“My family, living in a village near the cave, has practiced what you call alternative medicine for centuries—though for us, it is not ‘alternative’ at all, but medicine itself. Those who brought food to the excavation team trying to unearth the cave were actually members of my family. While the workers and researchers believed the locals were simply being hospitable, my siblings were, in truth, trying to see the drawings, because those places were anything but ordinary to us.

Some were spoken, others recorded in writing—stories of events that took place in that region, stories intertwined with both truth and fiction. We believed that many of the sites described in these tales now lay buried beneath the earth. But we could never know which parts were real and which were legends. That is why we carefully followed every excavation, every newly found inscription or drawing.

The drawings in the cave thrilled us far more than they thrilled Professor John Nash and his team. But we also knew that Donald had silenced them with threats and taken them to an undisclosed location, accompanied by armed men who allowed no one near the cave. We had given up hope and returned to our lives.

When my old friend Süleyman called and asked me to help Mark, I assumed it was a simple matter of dark magic. But contrary to what I expected, I realized that the entities disturbing Mark were not evil spirits, but good ones—and that unsettled me deeply. Moreover, witnessing that insects associated with malicious forces could not enter the house made the situation even stranger.”

I was preparing to return from America to Mexico when Süleyman contacted me again. He said they were going to Antarctica to find Mark’s wife, Teresa; that she was in trouble; that he had no real idea what they would face there; and that he could not take obese Mark on such a journey. He asked for my help. Yet what truly caught my attention was not his plea, but the mention of Antarctica.

Because the indigenous friends who had managed to glimpse the cave drawings had told me that what they saw resembled the continent of Antarctica.

When I learned that certain agents working for the state had taken Teresa away under the threat of force, I became convinced that the same men who tried to conceal the cave were now taking her to the very place the drawings pointed to—and that whatever was depicted in that cave was directly connected to where Teresa had been taken.

“That is what destiny looks like,” Teresa murmured, and Professor Richard nodded in agreement before speaking:
“You explained why you came here, and that your presence might have a purpose you yourself cannot yet understand. But let’s return to our main subject. What are your views about the cave drawings? We should ask Donald first, since the only one who actually saw them clearly was him.”

Donald, realizing there was no point hiding anything now that the cave had collapsed after the earthquake, shrugged.
“I can tell you everything I saw,” he said.

“When you enter the cave and take a few steps forward, you are met with two drawings. The first is mostly erased, so not much can be made out—though there seem to be people in pain, suffering. But the second drawing is clear: Antarctica, and this island, shaped unmistakably. And the two massive eggs positioned like horns at both ends of the island. That is all. You know the rest. Whatever happened to us happened because of those drawings. My men were right—those eggs carry a curse, and that’s why they were buried beneath the ice in a place far from humanity. That cave was like a sorcerer’s den.”

“In the Inca and Maya civilizations, yes, there were shamans,” the black-cloaked woman replied. “But history tells us they always lived far from settlements. That cave was not a sorcerer’s den. Besides, no magical artifact came out of it. No enchanted orb like in the legends, no Yada Stone, nothing of the sort. It was more likely a restricted site under the authority of the ruling elite, a place used for secret research.”

And then she lit the fuse:
“I have a theory.”

All eyes turned to her. She had already proven she was no fool.

“When Europeans discovered what they called the ‘New World,’ we imagine a land with a few thousand natives and a handful of tribes. In truth, according to the travel logs and reports of the earliest explorers to set foot in South America, millions of people lived there. We cannot know the exact number—no census was ever taken—but estimates range from fifteen to twenty million, and some even claim twice the population of Europe at the time. There were great cities, and most were on the coast, though many existed inland as well.

Today, the pyramids and ancient cities that remain from the Inca and Maya represent perhaps not even one-thousandth of what once existed. Trying to estimate the population of ancient South America based only on the few ruins still standing is as absurd as estimating the population of the ancient Middle East solely by the cities that remain today.”

“What does the damned population of 16th-century Latin America have to do with what we’re dealing with?” Donald grumbled.

“It matters a great deal,” the woman answered.

