Tiankong Bao An Guizong

The Sky Wave Safety Protocol is the set of precautions governing teleportation through the Sky Wave. Its decisive rule is simple but absolute: every traveler must join hands and maintain contact throughout the transfer, because releasing a neighboring hand can cause a person to be dropped from the teleport. The protocol therefore makes safe movement depend not only on the Arlite technology but also on the discipline and mutual reliance of the traveling group.

Setting and Purpose

The protocol is explained inside the Sky Wave building after Lucy Hammond arrives with Alvar and the rest of their party. The facility contains a blue shard of Arlite so enormous that Lucy compares its size to Titan. Alvar identifies the shard as the pride of Underland and explains that teleportation would be impossible without it. The spectacular scale of the crystal gives the procedure both a technological foundation and a ceremonial atmosphere: the travelers are not stepping through an ordinary doorway, but entering a system whose operation depends on a rare and powerful material.

Rust is responsible for formally reviewing the precautions. He enters after the group has taken its places on an extended bench facing the gem, clears his throat, and addresses the rulers as “Your Majesties.” His role establishes the protocol as an institutional safety procedure rather than casual advice. The presence of a designated instructor, a bench arranged before the Arlite, and a guard prepared to operate the mechanism all show that teleportation is controlled through an organized process.

The Hand-Holding Rule

Rust instructs everyone to join hands and look forward at the Arlite. The prohibition against letting go applies at any time during the transfer and includes the hands on either side of each traveler. The stated danger is not merely discomfort or delay: anyone who breaks contact may be dropped from the teleport. Safe arrival is thus defined collectively. A traveler cannot treat the journey as an individual action, because each person’s security depends on preserving the physical chain around them.

The group follows the rule in a clearly specified arrangement. Lucy grips Alvar’s hand on one side and Grey’s on the other. Emily stands beside Grey, holding Grey’s hand and Leeza’s. This detail demonstrates how the protocol operates across the entire party: the rule is not limited to a leader, a royal couple, or a specially trained operator. It binds rulers, companions, and attendants into one connected unit, making each person both a protected traveler and part of the protection owed to others.

Operation in Practice

After Rust checks that everyone is secure, he signals a guard, who pulls a lever. The Arlite grows brighter and emits flying sparks, accompanied by an uncertain visual impression that Lucy wonders might be water. Rust bows his head and offers the travelers “Good travels to you.” The formal farewell marks the transition from instruction to execution, while the lever and guard make clear that the travelers do not control the machinery themselves.

The crystal’s light intensifies until it encases the group in white. A buzzing sound vibrates around them and grows louder, while Lucy’s immediate sensory awareness narrows to the glow, the buzz, and the feeling of Alvar’s and Grey’s hands filling her senses. The protocol’s central command is therefore enacted through bodily sensation: the hand-holding rule is not an abstract precaution but the last tangible assurance available while ordinary sight and sound are overwhelmed by the teleport.

Consequences and Significance

The transfer succeeds. Within minutes, the glow and buzzing diminish, Lucy’s eyes adjust, and the party discovers that it has arrived in Ferar. The destination contrasts sharply with Underland: a grey sky replaces Underland’s vibrant blue, brown muddy terrain lies beneath their feet, and mist shrouds the land. The successful crossing confirms the practical effectiveness of the protocol while also emphasizing the threshold-like nature of the Sky Wave. The connected party passes from one environment into another without a conventional journey, but only by obeying a rule that converts personal survival into shared responsibility.

For Lucy, the procedure also exposes her outsider status. She is frustrated that she did not grow up knowing the technologies, curses, and magical items that Underland inhabitants regard as ordinary, and the safety briefing arrives only as she is about to use the Sky Wave. Her uncertainty contrasts with the practiced infrastructure surrounding her. The protocol consequently has a double function: it protects the travelers from the physical danger of teleportation, while revealing the cultural knowledge Lucy must acquire in order to move safely through Alvar’s world.