Ascension of the last Celestial

Soft. Way too soft.

That was exactly how Valerian felt right now. He was lying on a bed that was way too big and way too soft. Red velvet sheets stretched out beneath him, and the mattress—which could easily fit a dozen of him lying side by side, contoured gently under his small weight.

The room he had been given was no less massive or luxurious than the bed. Expensive-looking paintings adorned the walls, and off to the side, a door led to a private bathroom that was larger than his entire room back at the orphanage. It featured a massive tub embedded directly into the floor, a grand walk-in shower, and even a toilet that looked far too expensive for its purpose.

Staring blankly at the high ceiling, his thoughts drifted back to a few hours prior, to the exact moment the knight had extended his hand.

A few hours ago, deep within the smoldering crater...

"Do you want to come with me?"

Looking up at the knight’s outstretched palm, Valerian remained silent for a few agonizing seconds. Just when Sir Leonidas began to think the boy wouldn’t answer, a small voice cracked through the silence.

"Where?"

Surprised by the sudden question, Leonidas reached up and removed his helmet, realizing that a giant, fully armored knight could be terrifying to a child. "To my king, Helias Solaria, the ruler of these lands. He sent me to investigate this... phenomenon." The knight gestured around them toward the bizarre globe of purple fire and the jagged cracks scarring the fabric of space.

’The king?’ Valerian thought.

"Why should I come with you?"

"Something tragic happened here, and we simply want to find out what," Leonidas replied gently. "You are not in trouble, I promise you. My king is a very kind man."

Reminded of the horrific slaughter that had just occurred, a wave of pure, unfiltered anger and grief surged through Valerian’s veins. Resonating violently with his erratic emotions, the already chaotic mana in the air flared out of control, causing even the stabilized mana core inside Sir Leonidas to tremble in fear.

"Please, calm down," the knight urged, his voice tight. "We will help you. We will sort this out together."

’It’s not like I have anywhere else to go... or anyone left.’

As the cold, suffocating thought of total loneliness crept into his mind, the raging mana suddenly ceased its thrashing, calming down in an instant.

"Okay. I will go with you."

Like the decree of a supreme ruler, the ambient mana obeyed his decision. The massive, chaotic globe of purple fire and spatial tears dissolved into nothingness, returning the forest to a state of eerie normalcy.

Heaving a massive sigh of relief, Sir Leonidas stepped closer to the boy. "What is your name, son?"

Remaining silent for a brief moment, Valerian internally summoned his status screen. His eyes locked onto the first line.

[Name: Valerian von Astrea]

’Von Astrea...’ A name he had likely inherited from his biological parents. ’Maybe they are still out there somewhere.’

"Valerian von Astrea," he answered aloud.

’Von Astrea?’ the knight wondered internally, his brow furrowing beneath his blond hair. ’I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that house before. Is he a fallen noble?’ Deciding that now was not the time to ponder lineage, he focused on fulfilling his monarch’s commands.

"Nice to meet you, Valerian. My name is Leonidas."

Valerian offered nothing but a hollow nod.

Together, they walked to the sheer edge of the crater. Instead of making the boy climb the steep, muddy incline, Leonidas, now able to freely command his magic again, conjured a gentle gust of localized air beneath their feet, effortlessly levitating them back to the surface.

Once they topped the ridge, Leonidas’s squad finally laid eyes on the catalyst of the cataclysm. To describe their absolute shock upon seeing that a tiny, white-haired boy with black horns had caused a city-level magical anomaly would be a massive understatement.

"Is... is he the one who caused this?" "But he looks so young..." "He’s even younger than my own son..."

Ignoring his men’s hushed murmurs, Sir Leonidas reached into a concealed pocket beneath his chest plate and pulled out a rectangular piece of polished metal, no larger than a deck of cards. Intricate, glowing runes were deeply engraved across its surface.

"We are leaving. Our mission is complete."

