On the third day after the Master’s passing, the City of the West Wind held the grandest funeral since the Earth was invaded. Everyone wore black armbands as they watched helicopters scatter the old man’s ashes into the hurricane over the ocean. The storm carried his remains into the sky, spreading them across every corner of the Earth, as if he had become one with the planet—life endlessly cycling, as always.

After the funeral, a classified military meeting was held in the science hall. Attendees included representatives from all the fallen sovereign nations under the United Nations, people of various races. The front three rows were reserved for surviving scholars, while behind them sat military personnel—only military personnel.

Zheng Rong was, as usual, the one hosting the briefing.

Standing uneasily at the podium, he faced an audience of hundreds, all unfamiliar, heads bowed, the hall silent except for the sound of breathing. After three minutes of mourning, Zheng Rong finally spoke: "Gentlemen, good day. We are now in the darkest moment before dawn."

"It’s an honor to once again be the one hosting this report. I’m sure you’ve all seen the last recording from the Central Stone Tower briefing. Over the past period, we’ve been consolidating all available data, referencing the insights of many predecessors and martyrs, and have finally uncovered most of the truth about the Mayans—and ourselves, the people of Earth."

Zheng Rong took a deep breath. "Next, I, Zheng Rong, head of the Human History and Mysticism Research Office, will give you a detailed report of what transpired."

"But before that, I would like you all to observe a visual record."

The room went dark.

Zheng Rong pressed a button, and on the massive screen appeared four stone tablets. Strange symbols on the tablets flickered with varying colors of light.

"These were found in prehistoric ruins and certain tombs. They document the earliest records of extraterrestrials arriving on Earth. At first, we couldn’t even assert that these were written languages, as their mode of expression is unlike ours. Our languages rely on memory," Zheng Rong pointed to his temple, "and on established concepts, which in turn convey clear meaning. However, the Mayan way of transmitting information relies on only twelve symbols."

A faint murmur rippled through the audience, with attendees whispering among themselves.

Zheng Rong calmly continued, "Difficult to understand, isn’t it? This concept lies beyond the human knowledge system. Please, go ahead and ask."

As Zheng Rong spoke, the screen displayed a distant starry sky, revealing a strange galaxy cluster, causing another stir in the room.

"What is this place?" someone asked.

Zheng Rong shook his head. "It’s outside our star charts, an unexplored region of space. It may be near the edge of the universe or in a higher-dimensional one. Please watch."

He pressed a key, and within the vast nebula, electronic rings of light illuminated twelve positions within the nebula.

The shapes and colors of the circled areas stood distinct within the nebula. As the blurry images were magnified, twelve symbols emerged, detached from the rest of the cloud.

"This," Zheng Rong said, "is their… we can call it a totem."

He continued, "The history of the Mayan aliens is riddled with countless mysteries, especially regarding their origins before coming to Earth. We can only speculate about their past. First and foremost: their form of life is entirely different from that on Earth."

"Look at this nebula. The position of each symbol marks a vortex, constantly ejecting endless particles that sustain the Mayans' life. We can imagine it this way: One day, in the midst of chaos, it opened its eyes. With no past or future, the nebula provided all the nutrients necessary for its survival the moment it began to think."

General Wei Rong asked gravely, "Was it the only individual?"

Zheng Rong replied, "My teacher believed so, and I think so too. If it were to die, no similar intelligent life would come from Earth."

The General asked again, "Is this a simulated scene from your teacher’s calculations?"

Zheng Rong shook his head. "No, this is entirely real—a re-creation of its memories of its home. As for how this was re-created, I’ll explain shortly."

The entire room was stunned. Zheng Rong took out a pen from his pocket and drew a circle on the projection screen. "Please pay attention, everyone. These twelve symbols are extremely important."

"We’ve come to call this nebula the ‘Mayan Nebula.’ Within this system, all matter is composed of twelve types of particles, which are emitted by the mother symbols here. We don’t yet understand what phenomenon this represents, but for now, let’s think of it as the source of life in the universe."

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"From the moment the Mayans gained self-awareness, they observed these twelve particles. Difficult to grasp, right? Let me give a simple analogy. The water in this nebula is different from the water on Earth. Our water consists of molecules made from two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, and these molecules are arranged according to a set of rules to form a macroscopic substance."

"In this nebula, however, the twelve particles follow different orbits, each with a unique spin angle. They combine to form the electric rivers, mountains, and streams of the nebula, as well as the Mayans themselves."

"This hypothesis was proposed by the United Nations Geography Association. Dr. Ugoss analyzed a water sample from a pyramid’s underground reservoir and—please, go ahead."

Someone inquired, "So, in their world, there are only these twelve symbols?"

Zheng Rong nodded. "Before they left their homeland, yes. Imagine a creator god waking from eternal slumber, and the only things visible in its field of vision are these twelve primordial totems. Everything in its world is built from these blocks—including itself. What would happen to this solitary being?"

