(18 years back, Naila's perspective)

"Mum, where are we?" I asked, gazing at the enormous hole in the ground.

"This hole? It's a new archaeological site, my sweetheart," my mom replied, pointing towards the people with strange tools who were busy digging in the dirt. "And those are archaeologists."

"What's an archaeologist? And why are they digging such a big hole?" I asked, feeling a bit bewildered.

"Archaeologists are professionals who study history and search for ancient relics, like dinosaur bones. And this hole is one of the ways they find them," my mom explained proudly about her line of work.

"Wow, do they find a lot of cool things?" I asked, my eyes wide with anticipation.

"Of course! I, myself, have discovered many ancient statues in Mexico that are now used to piece together the history we know!" she replied, her confidence shining through.

"And they—" I began to say before being interrupted.

"Chief! Can you come here? We've found something strange!" someone called from deep within the hole.

"I'm coming!" my mom responded. "Stay here, sweetheart, and don't leave the site, okay?" she instructed me hastily as she prepared to descend into the hole.

"Can't I come with you?" I pleaded, hoping to accompany her.

"No, it's too dusty down there. It might trigger your allergies," she explained, her face filled with concern.

"Please?" I implored, almost on the verge of tears as I watched my mom's conflicted expression.

"Hmm, alright. But you can't take off this mask, okay? And you must stay close to me," she conceded, her worry evident as she reached for my hand.

"Okay!" I exclaimed, my excitement mounting as I followed my mom into the deep hole.

___________________________________________________

"We're close to what we found. It's down there," the man said, pointing to a plain surface of dirt below.

"What did you find?" my mom asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

"It's some type of diamond-shaped object, like the ones you find in cartoons. But it's completely black and made of a metallic material," he said, sounding uncertain.

"Metallic? Like a capsule?" my mom replied, her expression incredulous.

"Yes, but if that isn't strange enough, the computer indicated that the dirt surrounding the diamond hasn't been touched by any living thing in thousands of years, not even bacteria or insects," he explained, wearing a look of disbelief, as if he himself couldn't fully believe the story.

"What? Are you sure the machine isn't broken?" Mom questioned, eyeing the man suspiciously.

"We called the technicians, and they examined the machine multiple times. No problems were found," he replied as we approached an area filled with machines and people. The diamond started to come into view; it was lodged in the wall, surrounded by lights. Strangely, despite the surrounding illumination, it seemed to absorb the light, almost as if there were no light at all. As I got closer, an eerie sensation enveloped my body, as if some strange aura emanated from the object.

"Mom, can we go back? I don't like it here," I pleaded, gripping my mother's hand tighter.

"Sorry, sweetie, but not now," she said, already engrossed in conversation with the others, seemingly unaffected by the aura.

"But..." I tried to say something, only to be interrupted once again.

"The diamond is gone?!" someone exclaimed, causing panic to erupt. People began speculating, suggesting that it had been stolen. Even my mother joined in, but I couldn't understand. The diamond was still there, embedded in the wall. Could they not see it? I thought, following my mother as she approached the wall where the diamond was located. Suddenly, an urge to touch it overwhelmed me, and all the negative feelings dissipated. Drawing closer, while my mother examined the hollow of the diamond, I reached out and touched the dark surface.

*Whoooooooooooooosh*

A strange sensation surged through my entire body as a peculiar sound emanated from the object. I felt a sense of fullness, and the diamond began to vanish into nothingness. I looked at my mother, but she appeared frozen, as did everyone else. It was as if time had come to a standstill. As I shifted my gaze back to the diamond, it nearly disappeared entirely, and the strange feeling intensified. Suddenly, the diamond began oozing a pitch-black substance. I tried to retract my hand, but it remained stuck, and the black substance crawled up my arm. Desperation consumed me as these entities infiltrated my arm effortlessly, as if it weren't even there. With every single one entering my arm, the diamond vanished, and my hand was finally freed. The sensation grew overwhelmingly stronger, akin to a waterfall pouring inside me. Unable to endure any longer, I began to collapse, but my mom swiftly caught me, halting my descent.

"Whoa there, are you okay, sweetheart?" she exclaimed, surprised.

"Mum," I managed to utter before a profound drowsiness overcame me.

"There, there, come here. I didn't know you were so tired. I'll hold you while you sleep," she said, comforting me as I drifted into dreamland.

__________________________________________________________--

(Present time, ???'s perspective)

In a vast, dark expanse somewhere both near and far in the universe, a colossal projection emerged—an entity reminiscent of a creature from a Lovecraftian tale. It consisted of endless, swirling black and ashen tentacles, adorned with hundreds, if not thousands, of golden eyes that materialized and vanished in an almost random fashion. A peculiar dark mist emanated from its form.