Leonidas imbued his raw mana into the artifact, causing the runes to flare with a brilliant light. A fraction of a second later, a swirling spatial portal tore open out of thin air directly in front of them. Being in such close proximity to a literal rift in space, Valerian could feel his innate Space Affinity hum in deep, primal recognition. The knights didn’t waste a single moment and marched through the threshold. Following closely behind, Valerian stepped into the void.

’Hmmm... this actually feels kind of good.’

Stepping through the teleportation gate left Valerian with a warm, profoundly comfortable sensation—as if traversing the infinite layers of space was something his very anatomy had been engineered to do.

Arriving at their destination, the knights immediately paused, taking a heavy second to shake off the standard, disorienting nausea of spatial travel. Sir Leonidas looked down to see how the child was handling the transition, fully expecting him to at least vomit or collapse. To his utter astonishment, the boy wasn’t shaken in the slightest. If anything, a small, serene smile played on his lips.

’He’s completely fine?!’

As Leonidas glanced around the stone chamber, his eyes widened further. All the other dormant teleportation gates anchored in the room were suddenly glowing, pulsing with a significantly brighter, purer light than before. Naturally, this anomaly did not escape the notice of the robed spatial overseers.

"What in the world is happening?!" one technician yelled, frantically checking the runes. "Why are the gates requiring less mana to stabilize?!"

Knowing instinctively that this bizarre phenomenon was tied to the horned boy standing right beside him, Sir Leonidas decided to exit the chamber immediately. "I will escort him to the king personally. You are all dismissed."

Dismissing his squad, who performed a crisp fist-to-the-heart salute, Sir Leonidas made his way through the palace corridors with Valerian in tow. The walk to the throne room passed in absolute silence, broken only by the heavy, rhythmic clicking of the knight’s plated boots and the frantic whispers of passing maids and guards who stared in shock at Sir Leonidas walking alongside a horned child.

Once they reached the grand red-and-gold doors, the vanguard guards threw them open. Stepping inside, Sir Leonidas marched to his previous position a few meters in front of the colossal golden throne and dropped down onto one knee, fist resting over his heart. Valerian simply stepped up beside him. He didn’t take a knee, nor did he bow. He just stood there, waiting.

Before the knight could hiss at him to show proper respect, the heavy side doors swung open. The king strode in, taking his majestic walk toward the throne. But this time, someone else walked exactly one step behind him.

It was a man with stark, pointed ears and short, jet-black hair. His eyes were a terrifying pitch-black, appearing to actively suck in the surrounding candlelight like a living void. Though he possessed the youthful vigor of a man in his prime, his aura suggested someone in his early fifties. He wore a flawlessly tailored, pristine black-and-white butler uniform.

On his ascent to the throne, King Helias Solaria observed the kneeling knight and the white-haired, black-horned boy standing defiantly beside him. The king took his seat upon the golden throne, while the elven butler stood completely motionless, hands folded impeccably behind his back to the monarch’s right. Only when he settled into his seat did the king speak.

"Sir Leonidas, it appears you have brought a guest. Explain."

Gathering his thoughts, the knight began to systematically recount the horrific events that had led to him standing here with Valerian. While Leonidas was explaining the mission, Valerian suddenly felt an intense, suffocating gaze locking onto him. It felt as though his very soul was being dissected, every secret stripped bare. Turning his head toward the source of the pressure, his purple eyes slammed into the void-like irises of the elven butler.

’What is his problem?’ Valerian thought, a flash of irritation piercing through his exhaustion.

But the moment he locked eyes with the elf, the butler’s eyes widened by a fraction of a millimeter. The subtle break in the servant’s perfect composure didn’t escape the king’s notice, though Helias decided to address it later, continuing to listen to the knight’s report.

"So... he is the sole cause of all this," the king murmured.

A profound, dangerous interest sparked within the king’s ocean-blue eyes. Gently, he extended a thread of his own S-rank mana to subtly scan the boy’s body. What his senses reported back confirmed his darkest suspicions, but it was no less breathtaking.

’He already possesses a condensed mana core at five years old...’ the king realized, his breath catching. ’And the ambient mana... I felt it the moment I walked in. Instead of flowing naturally through the room, it actively gathers around him, weeping with joy just to be near his presence. I cannot let an anomaly like this slip through my fingers.’

