Ascension of the last Celestial

Heavy, armored footsteps could be heard hitting a luxurious carpet that lay over old but sturdy stone.

The knight wore full silver plate armor, the metal gleaming as if it had been freshly polished. A deep red cape, ornamented with golden accents along the hem, flowed behind him. Engraved on the armor directly above his heart was the symbol of a rising sun. On his right hip rested a silver longsword, featuring the same sun design where the hilt met the blade. As the knight neared his destination, his steps grew faster, more frantic.

After a long walk through the sprawling castle, he finally reached his goal: a massive double door accented with those same regal colors of deep red and gold. Standing guard in front of the gate were two knights. Their armor looked similar to that of the approaching man, though noticeably less prestigious and more uniform. Each held an expensive, beautiful spear that, much like the knight’s sword, had a sun symbol connecting the blade and the shaft. Once the knight drew close enough, the two guards shifted and threw the heavy doors open without a word.

The room revealed behind the grand entrance was a massive, cavernous throne room. Red carpets with matching golden ornaments stretched across the floor, and banners displaying the rising sun motif draped the walls. The entire space screamed wealth and power, but the thing that drew every gaze was the throne at the far end of the grand hall. It was a colossal structure crafted from pure gold, embedded with countless glittering jewels. The throne possessed a backrest so towering that it nearly reached the ceiling of the massive hall.

As the knight entered, his steps slowed, turning disciplined rather than leisurely. Stopping a few meters away from the throne, he dropped down onto one knee and placed his right fist over the rising sun symbol on his chest. Removing his helmet, he revealed the handsome face of a young man in his late twenties with blond hair and dark eyes. He remained silent in that posture for a few minutes until the side doors of the throne room opened and a man stepped inside.

This man possessed a tall, powerful build that still managed to look lean. He wore a regal golden robe sewn with deep red gems. Expensive rings decorated two fingers on each hand, the ring and middle fingers, with the right ring finger bearing a massive diamond that somehow managed to look even more extravagant than the rest. His golden-blond hair was neatly trimmed just above the ears, and his piercing blue eyes looked as though they could see through any lie or secret. His face was that of a handsome man in his mid-thirties, though his true age was nowhere near that young. Upon his head rested a heavy golden crown, ornamented with all kinds of jewels that shimmered under the candlelight hanging from the luxurious chandelier.

While the king walked toward his throne, the kneeling knight didn’t dare speak until he was addressed. Slight beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. Reaching his massive throne, the king looked at it for a brief moment before settling into the seat. Only then did he speak.

"Speak. What important news do you bring?"

His deep, resonant voice echoed through the empty hall. The knight took a second to clear his throat before beginning.

"Two days ago, unusual mana fluctuations were picked up at the southern border of the Voidwoods. The report from the detection unit described it as a massive amount of mana getting violently sucked into a single point, before concentrating and fading out. Afterward, an immense amount of mana was released during what seemed like a battle between high-ranking individuals. Ever since then, the mana around that specific area has been acting strange."

Narrowing his eyes, the king interrupted. "What do you mean by ’strange’?"

Swallowing hard, the knight took a deep breath. "The mana in that area has been raging wildly, like a constant, localized mana storm. When our detection mages tried to sense what was happening inside, they described the mana as ’crying’ and thrashing out in pure ’rage’."

A puzzled look appeared on the king’s face.

’Crying and rage? I read a theory long ago that mana could be sentient, possessing its own will. But back then, there was no way to prove it, so the scientist was cast out. I believe he died eighty years ago.’

Contemplating how to handle the situation, the throne room fell into a heavy silence. The king remained lost in his thoughts while the knight waited patiently.

"I have decided," the king finally announced. "Sir Leonidas, you will take a squad of your knights and personally investigate. I leave full discretion to you on how to handle the situation, but if it is possible, I want you to bring back whatever, or whoever, is causing this phenomenon."

Receiving his orders, Sir Leonidas struck his armor twice over the sun symbol with his right hand, a firm confirmation and a pledge to the crown. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

"Good. You are dismissed. I want you to utilize the teleportation gate immediately."

Standing up, Sir Leonidas turned and left the throne room. Once the heavy doors closed behind him, he immediately addressed a nearby maid. "Notify Squad Five to assemble at the teleportation gate at once."

Startled by the knight suddenly speaking to her, the maid froze for a fraction of a second, but she quickly gathered her wits, nodded, and sprinted off. With heavy, deliberate steps, Sir Leonidas made his way down toward the teleportation gates located in the lower levels of the castle. His mind whirled with the details of the mission assigned to him by his king.

