“Nika of Samothrace.”

“Debby,” came Jean-Pierre’s voice, “keep up, please.”

The doors opened. Everyone felt a bright light pour in from the inner hall. They squinted, and Dandin and Van lay down on the ground in a deep bow. As Dandin rose, the travelers’ eyes began to adjust to the bright light. Doctor Capri was peering into the chambers, a huge circular hall with a tent in the center of it. Light spread out from the center of the hall in all directions. Yulia began to stare, trying to see what was the source of such bright light.

Dandin stepped forward, inviting the travelers to follow him. Jean-Pierre looked around, studying the surroundings, and after some thought, stepped behind Dandin. His hands involuntarily clenched into fists.

Debby was the last to go, she looked up and saw an inscription above the door in an incomprehensible language. She tried to make it out, but the letters were unfamiliar to her. They reminded her of Arabic script. Suddenly the inscription came to life and the pattern of letters began to change. The inscription turned into an English sentence, “Know thyself and give to others.” Debby turned to draw attention, but realized that everyone was engrossed in a much more surprising sight: the travelers had found the source of light.

In the center of the hall was a low platform on which sat a man in a lotus pose. His skin let in a dim but perceptible light. The glow radiated from his body in waves. Above his head hung a dome that was coated with glossy gold on the inside. The light gathered in this hemisphere and turned into a bright stream that shone directly on the top of the seated man.

The travelers came even closer and saw that the floor of the podium was made of something transparent, like glass. The light was falling from above, and the shadow that should have appeared from below did not appear dark, but bright as fire. It fell down through the glass and turned into the very column of fire that had almost killed the travelers hours before.

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