“In the travel notes of early explorers, it is recorded that the first Europeans arriving in Latin America were surprised by the native peoples’ cleanliness. They bathed regularly, dug proper latrines for their needs, and valued hygiene. And not only hygiene—they were tolerant, generous, peaceful, mild-tempered. Far from resembling cannibals, they possessed qualities more civilized than many of the great societies before them. And yet, despite such hospitality, the foreigners repaid them poorly. As everyone acknowledges today, there was a literal genocide of the native population. But that is not our subject.” She drew a long breath.

“Why do you think these people with such admirable traits behaved not like savages, but like highly civilized humans?”

“I think they weren’t humans, but angels,” Donald said mockingly.

“Shut your mouth before you find yourself outside in minus thirty,” Teresa snapped, unable to tolerate him any longer.

“He is actually getting close to the truth,” the cloaked woman said, and continued:

“Prophets—those who introduced God to humanity and conveyed His commands—did not only guide people in matters of faith; they led the way in establishing civilization. They taught tolerance, coexistence, the domestication of animals, how to benefit from them, how to cultivate and harvest the land, how to process metals.”

“So you highlighted that the population of South America at that time was not insignificant, that the native peoples valued hygiene and had admirable traits, and that prophets guided societies in social and scientific matters. But I still don’t see what any of this has to do with the cave drawings,” Professor Richard admitted.

“As a final point, let me add this before I explain the connection. Among the native peoples of South America, aside from a few illnesses like syphilis and jaundice, virtually no other diseases existed. Meanwhile, Europe and the Middle East were being devastated by plague, leprosy, malaria, cholera, typhus… And it was Europeans who brought smallpox to South America.”

“Yes, that’s correct,” the Professor replied, and elaborated:

“It is one of the great unresolved mysteries in medicine—how South Americans were so healthy, and why they were resistant to every major epidemic except smallpox. Smallpox wiped out entire cities in Europe, but over time, immunity developed and deaths dropped. The native populations of South America, however, had no such immunity, so millions died before any natural resistance could form. As you said, their resilience against other infectious diseases remains one of the unanswered questions of our planet.”

“That unanswered question is hidden in the cave drawings,” the cloaked woman said.

“Now we arrive at the real subject.” She began to explain:

“When you look at a world map, you’ll notice that South America is the closest landmass to Antarctica—to this Double-Horn Island we are standing on. As you’ve already guessed, these two giant ‘eggs,’ at least the one we cracked, function as a kind of virus-manufacturing core. The microscopic examination showed that there is almost no virus that doesn’t exist in this egg.

For that reason, all viruses first spread to the region closest to here—South America. They remained there for a time, then traveled to Europe, Asia, and Africa, carried by birds, winds, and even certain species of fish—just like the intermediaries Europeans used to reach South America four centuries ago.

Thus, when exposed to these viruses for the first time, the indigenous peoples suffered catastrophic losses. But afterward, both consciously and unconsciously, they learned how to fight them.”

“Up to this point, I can accept what you’ve said as a plausible hypothesis,” Professor Richard interjected, then added:
“When you say ‘unconscious resistance,’ you’re referring to the immune system gradually learning to recognize the invading virus and developing a response, while our mind—our conscious thought—is completely unaware of the process, guided by some beneath-awareness biological mechanism. In that sense, your wording makes sense.

But what do you mean by conscious resistance against microbes? They didn’t have vaccines, antivirals, microscopes—nothing that could actually see viruses.”

“I did not explain all of that for nothing. The knowledge of how to fight viruses was taught to humans by the messengers of the Creator—the prophets. They instructed the native populations to bathe, to wash their hands regularly, and taught them how to do so.

They told them to boil natural plants—those with acidic and basic properties that can kill pathogens—so that they could live in hygienic conditions. This is not merely a possibility; it is an undeniable truth echoed across ancient civilizations.

When the microscope was finally invented and scientists could see microbes, they merely confirmed what many ancient cultures had already claimed:

‘There are tiny creatures that cause illness. When they multiply, the body weakens and falls sick. But unfortunately, we have nothing capable of seeing them.’

And the practice we now call quarantine was articulated centuries ago by the Final Prophet:

‘If there is an epidemic in a place, do not approach it. If you are within that place, do not leave it. Flee from a leper as you would flee from a lion.’

