The goat headed man folded his hands in his lap. His eyes followed the reflections on the wall, silver lines of water in light form. The coming of the Architect was always something special. This far, he was the only one who ever witnessed it. Gupti didn't remember a life before the temple, and he was pretty sure that he did not have such a thing. No, it was much more likely that he, together with everything that surrounded him, had been created by the Architect to aid Unus and Annus. He did not mind this. It meant that he had a clear goal, a reason to exist. He considered it a gift that only few were blessed with.
The water began to bubble, as if it was boiling. Steam rose up from its surface, clouding the pond. Soon, the white fog was thick enough to conceal the wall behind it.
Blue spots danced in the air. They were few at first. One could have easily mistaken them for reflections in the mist. But their numbers grew quickly, and soon it looked like hundreds of fireflies were dancing over the surface.
With every cluster that formed, the image of a human face became clearer. A three dimensional picture made of pure light illuminated the room.
Gulpti greeted the apparition with a respectful nod. »The ones you asked for are here, Architect.«
»Good, good.« If Lixian would have witnessed this conversation, he would have been surprised by how clear Marcus's voice sounded. »I have adjusted my calculations. A gate will open in the outer ring. You have twenty nine days to get there. Remember, I'm speaking in terms of outside time here.«
»I understand. They will arrive in time.«
The face was slowly spinning around itself. »Go to the star field first. At the moment, it's in the east. If you set out soon, you should arrive there before it moves to the south. Follow the brightest star until you reach a cavern. Traverse it, and you should pass into the outer ring close to the place where the gate will open.«
As the words were spoken, new memories formed in Guptis mind. To him, they weren't something he heard the first time. Instead, he had known them all his life. He found it quite pleasant.
The next sentence was spoken with urgency. »Make sure that you don't stray from the path. Take all the measures needed, and go. Be quick, and stay on the path.« The Architect pronounced the last four words individually.
»We will,« Gupti assured him. The glowing face seemed content with that answer. The fireflies flew away to different directions, and the smile dissipated into the fog.