The nymphryn stepped out of the Celestial gate onto a large grassy plane shaking itself to dispel the slight vertigo from interdimensional travel. As it gazed about, it tried to determine exactly what it was looking at. The plane itself appeared to be a pretty typical flat land of small shrubs and tall grass, but the light seemed a bit too ubiquitous, as though it was coming from all directions at once rather than from a solar body, and the horizon appeared to curve upward in a bizarre fashion. While it was still puzzling this, a soft ping echoed in the nymphryn’s mind, signaling the start of a new quest:
Quest Initiated: The Keeper’s Secrets
Objective: Investigate Solvaris, a Dyson Ring in Quadrant 9. Discover the source of Solvaris’ instability and correct.
Reward: +5 Intelligence, +5 Exploration Skill, New Skill Unlocked: Adaptive Awareness.
The nymphryn blinked, absorbing the message. A Dyson Ring? So this wasn’t actually a planet, it was a colossal ring-shaped megastructure that encircled a star. The concept of a colossal Celestial Arc, or Dyson ring, was hypothesized by 20th-century Earth physicist Freeman Dyson as a structure capable of harnessing the energy output of a star by surrounding it with solar collectors1. Dyson had theorized that civilizations with advanced technological capabilities would seek efficient ways to capture a star’s energy, and a ring-shaped structure offered both stability and vast habitable space2. Solvaris was apparently an advanced Dyson ring the nymphryn, encircling its star in an endless, engineered landscape.
The nymphryn observed the land stretching before it. Solvaris seemed to be well-calculated judging from the subtle downward force it felt as it took a few steps, its paws pressing into the soft ground. In a structure like Solvaris, such gravitational effects were likely not the result not of the mass of the Arc, but of rotation of the Arc around the center at a carefully calculated rate. If the Dyson ring is spun at a carefully calculated speed it creates the illusion of gravity by creating a centripetal force between Solvaris and the nymphryn that approximated the effects of gravity on a traditional planet3. According to Earth studies on artificial gravity, rotating habitats could simulate Earth-like conditions if the rotation rate and radius were aligned correctly4. In this case, the celestial arc apparently was being rotated at a well-calculated spin creating a constant downward pull the nymphryn found comfortable. Based on the gravitational pull, it guessed that this particular celestial arc had been constructed by humans as the force seemed to approximate 9.8 m/s2 towards the surface.
Ahead, the landscape seemed to shift between biomes, from savannas to forests, deserts, and even lakes, all within the same continuous, curving terrain. The nymphryn was impressed – it appeared to be a well-built interlocking set of closed-loop environmental systems—constructed biomes designed to recycle air, water, and nutrients efficiently. Studies on closed-loop ecological systems on earth had shown that balanced biospheres could support diverse life forms with limited resource input, making them ideal for artificial habitats5. This particular place was a feat of technology, an intricate blend of engineered ecosystems and advanced physics, each biome connected to the next like pieces in an enormous, seamless puzzle. That the engineers had managed to form such diverse systems within the same closed-loop system was remarkable. While the nymphryn wasn’t an engineer itself, but it could appreciate good work.
The nymphryn took its first tentative steps onto the sprawling savanna, where golden grass stretched as far as its eyes could see. A warm, steady breeze swept through, rustling the dry grass and filling the air with the scent of earth and distant blooms. It was strange to think that such a natural, earthy aroma could exist within an artificial structure orbiting a star.
As the nymphryn ventured deeper, it noticed unusual stones floating above the horizon, suspended in the air like hovering islands. These stones glowed faintly, emitting a pale luminescence that changed color while it watched. Intrigued, the nymphryn approached one of these stones, observing that they seemed to be held in place by an invisible force. Each stone floated with a gentle steadiness, resisting gravity’s pull without any visible support.
The nymphryn circled the stones, fascinated. The stones appeared to be held aloft by magnetic levitation, a technology that uses magnetic forces to suspend objects without direct contact. In modern engineering, magnetic levitation has found applications in high-speed trains and certain types of machinery. The levitation is achieved by generating magnetic fields that counteract gravitational pull, allowing objects to float in place6. (The nymphryn couldn’t help but laugh recalling the Earth scientist who had won both the Nobel prize and the IgNobel prize – Andre Geim. If it recalled correctly Geim had won the Nobel prize for his work on graphene7, and the IgNobel prize for levitating frogs with magnets9.) Here on the Celestial Arc, these floating stones might serve as both beacons and environmental regulators, emitting electromagnetic waves to maintain equilibrium within each biome10.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
As the nymphryn moved under the stones, it felt a faint tingling sensation. The stones were radiating energy pulses that resonated in the air. These pulses appeared to be related to electromagnetic resonance, where objects can be made to vibrate by external electromagnetic waves at specific frequencies. Electromagnetic resonance has been observed in studies on both artificial and natural materials, showing that resonant frequencies can alter environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity11. It seemed probable the floating stones were helping to stabilize the savanna’s climate by emitting carefully controlled energy waves, creating a balanced, sustainable environment on the Celestial Arc.
