Chương 4: Chapter 4
(Cyrus' POV)
I do not remember much after coming back from the astral realm. I only recall waking up in my body, surrounded by astral behemoths preparing to rip me apart. All I could do was send all my cosmic energy into my astral tattoo and hope for the best. Then, everything went black.
Now that I've regained consciousness, I can see the carnage left at our campsite. Scattered all around are remnants of the astral behemoths that appeared while I was taking my trial. I see that My father is packing up our tents and sleeping bags, the foundations of our living quarters for years.
"Father, why are you packing up camp?" I asked.
"This place is now compromised. You and I both expended way too much cosmic energy today. It's only a matter of time before they track our signatures. There's food next to your bag—eat up, and let's get going."
I did as my father told me. I ate the cooked rabbit we hunted earlier in the week and gathered my things. Before we left, I watched my father gather the corpses of the slain astral behemoths into one spot. In his palm, I saw cosmic energy swirling and merging with solar energy. He stood over the pile and gently released the energy, consuming everything. Only ashes remained.
"It's time to leave," he said.
We walked for some time, traveling through the mountain ranges of the southern continent. We always traveled at night. My father took every precaution to ensure our safety, insisting we never use light sources to avoid drawing attention. I learned to travel in the dark by following the faint emission of his cosmic energy, while he activated his infrared vision to guide the way.
"How are you holding up, Cyrus?" my father asked as he dodged a branch from a nearby tree. "You had me worried when you passed out."
"I'm feeling better now that I've recovered a little from the cosmic energy depletion."
"What happened to you during the trial?"
"A lot, honestly."
"Go on. We have all night."
"Well, I passed the trial and found the Solaris constellation. But when I connected to it... things didn't quite go as planned."
"Such as?"
"Well, I met Solaris, the creator of our clan's fate constellation." My father stopped in his tracks and turned to me slowly, analyzing my words.
"That can't be possible. No one from our clan has seen him since ancient times, thousands of years ago—before the pantheon was forced to leave our realm."
"I understand, Dad, but I met him. The constellation's power sent me back to those times. I saw how our people were granted their powers before the constellations existed. I also learned about the flaw in our constellation," I said, trying to convince him.
My father remained silent for a long time, as if he knew there was some truth to my words.
"What else happened during your trial?" he finally asked.
"Solaris told me I was chosen to meet him because of my innate ability to refine and fortify my core. This led to something else."
"Does it have something to do with that astral tattoo on your chest?" he asked.
"Yes. Solaris said the clan's constellation didn't suit me, so he rewarded me for my talent. He tore out my celestial core, which had already formed a connection to the constellation, and replaced it with something else. That's when I formed a connection with a completely different celestial body."
After I explained, my father's eyes widened in shock. He was one of the strongest Starbound in the world, and when it came to the nuances of fate constellations and their trials, nothing surprised him. Until now.
"What did your new core resonate with, then?"
"The formation was structured like a normal constellation, like the ones you taught me about. But this one was created from the culmination of stars that have died."
"So... your formation is made up of black holes, Cyrus?"
"Potentially... I'm sorry, Dad."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"Because I couldn't continue our clan's heritage. I know how much it means to you and our family."
"Don't worry, my son. Fate has something different planned for you, and I think it's time we changed our plans too. It's time we finally meet up with Grandpa."
"Wait... does that mean we can finally leave this continent? Because I'm tired of searching for old astral relics that don't seem to exist."
"Yes. Whatever formation you've connected with, I've never heard of anything like it. And with the power you displayed after returning from the trial... You do know you defeated two Stellar Fiend astral behemoths, right? That's unheard of for someone who just completed the Star birth trial—especially with a celestial core at the embryonic stage."
"I did?"
"Yes, but it took all of your cosmic energy. Your power is a mystery, Cyrus. I'm not sure I know how to guide you properly anymore. The only person who might have knowledge on rare and unknown fate constellations is Grandpa Zaire. For now, we'll go back to basics, since everything we've done up until now was designed to align you with the Solaris constellation."
"Do we really have to go back over the basics, you have ingrained them into my mind for the past several years. I really think that I am passed all the beginner training now."
"Yes, we do, your new constellation is unknown. We do not know how your body will react to its power, so we have to test it out first." I hated that my dad always had the perfect response to any retort I gave him.
"Alright whatever, you're the boss."
After our talk, we continued through the thick brush that plagues the mountaintops of the southern continent. We traveled several miles before finding a clearing suitable for camp. We carried limited supplies, so setting up didn't take long. I was tasked with checking the perimeter for lurking astral beasts, as usual.
While doing my task, I couldn't help but look up at the sky. The farther into the mountains we went, the brighter the stars became. Now that I've traveled to the astral realm, it feels like they're calling me to return.
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