Likewise, in the holy texts of the monotheistic religions, there are similar statements such as ‘God loves those who purify themselves,’ emphasizing hygiene and the principles of quarantine.

They also learned, through prophetic guidance, which plants and which extracts were effective for which illnesses. Of course, divine revelation does not list every disease and every treatment in detail. We learn the principles of healthy living from the prophets’ lives, their sayings, their counsel.”

“But I still fail to see the connection between what you're saying and the cave drawings,” the Professor replied.

“The first drawing is unclear, but you can still make out the shapes of their faces—and the suffering is evident. That suffering was caused by an epidemic, because the next drawing indicates the location of the eggs, as if saying, ‘your cure lies here.’”

Teresa, who had been quietly listening to the back-and-forth, could no longer contain herself.

“Honestly, until that last line you were doing fine—your explanations were convincing. But now you’re telling us that the cause of the suffering was viruses, and at the same time claiming the solution lies in these massive eggs that produce viruses? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Let’s think together,” the cloaked woman replied calmly.
“Radiation can cause cancer, yet radiotherapy uses energy waves to heal. Antibiotics cure infection, but overuse destroys the flora, develops resistance, and makes you sick.”

“Your examples are valid, but analogies don’t always hold. And you see it yourself—the egg cracked, and coronavirus spread everywhere. What exactly are we debating?”

The cloaked woman answered with unwavering certainty.

“Because we cracked the wrong egg. The correct one was the other. Nature always maintains balance. East against West, good against evil, white against black, acid against base. These dualities are woven into existence—and even now, humanity is divided into Eastern and Western blocs because of them.

If you still don’t understand, I’ll say it plainly: the other egg must contain the ancient enemy of viruses—bacteria.”

Professor Richard, Teresa, Süleyman, and even Donald fell into a heavy silence. For a moment, they exchanged glances, speaking with their eyes alone. The professor’s long exhale seemed to encapsulate the weight of the woman’s story.

“You may be right, at least in that last point. This egg released every kind of virus, but no bacteria. The samples we collected—and the symptoms in the researchers—make that obvious.”

He bit his lower lip and tilted his head slightly to the side, his body language revealing his uncertainty.

“But I don’t know… Would breaking the other egg be rational? Would it unleash two eternal enemies upon the world—or would they form an alliance?”

“We can’t know for sure that the other egg contains bacterial species,” Teresa said, with the same conflicted expression in her eyes. “It could also hold something entirely different—something that empowers the viruses rather than countering them. And if we consider the theories suggesting that single-celled organisms communicate with one another, possess a form of intelligence, and develop strategies to survive against threats like antibiotics, then bacteria might respond in ways we cannot predict.”

“The saying ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ doesn’t always hold true,” she continued. “Two enemies may very well collaborate, and agree to eradicate their common adversary—humanity.”

“I can’t speak for bacteria,” the professor replied, “but viruses cannot live without us. The largest living organism—humankind—is an indispensable host to them. Viruses do not want total extinction of humans. It’s like a powerful and wealthy man who takes control of a land at gunpoint—he kills, yes, but he does so selectively, because he still needs a functioning system of servants to maintain his empire.”

He paused for a moment, as if a passing thought had suddenly resurfaced, interrupting his focus on a solution.

“Your theory may be correct, but there are missing pieces. You implied that the first viruses and bacteria spread across the world from these two eggs, and that after some period we cannot accurately determine, someone—call him a guide, a prophet, an alchemist, a savior—encased the broken or cracked eggs in lime. In doing so, he isolated the sources of viruses and bacteria from the world.”

“You also suggested that the same figure created the cave drawings, and that if, thousands of years later, humanity found itself on the brink of extinction due to a pandemic, the message would be clear: break the lime-sealed eggs—awaken bacteria to combat a viral plague, or awaken viruses to combat a bacterial one.”

“Yes, Professor,” the cloaked woman answered, “you summarized my account in a few sentences.”

“My question is this: if all viruses and bacteria once spread across the earth, then humanity should have been exposed to every microbial epidemic and, as a result, developed resistance to all of them. Yet, as you can see, this corona outbreak that leaked from the egg is ravaging the world. And as far as I understand, in your theory there is no mutation.”