"Dr. Joseph, a linguist, began simulating this scenario four months ago, attempting a complex series of guesses. Ms. Kim Park-ae from Korea developed software that helped refine the simulation."

Zheng Rong added solemnly, "I pay my respects to my teammates."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Human speculation and computer algorithms helped us reconstruct the scene. But the real analysis came from these four stone tablets. Let’s go back and see how the Mayans left behind these four pieces of information."

Zheng Rong pressed another button, freezing the image brought back by Li Ying—the moment when the Mayan alien opened its eyes.

The image zoomed in, focusing on its pupils, revealing a blurred haze. Zheng Rong zoomed in further. In its enlarged pupil, twelve slowly rotating symbols could be seen.

Zheng Rong said, "At this point, I hope things are becoming a bit clearer. Their way of transmitting information is different from ours. All written language on Earth transmits concepts. For humans to read unknown information from a book, they must first learn the language that contains this information. Correct?"

"But the Mayans are different. Their pupils, which fuse two layers together, act as an image filter. Light reflected off the symbols enters their pupils, gets filtered through their vision, and directly forms images on their retinas."

The room erupted in murmurs. Zheng Rong shrugged. "It’s an incredibly difficult information technology to comprehend. They possess peculiar pupils, and when the symbols rotate, they become a series of scene images in the mind. It took us a very long time to verify and debate just this one point."

"Finally, Dr. Joseph used Korean computer systems to simulate two pupil models. Through reverse tracing and regression, he produced the video we see now, allowing us to crack the language of this otherworldly civilization."

"Their core information all comes from these four stone tablets," Zheng Rong said. "Any questions?"

No one raised their hands. A few scholars conversed in low tones.

Zheng Rong said, "Now that we’ve clarified this point, let’s continue and explore why the Mayan left these stone tablets. I think I can explain this next."

Zheng Rong pressed play, and the radiant symbols burst into streams of life-giving matter, like a brilliant cosmic river. The vision floated and drifted, with matter coalescing around the camera.

"It’s thinking," Zheng Rong said. "What it’s thinking about, we can’t know. Perhaps it’s wondering if it’s the only one in the universe. Next, it will do something familiar to humans—it will explore the space around it."

As the video continued, the camera followed the entity’s movements, scanning the surroundings.

"It found the first life form," Zheng Rong said.

The image paused over a body in the nebula. The entity inspected it closely, turning the body over and over. Zheng Rong explained, "It may have felt some joy in finding one of its kind, but that kindred spirit was already dead."

"It found six of its kind over an immeasurably long period. Please note," Zheng Rong pointed to the dust and matter floating nearby, "these particles were always surrounding it, constantly coalescing."

Someone interrupted, asking, "How did it do that?"

Zheng Rong shook his head. "Perhaps through brainwave resonance, or what we call ‘thought materialization.’ It could use its thoughts to gather matter and form it into whatever shape it desired."

The silvery matter gathered more and more, forming beside it.

"It built itself a home—or perhaps a ‘cocoon,’" Zheng Rong said calmly. "This is the way a new individual seeks to protect itself."

Zheng Rong paused the video.

"This is as far as its homeland's past goes. What do you think it is?"

The attendees discussed among themselves, but they could not reach a definitive conclusion.

Zheng Rong said, "According to my teacher's concept, it was a solitary being in the Mayan Nebula—a single entity representing an entire race. This form of life has never been heard of among intelligent species. My teacher believed that it might not be appropriate to define its existence as ‘biological.’ Perhaps defining it as a ‘star’ is more fitting."

The room stirred once again. Zheng Rong nodded. "Yes, we believe it was a unique life-bearing celestial body. And the corpses it discovered were other stars—dead stellar life forms from its cosmic system."

"Are you saying that planets are alive?! Stars, planets—these things have life?" someone asked loudly.

Zheng Rong responded, "How can you prove that stars aren’t alive?"

Someone else countered, "The sun is composed of tritium, hydrogen, and other elements. Can those elements form life?"

Zheng Rong asked, "What is life?"

General Wei Rong replied, "Metabolism, reproduction."

Zheng Rong said, "I’m not referring to the narrow sense of life based on Earth's biological systems. That's just Earth life, not interstellar life. Astrophysics has given us the broader principle for distinguishing life in the universe: any entity that emits self-conscious waves is life."

The hall fell silent.

Zheng Rong continued, "When a star can emit non-rhythmic conscious waves, it proves that it’s thinking. As for why we can’t understand it, that’s simply because we have no way of communicating with it."

General Wei Rong asked, "According to your explanation, then, are all the stars in the universe intelligent beings?"

Zheng Rong replied, "Perhaps they are. Perhaps they aren’t. With the current level of human technology, we can’t prove it either way. Let’s continue watching."