Facing this colossal being stood a smaller, simpler version of itself. These two beings communicated in an unknowable manner, exchanging incomprehensible sounds and gestures. Suddenly, the giant being projected what could be mistaken for a photograph—a depiction of a tall woman with brown hair and blue eyes. This person was Naila. As the photo appeared, the smaller being let out a strange shriek while pointing into the void. However, it was swiftly silenced by an unknown force exerted by the giant. While the smaller being settled down, the giant extended its tentacles, pointing directly at the photo of Naila, and let out a resounding roar. Gradually, numerous echoes of roars reverberated throughout the space, and as the roaring ceased, the projection of the giant vanished. The source of the other roars finally became visible—thousands of small, medium, and large beings of the same origin as the monstrous entities began to stir. Something had been set in motion, with Naila at its very core.

__________________________________________________________

(Present time, Naila's Perspective)

Opening my eyes, I found myself staring at a strange ceiling. As the grogginess faded away, I remembered where I was. Glancing to my side, I noticed an empty space on the bed.

"Waking up, princess? Have a good dream?" Grace's voice came from the side of the room as she focused on something on the computer.

"Trying to, but I can't remember," I replied, sitting up. "What are you looking at?" I asked, trying to distract myself from the lingering drowsiness.

"Just searching for some answers," Grace responded, her attention still fixed on the screen.

"Answers to what?" I inquired, eager for a conversation to ward off sleepiness.

"I think the guide was too vague with his responses yesterday, and I'm also looking for a way to cure your terrible sleeping habits," Grace said, half-serious and half-joking.

"Hey, it's not that bad... is it?" I asked, not fully processing the first part of her statement.

"You started kicking me out of bed at night," she retorted.

"Oops, sorry about that," I apologized sheepishly. "Wait, what did you mean about the guide?"

"He seemed suspicious to me with his 'private research' excuse. It's strange that a giant company with a space station can't even manage proper accommodations for its visitors. They seem too rushed," Grace said, her tone completely serious as she delved into some documents.

"Well, I found it odd, not fishy. Besides, he did mention that their research is rare and demands a lot of manpower," I said, trying to sound confident. "And what document are you looking at?"

"It's a document already on the computer. It seems to be something sent to the station's crew. Take a look," Grace said, pointing to the end of the document. "It's connected to other files, all labeled with the acronym I.D.T." She clicked through the archives, and I noticed how hastily organized they seemed, filled with numerous warnings and "private document, do not share" labels scattered throughout.

"Wow, they must have been in a rush to leave this behind," I commented, starting to believe Grace's suspicions.

"They were hurried but not desperate. Most of the document contains other acronyms and titles that only someone familiar with them would understand, like this," she said, pointing to an italicized word. "What even is a Typhon?" she pondered.

"I don't—" I began, but before I could continue, someone knocked at the door.

"Miss Naila and Miss Grace, are both of you ready?" It was Alan.

"Just a minute," I replied, gathering my things while Grace closed and turned off the computer.

Opening the door, we were greeted by our guide, who handed us maps of the ship indicating the tour points.

"Why do we need these?" Grace asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice.

"Apologies for the inconvenience, but due to some project-related issues, I won't be able to guide you through the station. So, security has allowed both of you to explore freely, as long as you don't enter unauthorized zones," the guide explained, looking a bit uneasy.

"What? How big of an issue is this if even the guide has to work on it?" Grace questioned, her disbelief evident.

"I'm deeply sorry for this, but I really must go now. I just came to inform both of you," he said, quickly departing before we could ask further questions.

"What was that?" I asked, dumbfounded by the interaction.

"That was the best confirmation that I'm right. This place is hiding something," Grace stated, her anger directed towards the corridor our former guide had disappeared into.

"What do we do now?" I asked, glancing at the map. It was a simple layout with various points indicating where we could find certain things, and red stripes indicating restricted areas.

"We will find answers," Grace declared, already on the move and studying her map. "And I know where to start." She pointed to the highest part of the map, indicating a room at the top of the space station with the name I.D.P.

"But what about security? Won't they stop us?" I asked, incredulous.

"With the way they are handling things, if we pretend to be some of their scientists, they'll probably let us through because of their hurry," she explained, outlining her plan.

"That worries me. What if they catch us? We could end up in jail for life," I said, feeling anxious as I followed her lead.

"Do you trust me?" Grace asked, looking at me intently.

"Not fair, you know I can't resist that," I replied, giving in to her determination.