“Yes,” she replied, “in the theory I described, which blends ancient beliefs with science, I argue that mutations have never occurred at a scale capable of triggering global pandemics. Coronaviruses already existed hundreds of thousands of years ago; a new lineage did not suddenly emerge through mutation. They simply remained mostly unseen. As you know, for a virus to exert its effect, it must reach a certain density within the body. And if we accept the reality that viruses communicate among themselves—even across members of the same species—then for reasons I cannot fully explain, they stayed away from humans until now. When Kathy fractured the egg with her hammer, the command was sent: approach humans. The corona lineage received the signal.”

“So you’re saying that the giant virus found in Kathy’s blood functions like a base station—sending a broadcast signal to all coronaviruses: activate, attack… My God, after all these years, radio-frequency waves have once again surfaced as something that turns against mankind,” Teresa said.

The cloaked woman nodded in quiet agreement and continued:

“The indigenous peoples of South America had zero immunity to smallpox, but in the same period, the populations of the Old World had it. This shows us that viruses do not act on a whim; they follow patterns of communication. A given strain invades a particular region—or the entire world—according to signals and timing determined by that communication.”

“You’re saying their leaders—that is, the giant viruses—issued that command,” Teresa continued. “These ‘ataviruses’ either escaped the fractured egg and entered human bodies, or they existed dormant in various regions of the world and were awakened by some trigger. My question is: what activated them? What caused them to issue orders to the normal-sized viruses?”

“I believe the answer is obvious,” the cloaked woman said.

“Those metaphysical entities that caused strange phenomena at Mark’s house, in the region of the cave, and here, are influencing them. They activate the giant viruses and issue commands. The lime-covered egg disrupts that process by severing the link—the communication—between the metaphysical beings and the giant viruses. And there is an ancient belief behind why I say this.”

“I never expected science, belief, and myth to blend so completely, and that such a mixture would form an explanation this coherent,” said Professor Richard, his eyes urging, go on, we are listening.

“There was a time when there were no humans on earth, but they existed.”

Teresa, who suffered from what she called her allergy to evolutionary theories, immediately assumed the narrative would drift toward monkeys evolving into humans, and began sighing in annoyance. The cloaked woman raised her hand, signaling her to stop.

“Who are they? Beings whose existence some deny, and who others call ‘the three-lettered ones,’ refusing to acknowledge them out of fear: jinn. Before humankind came animals, before animals came plants, and before them perhaps unicellular organisms; or perhaps all were created simultaneously. But before all of them, when the earth was barren and dry, jinn existed. This belief is not unique to the Inca civilization; the Abrahamic religions also speak of it. The single creator referred to as Yahweh, God, Allah—under different names—was called by another name among the Inca. Yet the attributes ascribed to that creator largely match those described in Abrahamic faiths. Anyway, let me return to the point. The Creator punished the jinn and expelled them from our dimension, from the physical world. Only two members of two similar species were left in the earthly realm. Their names in our time…”

Before she could say it, Teresa interrupted.

“Do not say virus and bacteria.”

“Yes,” the cloaked woman said, beginning to support her belief with science.
“Bacteria possess an average of three thousand genes, and there are millions of varieties, each differing in structure and traits. The cells within the human body also differ in form and function depending on the organ they inhabit. These cells communicate with one another and work in harmony. Though the trillions of cells in our body share most of their genes, a very small portion differs. In other words, if we divide the human body into organs, we find numerous distinct cell types, each uniquely equipped.

Similarly, the great organism of jinn—divided into two vast lineages known as viruses and bacteria—has fractured into millions of varieties. This is why there is communication among them, and why, as two separate races, bacteria and viruses despise one another and engage in constant struggle for dominance. For the same reason, toilets, baths, sewers—places of filth—are homes to both jinn and unicellular beings.”

“Like I said, despite all the progress of science, many questions remain unanswered regarding the origin of life and the universe,” the professor replied. “And after all we’ve experienced, I can believe what you’re saying. You support your theories with science and with fragments of reality.”

