The night sky of the planet Nox-β held a beauty unlike anything seen on Earth. Countless specks of light floated like stars, drifting soundlessly, carried along by the wind. Yet, at certain places, those lights seemed to “whisper” faintly.
—Can you hear our voices?
It was a young researcher named Ellis, part of the planetary colonization project, who first sensed it.
“That’s nothing but a plasma phenomenon,”
the government’s senior officials scoffed at Ellis’s hypothesis. But she refused to give up. The whispering wasn’t random—it followed a distinct rhythm and pattern. As if… as if trying to convey a message.
Ellis secretly set up recording devices and began her analysis. One night, she made a startling discovery.
“The intervals between the sounds… they’re similar to ancient Earth’s Morse code?”
Through the night, she continued decoding. The whispers emitted by the specks of light seemed to have a structure, almost like a language. If this was the will of a living being, then something—or someone—already existed on Nox-β.
But when she reported her findings to the authorities, she was immediately removed from the official investigation.
“Don’t spread rumors that could jeopardize planetary development.”
Her research data was confiscated. Even so, Ellis would not give up. She ventured alone into the desert night, standing at the very heart of the floating lights.
That night, Ellis came face to face with them.
The specks of light gathered before her, swirling into a vortex. And then, a voice echoed directly within her mind.
—At last, you have noticed us.
Ellis gasped.
“Who… are you?”
—We are the memory of this planet. We have been here long before your kind arrived.
“Memory…?”
—We are the consciousness of a civilization that once was. We shed our bodies, became light, and merged with this world. And even now, we continue to speak.
Ellis’s hands trembled. If this were true, humanity had already become the invaders of someone’s homeland.
“Why… why don’t you harm us?”
—Because once, we made the same mistakes. We chose to watch over you, to see where your path would lead. But… the time for a decision has come.
“A decision…?”
The lights enveloped her.
—You must choose. Will you live with this planet, or be destroyed with it?
As the voice faded, the night sky shook.
Far in the distance, a massive light burst forth—the result of an explosion from mining operations for planetary development.
Ellis hurried back to the base to issue a warning. But no one would listen. Instead, fearing that her data might leak, the authorities tried to detain her.
“They are the consciousness of this planet! Our actions are angering them!”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
But in that moment—anomalies erupted across Nox-β.
The specks of light flared in unison, their whispers rising into an earsplitting cry. It was the voice of fury.
—Invaders, the time has come.
The ground shook. The sky split apart.
The planet itself had begun to reject humanity.
When Ellis awoke, she was aboard a spacecraft.
Nox-β was cloaked in a swirl of light, pulsating as if it had a will of its own. The human colonies had been destroyed; only a handful of survivors had managed to escape.
“…They didn’t forgive us.”
And yet, Ellis was certain of one thing.
—Had they truly perished?
Beyond the darkness of space, she thought she could still hear the faint whisper of light.
As if waiting… for the next encounter.
