"Welcome back," said the others.

Umbe bowed to them. He smiled to Maýla-i, who had come to hold his hands.

"Are you alright?" she asked, searching Umbe with her eyes.

"I am fine," Umbe said in a lower tone.

The group gathered around them.

"You seem at ease," Menior said, placing his hand on Umbe's shoulder. "How was the journey with M'alala?"

"It was fine," Umbe said. "It felt as if strips of cloudiness were being combed off of me with every step, and I was growing lighter, my mind clearer. It felt good."

"What happened, if I may ask?" said Sakna-Sa.

Unhesitating, Umbe said, "I was led by M'alala through the white mist. Faces began to form in its midst, kindly faces, as if my journey was being watched. And then I noticed arms reaching out to greet me, and so I reached back, and handy, too, they were, for when I reached the stairs, they helped me to not fall back, but to advance. And the mist became M'alala Herself, holding me inside a cylinder and blessing me and propelling me further. That is when she disappeared, and I was as if in a crevasse, and someone above reached out to me. Ethor was the name of the being who became my friend. He served me water more refreshing than I've ever tasted and revealed to me the answer of my presence there with them: it was to learn to trust Life, to show me the hospitality and decency that I could use as model in shaping my own life. Ethor was the one who's brought me back just now, if you've seen him."

The eight were listening with the air of those receiving the good news they'd expected.

"Come with me, friend and adviser," Meknáni said.

Umbe was slightly surprised by Meknáni's choice of words, but looked more honoured than troubled. "I will, friend and group leader," he replied – with emphasis on friend.

"The journey's long," Meknáni said, "but as Umbe confides in his new friends, so shall we."

Nods all around. Menior had a special, yet reserved joy embedded in his expression as he watched Umbe join Meknáni. What a leap the Boor had managed! He was glad.

Sakna-Sa put her hand on his upper arm. They seem to understand one another without words, yet much was the joy of both.

Sla noticed and she smiled, then nodded. "Hey, Umbe," she said. "Tell us more about the friends you've made here, inside Íma."

Umbe turned and said, "Well, I forgot to ask if any of them were unmarried."

Everyone laughed.

"You should have done so," Maýla-i said.

Still silent, Sakna-Sa and Menior were walking arm in arm, watching and listening. Light was all around.

"And so we've been all embraced by the power of joy," Gre said softly.

Menior heard. He gave Gre a nod.

Ahead of them, more of the white mist was becoming light – a white sheen with a subtle golden pulsation at the centre, and they began to walk into it.

"The weather's fine for us to step into a new dimension," Arít told the group, and they all agreed.

"Let is be revealed for us to know," said Sakna-Sa, and instantly the light and the golden pulsation turned into a circular platform with golden pillars of light, with a white rooftop, and a clear night sky above.

Beyond the surface, water could be seen: a deep and clear blue vastness stretching into the horizon. Seagulls called. Voices faraway. Ships, large and small, their masts white and clear in the gentle moonlight, were traversing the waterway, dispersed along its great expanse.

The nine had stepped onto the structure and standing close to its brim, observed the quietude in perpetual motion.

"You must be the representatives of Umbar," someone said behind them.

They all turned.

A man, more advanced in years, but not old, had come, accompanied by a woman and a younger man. They were wearing white garments that resembled robes, yet seemed better fit for a warmer climate. The men's had short sleeves; the woman's was passed like a strap over the left shoulder, then swirled around her waist, where it was knotted elegantly. From her waist down, the lower part of her garment was straight and almost touched the ground, while the men's were only knee-long. They all, nonetheless, seemed made of the same light fabric appropriate for summer days.

"Welcome to the City of Kaalas," said the elder of the two men.

The woman bore a pitcher in her hands. She was smiling. "Welcome," she said, and she inclined her head.

The younger man, not long ago a teenager, he seemed, bowed his head as welcoming gesture.

"I am Harl," the elder man continued. "This is my wife, Saala, and our son, Kerinque. We've been entrusted with your visit in our realm."

Meknáni bowed. So did the rest.

"My name is Meknáni Sto," he said, "here on Recognition Vessel Umbar, as I see you know, and these are my colleagues and friends."

"Meknáni Sto," said Harl, "it is our tradition to offer our visitors water from our streams, so please accept water from this pitcher and drink in the company of your colleagues and friends."

Saala turned to Kerinque, who was holding a tray with nine cups, all from the same pottery material as the pitcher, which resembled silver, but clay as well. She filled the cups.

"Drink in the honour of our ancestors who have come before us," said Kerinque, stepping closer with the tray, "and in our great hopes for the descendents yet to come. So shall we incline our heads in honour to your ancestors, here on this day before us within you, and we shall henceforward raise our prayers for your descendants as we pray for ours as well."

He smiled as the nine Umbarians lifted their cups to them, and drank. He returned by his mother's side, who gently combed his arm in acknowledgement.

"We have prepared a meal for you," Harl said, "if you would join us."

"Your welcome honours us greatly," Meknáni said. "We gladly accept your invitation."