Teresa leaned toward him and whispered,
“She isn’t asking for money, she isn’t chasing fame, she isn’t trying to get on television. Who would she impress in this place? She isn’t a fraud. I don’t see any personal benefit here—why would she invent beliefs? And let’s admit it, she helped Mark, and she helped us. I don’t believe in coincidence. I believe there is a reason she is here.”

“How will we explain to these people that viruses and bacteria are actually the cells of jinn, when they don’t even believe in the existence of unseen beings?” the professor asked.

Teresa shook her head.
“Professor, professor… They comfortably explain that a tiny microbe mutated so many times that it turned into organisms, then primitive animals, and finally evolved from monkeys into humans. I think we can just as comfortably present our theory.

Science tells us that mutations cause variation within a species, but there is no evidence of transformation into a completely new species. For example, when cancer cells form through mutation, the person doesn’t evolve into a new organism—they die if untreated.

No being can create something more advanced than itself. Humans invent robots—yes, robots can think, move, speak—but their cables can never replace veins, their batteries can never replace a system that digests food and sends ATP to cells, and their synthetic joints can never replace organic ones.”

She smiled as she said it.

“The body of a robot cannot be said to be more advanced or more useful than human skin. I can give many more examples showing that what humans invent can never surpass the features already present within themselves.”

The professor processed Teresa’s words, but couldn’t resist voicing the mischievous thought that crossed his mind.
“Humans can’t fly, but we created airplanes and drones that can.”

Teresa grinned and replied,
“Professor, you can fly too—if we throw you off a high place. And just like a pilotless plane running out of fuel and crashing, unless an angel enters your body and gives you wings, the likelihood of crashing is very high.

As I said, the idea that a simple microbe mutated into something vastly superior—into a being trillions of times larger, like a human—makes less sense to me than the idea that a being similar to humans, but with a metaphysically advanced structure, fragmented into many simple unicellular organisms.”

The scientist’s face grew serious as she summarized what should be concluded from her explanations:
“The many examples we see in life whisper the same truth: the knowledge and power of the Creator who made Earth and everything on it are far greater than what He created.

And it seems that, so this superiority could be understood, God granted humans certain sciences—building houses, creating robots, founding factories. God is not just the creator of the religious. Therefore, He bestowed talents upon scientists as well, so they could create inventions and discoveries.”

Donald pointed a finger at Teresa.

“For some reason, whenever this woman starts talking, the subject turns into creation and evolution. I’m curious—were you always like this, or did you become this way because you’ve grown old and death is on your mind?” he said, then added,
“I think we should focus on what we’re supposed to do next.”

“As if you’re not responsible for any of this, you speak with such reckless ease,” Teresa replied.
“I don’t know how we’ll find the other egg, but if we manage to locate it, we’ll apply the same quarantine measures there and observe what happens.

We already have a group of scientists infected with viral diseases. If our theory is correct—that bacteria will emerge from the egg and destroy their ancient enemies, the viruses—then we should see our patients recover.

In that case, we might eradicate the coronavirus pandemic from the world. But if we encounter another outcome—if, for example, there is no change in their condition, or if they get worse…”

“Yes, in that case, even if we adhere to quarantine protocols as much as possible, we know the microbes will eventually spread,” Teresa continued. “But at the very least, we can ease our conscience and say we did everything we could, even if the rules only delay the inevitable. I hope we succeed.”

“There’s no vaccine,” Teresa reminded them. “And even if one were found today, by the time it goes through trials and becomes usable—three, four years from now—most of the world’s population will already be dead. That’s why we must attempt this while we have the chance.”

She pointed out the window.
“The storm has subsided. The temperature is ten, maybe fifteen degrees above average. We can use what little fuel and resources we have left to set up a small quarantine container around the second egg.”

“From an ethical standpoint, it wouldn’t be right to take all the scientists there just because ‘they’re going to die anyway,’” Süleyman said. “We don’t know what we’ll face there.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Professor Richard answered.

“I think, for now, we should only take Professor Nielsen—the one infected with HIV,” Teresa said. “Judging from the camera footage, his condition is already terrible. This might be his only chance to survive.”

Süleyman pointed to one of the screens in front of him.