Meanwhile, on the distant other side, another civilization was also watching the sky.
That's Maya.
Mayan priests were experts in astronomy and calendars. They could predict the timing of solar and lunar eclipses and forecast the trajectories of Venus and Mars. Yet, their greatest focus was on a star they called "The Other Shore."
It is the brightest star and the most mysterious one. Legend has it that when this star of the other shore shines, the end of the world will come.
The Maya high priest was called "Feathered Serpent."
He is another Star Marked chosen by the Dawnbringer. A red cinnabar dot adorns his forehead, and his blue curly hair is braided and falls behind his shoulders. Golden earrings hang from his elf-like long ears—symbols of the Star Marked's noble status.
Every night, he stands atop the pyramid to watch the Star of the Other Shore. He sees it growing brighter each day. He knows the day foretold is drawing near.
One day, he received a letter.
The letter came from the ancient Shu Kingdom, written in the oldest script. The sender was Chendan—a former friend who has now become something else entirely.
Chandan wrote in the letter: "Yu She, my friend, I have found true power. If you're willing, I can share it with you. Together, we will become gods of this world."
Yu She felt a chill run through him as he read the letter.
He knew what Chandan meant by "true power." It was the Moon-Eater's temptation. The Dawn-Bringers had warned them all: accept the Moon-Eater's gifts, and you become their slave—forever.
The Feathered Serpent burned the letter and summoned all the priests.
"I want to carve a stone," he said. "Engrave everything I know on it. That way, even after we're gone, future generations will know the truth."
The priests asked, "What should be inscribed on the stone tablet?"
Yu She looked up at the sky, gazing at the increasingly bright star on the other shore, and said slowly:
Carve the arrival of the Eclipse Bringer, the origin of the Star Scars, humanity's betrayal and sacrifice. Carve that when the Star on the Other Shore ignites, doom approaches. And carve... that when the Star on the Other Shore ignites once more, hope arrives.
That stone stele was later known as the "Mayan Prophecy Stele."
It lies quietly deep within the pyramid, waiting to be discovered.
On the night the stele was carved, Quetzalcoatl had a dream.
In a dream, a radiant figure told him: "Wait for someone who will arrive in three thousand years with the Cinnabar Pact. Tell them the truth."
The Feathered Serpent awoke, the cinnabar on its forehead growing warm.
He knew it wasn't just an ordinary dream.
The Enigma is transmitting information to him.