They followed Harl and his family down some steps and along a stone alley stretching in proximity of the water, sand on each side, palm trees to their left, the gentle waves ebbing and flowing farther to their right. Soon the alley widened, forming a circular platform at the intersection of four paths of stone, and Harl led them right, towards the water. There, the alley ended in yet another circle. A fire pit was at its centre, square stones burning as though they were wood, and all around was a seating area – a simple, red-cushioned bench, circular as well. Around the fire was one table – a loop, so all could reach – which was laden with food and beverages.

Fountain water sprang through a pillar into a stone basin on the other side of the platform, inside an interruption in the bench.

"If you would like to freshen up to prepare for dinner," Harl advised, and the Umbarians washed their hands.

Saala offered them tissues made of white, delicate fabric, and they all sat down.

Harl then said, "Many, I'm sure, are your questions." The group nodded in agreement. "There is time for them each, and those we cannot answer, with time and grace, you shall learn by yourselves. Allow us now to be properly introduced with each of you."

One by one, the nine Umbarians presented themselves, and the family responded to them each.

"Now let us dine," Harl said.

And in the sound of distant chord music mingling with that of the gentle waves washing the shore, they began to eat.

"What dimension is this," asked Menior, "and what are the city's coordinates?"

"This is the ninth dimension," said Harl. "As for coordinates, we regard them differently than what you're probably accustomed to. The City of Kaalas lies on the Eastern Shore of the NeverendingMountain, by the Sea of Las. This Sea goes up and down through several dimensions. It unifies them. It is the mist you've seen."

"But we've emerged by it, and not from it," said Sakna-Sa.

"True," Harl said. "That is because coordinates are more unified the higher one goes through dimensions."

"Up overlaps down, east overlaps west – is that what you mean?" asked Menior.

Harl searched for the right words to explain. "It is not as much as two separate coordinates overlapping one another, but more of them being one and the same. The upper the dimension one can access, the clearer they are unified."

"That is how this Sea is part of a number of dimensions," said Sla.

"Indeed," replied Saala. "And the Sea of Las is one of many binding entities that coexist across the dimensions of M'alala."

"The Sea is an entity?" asked Sakna-Sa.

"She is our mother/friend," said Kerinque, "for she sustains all the elements of life and enriches our souls through our ever-expanding understanding of her part in M'alala."

"A sentient, inter-dimensional Sea," Menior pondered. "What about the sand and all the physical structures that we see?"

"They are all part of M'alala as well," Harl replied, "as are we. The air in our lungs is one with the air in the ground and the sea and across the multidimensional variety of our home Planet. The atoms in our bodies are interlinked with all the physical and ethereal aspects of M'alala – and M'alala Herself," Harl went on explaining, "is part of a dance, so to speak, of Planet Beings, each with their own rich, eons-old, diverse completeness that orbit Mun, our Celestial God-Sun, who acts as an intermediary between us and the Ineffable Unknown Who is Source to all existence. Together, they form a structure of diversity, Mun and the Planets, which is interlinked and mutually influencing. On a yet broader perspective, they are part of the Wheel of Life which we call a galaxy – and it goes on and on."

"I find your knowledge interesting," said Menior, ready to take a sip from his sweet beverage, "and I thank you for your expansive answer."

"Tell me," said Harl, leaning closer, "what is it that Umbar hopes to find here? What is it about this planet so far away from the cluster of worlds you come from that you thought you cannot find there?"

"Diversity completes our knowledge," Menior replied. "Sea and land are scattered throughout the universe, and it is it that we discover with each Recognition Mission."

"You seek to immerse yourselves more vastly into the Ancient One," said Saala.

"The Ancient One?" Sakna-Sa asked.

"That which you call the universe, we call the Ancient One," she replied. "The sentient wholeness wherein all is comprised."

"Is it a name of God?" asked Sla.

"Yes and no," Saala revealed. "A name is a Being"–she paused to let her words sink in–"the name is alive"–she made another pause–"the name is one with the Ineffable Who's named it, so the name the Ancient One is one with its Giver wherein it exists."

"The name exists within its Giver," repeated Menior.

Saala gave a nod.

"And the name is a sentient Being which holds all existence," he continued.

"Not all existence," said Harl, "because the Giver of the name is part of it and beyond it as well, and there are many such names within the breadth of Ineffable, and each name is a Being, sentient like this, and within each such Being there is the Dance of Life."

"Planets and galaxies to explore," completed Menior.

"True," answered Harl. "But make no mistake: the explorers themselves are part of the Dance of Life, which makes us all brothers within it."

"We are bits of the sentience that is the Ancient One," said Saala. "Some are explorers, such as you: the Ancient One, in an infinitesimal expression of Itself, seeking out to join the wholeness of Itself – in your case, through knowledge. Others seek this higher immersion by abiding by one principle they feel connects them with the Ineffable Itself."

"Such words seem fit for a Temple," Umbe pondered aloud.

"This is our Temple, too," Saala said, pointing towards the space wherein they dined. "Each place, be it cleansed and pure, is fit to be one. Our bodies, too, are the Temples of our Spirits, and our Spirits are multidimensional, too, and form part of an overarching wholeness that breathes the Truth of the name that's alive and its Ineffable Source that Created it."

