The Lost City of Silver Cosmos
Once there was a curious young scientist named Eliot. He had inherited a comprehensive collection of rare books from his grandfather. Among them was a mysterious book titled 'Uncharted Territories Of The Universe'. Inside, the book mentioned a mythical planet named 'Ishtara', which was said to house an ancient, technologically advanced civilisation. Yet, no evidence of it existed. Intrigued and determined, Eliot embarked on a journey to find this mystified land.
Eliot was told that the last known man who had sought Ishtara was an aging explorer, named Oliver, who lived in solitude atop a snow-covered mountain. Driven by an insatiable thirst for discovery, Eliot ventured to find Oliver, through the swirling snow and bitter winds. Upon arriving, the old, weathered man handed Eliot an ancient metallic map and told him, 'Follow the Star of Persa. It will guide you to Ishtara.'
Subsequently, Eliot started to construct a spacecraft. He tirelessly worked for years, collaborating with his close friend Edda, an expert pilot and gifted engineer. After encountering and overcoming countless technical difficulties, they had finally built a spaceship capable of withstanding the potentially perilous journey to the unknown. They named the spaceship, 'The Oblivion.'
As they embarked on their journey on 'The Oblivion,' they saw the Star of Persa shining bright and fervent, easing their initial apprehension. Weeks turned into months, and the immense beauty of the cosmos was as breathtaking as it was terrifying. Their journey faced multiple hardships including a close call with a rogue comet and dwindling supplies. Yet, the mesmerising sight of the star pulsating like a living entity and their shared dream kept them going.
Time seemed to lose its meaning as they travelled through the deep cosmos until finally, after what felt like eternity, they saw an illuminating object far in their path. It was Ishtara, shimmering vibrantly amidst the dark abyss. As they steadily approached, they were in awe of its grandeur — a planet coated in silver luminescence, emanating an almost alien aura. They descended on the deserted metropolis of silver and stone, the structures echoing of an advanced civilisation.
As they explored, they stumbled upon a library, filled with carved tablets of unknown material. Eliot, with his understanding of ancient languages, deciphered a story of a civilisation which had met its tragic end due to a deadly plague. It also revealed a piece of technology hidden deep beneath the city, a device they had used for time-space travel. Eliot and Edda decided to find it, yearning to comprehend the ancients' secrets.
Deep below, they found the device, a massive machine pulsating with an otherworldly aura. Eliot carefully manipulated the controls, and the room flooded with a holographic display of the universe, showing a map of countless uncharted galaxies and stars. Their breath hitched in amazement and sheer terror at the sheer expanse of the unknown.
Although Eliot and Edda could not save the lost city of Ishtara, they returned to Earth with a wealth of knowledge, promising to explore the uncharted territories the ancient Ishtarians had documented. The discovery of Ishtara and the Space-Time device catapulted humanity into a new era of exploration, standing testament of the indomitable spirit of curiosity and intrepidity.
With the knowledge gained, Eliot strove to advance humanity's understanding of the cosmos, while honouring the lost civilisation of Ishtara. Their journey wasn't just of discovery, but also an introspection of their own existence, a testament to mankind's eternal quest to comprehend our place in the vast expanse of the universe.