’Just what kind of entity or person can cause such a phenomenon? Making mana feel? I never thought such a thing was even possible.’

Soon, he reached the teleportation chamber. The soft, bluish light of opening rifts in space illuminated the stone room. The air was thick and heavy with the scent of spatial mana radiating from the thresholds. These gates weren’t actively conjured by a space mage; they were magical constructs powered by intricate runes etched into the stone slabs of each portal platform. One simply had to input the destination coordinates and supply the array with enough mana. The mana itself was never an issue, as massive mana batteries were attached to every single slab.

When Sir Leonidas reached the platform, his squad was already waiting. Six heavily armored knights stood alongside one of the overseers responsible for operating the gates. The overseer wore a simple blue robe with golden accents, the standard uniform for the spatial technicians. As he stepped onto the platform, the knights and the overseer snapped to attention, placing their fists over their hearts in a crisp salute.

"Sir Leonidas," the overseer began to explain, "we won’t be able to drop you directly at the coordinates. The mana in that area is far too chaotic for a spatial gate to stabilize. However, we can send you just outside the perimeter of the phenomenon."

Sir Leonidas offered a tight nod. "That’s fine. Open the portal."

The overseer walked over to a small stone pillar engraved with dense runes. Closing his eyes, he channeled his mana into the catalyst. Immediately, a massive surge of energy was drawn from the nearby battery. A swirling rift in space tore open on the platform, its outer edges a deep, pulsing blue while the center remained a void of absolute black. No one could see what lay on the other side. Without a shred of hesitation, Sir Leonidas and his squad marched through the portal.

They stepped through the threshold, instantly arriving in the dense foliage of a forest. After shaking off the brief disorientation of spatial transit, Sir Leonidas’s eyes locked onto the anomaly that had caused the detection unit to panic. It was a massive, mathematically perfect sphere with a stark, solid edge. It burned with a deep purple hue, looking like a mixture of cosmic fire and localized tears in space marking the outer layer.

Taking a deep breath, Sir Leonidas walked toward the massive globe. He extended a hand cautiously, pressing his palm against the energy wall. To his surprise, his hand slipped straight through without resistance.

"Okay, we move as one," he commanded, turning to his men. "Whatever happens, do not get separated inside that thing."

"Sir, yes, sir!" the six knights answered in unison.

Together, the group crossed into the globe. Once inside, a beautiful yet terrifying landscape unfolded before them. Patches of deep purple fire burned stubbornly on the blackened ground, devouring the trees, and even floating suspended in the thin air. All the while, jagged rifts scarred the surroundings. These spatial cracks looked like windows leading into the deepest corners of the cosmos, with distant stars peering back at them through the tears.

"Move forward!"

Leading from the front, Sir Leonidas guided his squad through the abnormal landscape of burning fire and ripped space. The closer they drew to the center, the more intense the flames and spatial fractures became, until they finally reached the edge of a cataclysmic crater. It looked as though a massive bomb had detonated, violently carving away the very earth. Down at the bottom of the crater, Sir Leonidas spotted a small, solitary figure kneeling in the mud.

"I’m moving closer. Stand guard and notify me if anything changes," he ordered.

Without waiting for a response, he leaped down into the pit. As he neared the ground, he attempted to push mana from his core to conjure a small gust of wind to cushion his landing. However, the moment the mana left his body, it was instantly scattered into nothingness by the oppressive atmosphere. Surprised but unbothered, Sir Leonidas simply absorbed the impact with his bare body. He stood up casually; for a warrior of his rank, a fall of this height was trivial.

As he approached the figure at the center of the destruction—undoubtedly the source of the cataclysm—more details came into view. It was the tiny body of a young boy, looking no older than five years old. His back was turned, and his head hung incredibly low. Sir Leonidas couldn’t see much more than a mop of pure white hair heavily stained with patches of dried blood.

"Hey, kid. What happened here?"

Hearing the knight’s voice, the child didn’t startle. He simply shifted his head, turning to look back over his shoulder. As his face came into view, the boy’s unique features were finally revealed: a pair of small, onyx-black horns protruding from his white hair, and vertical, purple, slitted eyes that looked absolutely cold and dead inside.

Seeing the boy’s gaze, Sir Leonidas sharply sucked in a breath.

’What is this? Why am I feeling afraid of a small child? And those horns... Is he a demi-human? Or perhaps a child of the dragons? That can wait for later. First, I must fulfill the king’s orders and bring him to the palace.’

Sir Leonidas extended his hand, palm facing upward in a gentle gesture.

"Do you want to come with me?"