found me!

“"Take it easy! Relax!" the man said in a soothing voice. “We'll figure it all out together.”

Hearing these words calmed her enormously. She felt almost freed from guilt. The real problem was her headache that seemed to intensify. Suddenly she felt exhausted again. She felt like all her energy was being used up to finish something. Slowly, Lua closed her eyes and fell asleep. Whether it was fatigue or pain, she had fallen asleep on the couch, and Abrham had put a white blanket with stars over her so she wouldn't be too cold. He adjusted his hat and left the room. Everyone was watching him with interest. He went down the stairs and sighed.

“Call Mrs. Catherine Livé! I need to talk to her. She will know what to do.”

The Livé family was one of the most influential families. They were the owners of a school that prepares kids for missions. Catherine's eldest son, Honoré, had founded this special school for orphans. There they learned to work in their factories, and the most talented could enter the elite corps of the family.

"Ms. Livé, this is Abraham Second from the Future Adapter Workshop."

"Abraham? What is the reason for this call? Don't tell me you want money already... you checked every adapter a year ago, as far as I remember."

"No, that's not it. I'm here to ask you a favor..."