Further ahead, the nymphryn noticed a cluster of large, lumbering animals grazing in the tall grass. Their coats gleamed in the artificial sunlight, and their movements were synchronized, as if guided by an unseen rhythm. These creatures were part of Solvaris’ intricate biome, adapted to the savanna’s artificial ecosystem. According to ecological studies, creatures in closed-loop systems like this would need to operate in harmony with one another to maintain the delicate balance of limited resources12.
In the distance, the nymphryn spotted a figure moving toward it—a small deer-like creature with an unusual gait and a curious, wild expression. The nymphryn bristled instinctively, preparing for a possible encounter, but as the figure came closer, it waved, signaling peace. The creature was a young ringling, with bright eyes and metal trinkets woven into its vest that clinked softly as it walked.
“Hello, traveler!” the ringling called in a friendly tone. “I’m Axil. You must be new to Solvaris.”
The nymphryn nodded, explaining its quest to find the Keeper, a rumored entity said to control the Solvaris’ weather and environmental systems. The ringling’s eyes widened with intrigue.
“The Keeper?” he said. “We’ve never seen it. Legend’s say it’s a machine—a guardian intelligence left behind by Solvaris’ creators to maintain the balance of the ecosystem.” Axil’s words sparked the nymphryn’s curiosity. A machine capable of overseeing an entire world’s climate and energy distribution seemed far beyond any technology it had ever encountered. But the Solvaris’ creators had clearly designed this place with precision and purpose, embedding advanced technologies into the landscape itself. “The Arc has been acting strange lately,” Axil continued, looking concerned. “There have been temporal disturbances—time blinks, we call them—where time moves faster or slower in certain areas. It’s as if the Arc’s balance is slipping.”
The nymphryn listened carefully. These “time blinks” sounded like time dilation, a phenomenon predicted by Einstein’s theory of relativity. Time dilation occurs when time passes at different rates depending on velocity and gravitational fields10. Although natural time dilation would require extreme conditions, the Solvaris’ creators may have engineered localized distortions as part of the Arc’s ecosystem. In artificial habitats, such temporal effects might be a consequence of malfunctioning systems attempting to regulate environmental flows13.
Axil continued, explaining that the Arc’s environmental instability was linked to its “pulse cores”— devices responsible for regulating each biome’s climate and atmosphere. When the pulse cores malfunctioned, regions of the Arc experienced unpredictable shifts in light, gravity, and time along with irregular climate changes.
The nymphryn’s quest log updated:
Quest Log Update: Locate and stabilize the pulse cores. Core One Location: Emerald Ridge Forest.
If Solvaris’ systems were indeed faltering, stabilizing the pulse cores could be imperative to preventing the destruction of this extraordinary world.
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Scientific Citations:
1. Dyson, F. J. (1960). Search for artificial stellar sources of infrared radiation. Science, 131(3414), 1667–1668.
2. Maccone, C. (2009). The Dyson Ring. Acta Astronautica, 65(1), 73–78.
3. Fogg, M. J. (1995). Terraforming: Engineering Planetary Environments. Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, 48(2), 87–94.
4. Kaiser, D. A. (1989). Centripetal force as artificial gravity. American Journal of Physics, 57(2), 111–117.
5. Nelson, M., & Dempster, W. F. (1996). Living in space: Results from Biosphere 2’s initial closure, an early testbed for closed ecological systems on Mars. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 8(4), 223–234.
6. Moon, F. C. (2008). Superconducting Levitation Applications. Physics Today, 61(9), 50–51.
7. Https://www.nature.com/articles/nphys1836
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoBMb9_NCEQ (Aside: I have been assured no frogs were harmed in the making of this video.)
9. Yao, Y., Zhou, J., & Yan, W. (2013). Electromagnetic Resonance as a Mechanism for Climate Control in Artificial Habitats. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 139(5), 608–614.
10. Li, X., & Wang, Y. (2020). Environmental Impact of Magnetic Fields on Closed-Loop Biomes. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 7(9), 705–711.
11. Walker, B., & Salt, D. (2006). Resilience Thinking: Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World. Ecological Applications, 16(3), 1023–1025.
12. Einstein, A. (1916). Relativity: The Special and the General Theory. Annalen der Physik, 49(7), 769–822.
13. Anderson, P. R. (2009). Temporal Mechanics in Constructed Habitats. Journal of Applied Physics, 105(3), 034303.