Mirov 3. The Architects of the Universe - Ashfaq Ahmad

They had entered another universe- but it was unlike anything they had ever known. Their minds, unable to process such unfamiliar reality, forced everything into familiar patterns. In truth, those things were entirely different- beyond comprehension and this led to constant deception.

The unsettling truth: what they saw was as real as it was imagined.

There was no conventional space, yet distances existed- vast and infinite. Unlike their universe, these could be crossed instantly.

This universe was divided into pockets, each ruled by a species. Three dominant races- the Paskians, Gravores, and Scandis- controlled most of it and were fierce rivals. Yet within a small pocket lived the Adriusinós, the most advanced of all.

They believed their universe was flawed and created a cosmic engine to redesign it. But testing revealed a catastrophic risk- it could collapse a shadow universe. This experiment had already created the Boötes Void, a massive emptiness.

As they tried to fix it, the three races learned of the engine. Opposed to its use, yet eager to control it, they united and attacked the Adriusinós.

A devastating war followed. Despite their superiority, the Adriusinós were defeated. Before their fall, they split the engine into four parts- usable only together- and hid them in the most dangerous regions.

Afterward, each race secured a fragment, but none could use it alone. Nor would they unite for the final piece.

Eventually, the struggle resumed.

Scandis and Gravores sought to reshape the universe. The Paskians wanted no change, fearing it could collapse the human universe. So they turned to humans- unconnected beings capable of retrieving the remaining parts.

But when perception itself was unreliable- when the mind blurred reality and illusion- what certainty remained?

That, too, was deception.

And in the end, it proved true.