Hearing Vera, Charlie ignored his splitting headache and looked in the direction of the aurora.

As if controlled by some external force, the glowing wave that seemed to split the skies vertically suddenly started to move, spiraling like a vortex. And on the edges, the wave split out into tiny particles—specks of light that spun along with the vortex, revolving around the center of the vortex.

Even as Charlie stared, astounded, Vera exclaimed, "Those little specks look just like countless fireflies, don't you think?"

Charlie nodded. "Yes. At first, it was a wave covering the entire sky, but now, it's splitting into fireflies—that's a truly apt way to put it. They all look alive, flying around the center… Although I'm not sure why it's behaving that way at all."

Vera's expression was melancholic. "Well, it looks like fireflies, but it's not—the aurora is a wave of photons, and it's like a wave composed of countless particles of water… But water should always flow along the wave—that'