"The Source is the Giver of the name," Menior verified his understanding. A nod confirmed it. "God." Another assenting inclination of their hosts' heads. "And there are many names Given, each a sentience, each what we call a universe."

"That is right," Harl agreed.

"And how does the Giver of the name – God – Give the name?" Menior went on asking.

"Only the Ineffable knows how," answered Harl. "This, indeed, is knowledge of the highest kind," he added, glancing at Umbe, "and it is so partly because"–he paused briefly in search for words–"be the all-encompassing Knowledge like a spiral, our grasp of it is as limited as if we were somewhere down at the bottom, where it is thinner, narrower, understand?"

The nine Umbarians nodded.

"And what exactly allows one to grasp more of this spiral?" asked Menior.

Harl smiled. He seemed pleased with the inquisitiveness of their guests. "You ask the right questions, Menior Lem. I congratulate you. The spiral is a metaphor. With each loop, one's knowledge grows more expansive. Now, the passage between the arms of the spiral can be taken by those who've gained higher wisdom. Think of it this way: if wisdom were layers of liquid placed one over the other, and each layer of liquid held different levels of density, then normally, the lightest layers are on top, right?"

"True," Menior answered.

"Now imagine your wisdom increasing to the point that it becomes lighter," Harl continued, "and in doing so, it enables you to discern a higher level of this all-encompassing knowledge that we call Higher Truth."

"I understand," Menior said.

"Now," Harl continued, "one's ability to discern more of the Higher Truth also correlates with one's ability to perceive higher realms, or superior dimensions. That is why Íma observes and reflects. She observes your level of readiness to grasp more of the available wisdom and reflects it to you by opening a gateway into a dimension you can match with your awareness."

"It is not that the dimensions are hidden," added Saala, "but just like more wisdom grasps more of what's subtle, a further-reaching awareness is ready to acquaint itself with a higher dimension."

"You ask how God gives names," resumed Harl, "or in other words, how are universes formed? That is the essence of your question, isn't it?"

"Exactly."

"And I replied, Only the Ineffable knows how," Harl continued. "The Creator of the spiral is beyond the spiral, whereas we are within it as infinitesimal portions of it. If this table had eyes, it could see its immediate surroundings. But ask it of the weather tomorrow or the events of yesterday or what ships have set sail from the docks, and it does not know. The higher the ability to perceive, the better one's ability to answer. The arms of the spiral are levels of understanding – higher and higher dimensions, fuller and fuller expressions of oneness, deeper and deeper grasps of notions such as how names are Given, or how God, by uttering the name, manifests it."

"By uttering the name, God creates the living name, therefore a universe, what you call the Ancient One," Menior said.

"That is our understanding of it," said Harl. "We are barely in the ninth dimension, however. Imagine the expansiveness, the detail and profundity, of the answer, were this the 20th dimension."

"The higher the dimension, the more expansive the knowledge," said Menior.

"Exactly," Harl nodded. "If I look around, I perceive my surroundings. With my mind, I can access parts of M'alala that are more distant. M'alala, however, perceives all her dimensions simultaneously, and she is in close contact with the dimensions of the other Sentient Planets of this system. Mun, the Sentience that governs our sun and our entire system, is able to perceive yet more, more within the system and more around it. An Older Sun has a yet greater grasp of the magnitude of the answer that you seek. And the One that holds the entirety of the answer, the complete Revelation, is the Name Utterer Itself, the Ineffable, our God."

"The Creator of the spiral and of all Ancient Ones," Menior pondered. "My answer is with God."

"And God is the Answer," Saala said. "Like the spring wherefrom all waterways sprout, each waterway a course of the Answer, thinned down and made understandable to even the farthest dominions, yet never separate from Source Itself. The closer to the Spring of Life, the more compact the unity of that which is formed, and the more complex and all-inclusive its grasp is. Like a pulsation, I picture it, of immaterial light glowing brighter and brighter."

"You picture God that way?" asked Menior.

"The waterway back to the whole Truth," Saala said, "the less and less thinned down parts and dimensions of the Answer."

"The Answer has dimensions," he mused.

"So do all things created," she said, "and the Answer is the spiral itself, as you and Harl were talking."

"The Answer is synonymous with Knowledge," Menior tried.

"We use metaphors," Harl said. "They point in a direction. Behold, and see what you can grasp."

"The wisdom I've acquired enables me to see further," Menior said.

"Precisely," Harl replied. "Words and metaphors are tools that enable you to move further towards your answers, but they are not the answer themselves. A broader grasp grasps more broadly, and the perception of Truth changes in accordance with your ability to reach further beyond these tools. They point. Now look, and see what you can find."

"Thank you for this discussion," Menior said. He turned his head right and left and glanced at his companions. "I'm sure it's been truly useful to each of us."

The team was assenting.

"In different ways," said Saala, looking at each as if perceiving beyond the length of time and space some of the ramifications of their meeting on that splendid, clear night, stars scintillating near and far above their heads – lights knowing plenty.