"Void Wolf, you are clear for takeoff."
"Roger that, Moon Base."
The dark spacecraft rumbled to life, its engines humming, and with a thunderous pulse, the Void Wolf lifted off from the lunar platform, cutting through the void and leaving Earth’s orbit behind—its destination, Centauri City.
Aboard the Void Wolf, there were two new passengers—Glita and Gwen.
Glita, already recognized as a full magus within the Earth Faction, had traveled between planets before and possessed all the necessary permits. Gwen, however, had spent the last few days wrestling with bureaucratic formalities. Energy verifications, spiritual identification, clearance signatures.
Fortunately, this was her third ti leaving Earth, and the process was far easier than her first. With Ery’s help and the authority of the Earth Faction’s caretaker, she was granted a three-year temporary permit after paying a hefty five million spirit stones in administrative fees.
"I’ll pay you back!" Gwen said brightly.
Ery returned the smile and nodded.
In truth, ten million spirit stones ant little to him now. Yet, allowing Gwen to feel a sense of purpose was important—it would motivate her, give her sothing to work toward.
As the ship rose past the orbit, Ery turned his gaze toward the shrinking blue planet below. A quiet sigh escaped him as he reflected on the decisions he had made before departure.
Morgana’s second cosmos breakthrough had co at the perfect mont. Her power had risen dramatically, but she still needed ti to consolidate her newfound strength. Ery had asked her to remain behind to guard Earth, both for her own recovery and for his peace of mind.
He still didn’t fully trust the Nephilim’s who governed the planet’s defenses. Their ambitions and motives were murky, and with the growing tension of the interstellar war, leaving soone powerful like Morgana to watch over Gaia brought him comfort.
As for the connection to Gaia, it had changed. Most of the spirit energy he had drawn from the planet had been consud during Morgana’s tribulation, leaving the once-mighty flow of life essence faint and fragile. Gaia was weakening. Yet even in her diminished state, her bond remained—steady, rhythmic, alive.
Through it, Ery could still feel the pulse of the planet: the heartbeat of its forests, the whisper of its winds, the slow movents of its tectonic veins. That awareness had granted him deep insight into the nature law itself. It was sothing he could not afford to lose.
Thus, he decided to leave his Light Avatar behind that would keep the connection alive and maintain balance with Gaia in his absence.
To compensate, he created another true body clone, this one modest in power—barely at the early magus realm stage—but designed for endurance, capable of lasting years without decay.
But there was another matter that demanded his attention.
After Morgana’s awakening, changes had begun to manifest within his Khaos hub. The anomaly that had begun after rging the powers of the three gates. The fusion was unstable at first, chaotic beyond reason, but now the results were taking form.
Within his inner domain, a new main gate that lead into the Khaos domain had begun to manifest, the dinsional expanse where the waypoints resided. However, the structure remained incomplete, requiring the combined effort of the three guardians to stabilize it.
A complete Khaos Gate would allow him to move between waypoints once again, hence he decided to make the matter priority and brought all three guardians with him.
As soon as the ship slipped into warp speed, the stars outside stretched into streaks of white light. Ery exhaled softly and made his way back to the captain’s chamber, where silence and faint hums of energy filled the air. It was ti to resu his work.
He closed the door behind him, sat cross-legged before summoned his consciousness inward. A ripple of shadow erged beside him—his dark avatar, arms crossed and expression sour.
"I haven’t even finished refining the painting," the avatar grumbled "And now you want to handle this too?!"
"Yes"
The avatar groaned dramatically. "Huh... I’m so jealous. Light gets to rest, and I’m the one stuck doing all the tedious work!"
"Get to work, no complaining," Ery said dryly.
Despite its protests, the dark avatar obeyed. Bound under Ery’s true soul authority, it had no choice but to carry out his commands. Soon, its shadowy hands moved across the floating matrices, managing two complex tasks simultaneously—continuing the refinent of the soul painting while adjusting the coordinates of the Khaos Gate stabilization array.
Hours passed in the dim cabin, the rhythm of energy pulses steady.
Then, a sudden flicker of light danced across his [Cosmic Relay], a sign of a reestablish contact with Alfa Station.
Given that Alfa was a mobile fortress constantly shifting through spatial routes, contact windows were rare. Ery imdiately activated the relay, unwilling to waste the opportunity.
A familiar holographic form materialized before him—Linneus. For the next few hours, they discussed progress on the Anti-Scourge Project. In return the Arbor master share guidance on his domain developnts.
The rest of the journey passed in this rhythm of labor and learning. Three days later, the Void Wolf erged from warp.
White planet hung against the darkness like a luminous pearl, its rings glittering faintly with energy dust. Centauri was the shining jewel of the Human Alliance’s Alpha Quadrant, and its capital—Sector 13—was among the most advanced cities in the realm.
As the Void Wolf received clearance, the ship descended through the atmosphere. Clouds parted to reveal breathtaking landscapes: endless oceans glimring under twin suns, their brilliance broken by chains of frozen continents and towering crystalline spires.
"Captain, we’ve arrived," reported Varrek.
Ery gave the Void Wolf crew a few pouches of spirit stones and allowed them several days of rest.
anwhile, he returned to his usual concealnt. Ery, Gwen, and Glita moved through Centauri discreetly, hiding his Grand Magus realm auras beneath layers of suppression spells.
While waiting for news from Shinta or Julian, they explored the city. Gwen and Glita both seed captivated by Centauri’s beauty—the gleaming towers, the hovering trams, and the glittering ocean lights that reflected across the skyline.
During his quiet walk, Ery’s steps eventually brought him to a familiar sight: the rlin Apothecary branch of Centauri City. The sight made him sigh.
There were barely any custors inside. Dust clung to the corners of the once-polished counters, and half-empty shelves stood under flickering mana lights. The faint herbal scent that once defined the rlin Apothecary had long faded, replaced by the stagnant air of neglect. The alchemist supposedly on duty was nowhere to be seen only a single clerk sat drowsing behind the counter, startled when Ery entered.
The scene matched the reports he had received from Terra City. During his absence, the rlin Apothecary had been unable to compete with the newer, expanding apothecary chains. Across the four branches, debts had piled up, and each was at risk of closing.
Ery stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable. The failure weighed heavily, but there was no anger in his eyes—only quiet determination.
Now that he had returned, Ery vowed, the rlin Apothecary would rise again—and this ti, it would shine brighter than ever before.
User Comments
0 comments from readers