"Sir Leonidas, you have executed your duties flawlessly," the king commanded aloud. "Inform the head maids to provide this boy with a thorough bath, fresh attire, and quarters in the royal guest wing. Afterward, he shall meet me privately in my personal chambers."

The king then shifted his piercing gaze directly to the child. "And Valerian... I am truly happy to welcome you to my kingdom."

Afterward, everything moved like an absolute blur.

Valerian was whisked away by a small army of maids, who seemingly had the time of their lives giggling, splashing water, and carefully weaving small, intricate braids into his snow-white hair. They treated him less like a dangerous monster and more like a precious doll. He was eventually dressed in clothes that fit so perfectly they felt custom-made, a set of loose, comfortable noble garments crafted from heavy black fabric and accented with elegant golden embroidery.

Now, lying atop the massive velvet bed in his sprawling guest quarters, Valerian stared at the grand door, mentally preparing himself to face the ruler of the lands. Not long after, a crisp knock echoed from the heavy door.

"Come in!"

Hearing his response, the door swung open, and the elven butler from earlier stepped into the room, pausing just past the threshold.

"Young Master Valerian, are you ready to meet the king?"

’Young Master?’ Valerian thought, his brow twitching slightly. ’What is he talking about?’ Aloud, he kept his voice steady. "Yes, I am."

Nodding at the response, the butler turned around and led the way toward the king’s private chambers, with Valerian following closely behind. After a walk that felt far too long within the oversized, sprawling castle, they finally reached a heavy wooden door. Etched directly into the center was the symbol of a rising sun, crafted from shimmering gold. Knocking twice, the butler spoke clearly toward the wood.

"Your Majesty, Young Master Valerian has arrived."

"Let him in."

The king’s deep, resonant voice echoed from the other side, and the butler smoothly pushed the door open, gesturing for Valerian to enter his private sanctuary.

Contrary to Valerian’s expectations, the room itself wasn’t overwhelmingly grand or dripping with excessive luxury. Instead, the layout focused heavily on minimalism. A large, polished wooden desk stood at the far end of the room with a plush chair placed directly in front of it. Various smaller decorations accented the sides of the office, but one object instantly caught Valerian’s eye: a large globe of the planet.

It was a brilliant blue sphere covered in large patches of deep green, but one particular section drew his gaze like a magnet, a massive, pitch-black territory that loomed larger than all the other landmasses combined. Remembering the old, tattered geography books he had read back at the orphanage, the name of the place flashed across his mind.

The Nightmare Lands. A treacherous, cursed region where even the most powerful entities wouldn’t dare trespass without extensive preparation.

His focus, however, was quickly pulled away from the globe by the undeniable presence of the king. Helias had shed his heavy golden crown and ornate ceremonial robes, opting instead for a simpler, far more comfortable tunic. His piercing blue gaze locked onto Valerian’s purple eyes, neither of them looking away.

"Please, sit," the king said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk.

The seat, however, was obviously engineered for an adult, meaning any ordinary five-year-old child would have struggled immensely to even climb into it. But Valerian didn’t hesitate. Channeling his raw mana control, he casually conjured a small set of solid, translucent steps out of thin air, using them to walk directly up into the chair.

That single, casual display of magic caused a flash of profound interest to ignite deep within the king’s eyes.

After making himself comfortable, Valerian turned his full attention to the monarch. For a long moment, they simply stared into each other’s eyes, a silent battle of wills playing out between a king and a child. Finally, a genuine smile broke across Helias’s face, and he let out a soft, amused chuckle, a complete and stark contrast to the unyielding, stern ruler he had portrayed in the grand throne room.

"Haha... You really are something else, Valerian," the king said, his tone softening dramatically. "You probably don’t even realize just how truly special you are."

Falling silent for a brief second, the king leaned forward, resting his hands on the desk as he looked at the white-haired boy with a gentle smile.

"What would you say if I told you I am going to adopt you?"