Inside their D-class ship, Kaito, Valentina, and Rikona gathered in the central common area.
"Hey, round-ear! Why'd you let that purple punk talk to you like that, huh? Why didn't you beat his ass? I saw what you did to all those examinees, he wouldn't have stood a chance!" Valentina demanded, her arms crossed and an eyebrow slightly twitching as she glared at Kaito.
Kaito stood there quietly for a moment staring down to the metal floor, seemingly contemplating her words. He exhaled softly before lifting his head to look at her.
"Yeah, I was angry, but... what good would reacting like that have done? If I'd lashed out… let those bottled-up feelings control me, I'd become exactly the kind of person I despise most…"
Valentina stared at him with a blank face as if she didn't understand a word that came out of his mouth, before suddenly exploding.
"Oh, come on! That's the biggest load of yarkle-shit I've ever heard in my damn life!" She shouted passionately.
Kaito blinked, completely blindsided by her outburst.
"Eh…?"
"Listen her round-ear, fuck that being a better person crap. If anyone disrespect you or your family, they obviously got something wrong with them in the head, so take those bottled-up emotions and smash 'em straight across their heads! That's how you fix it and deal with disrespect!" Valentina ranted on, eyes blazing before grabbing by the jacket and pulling him off his feet, legs sliding across the center console that was between them like he was her little play thing until their faces were inches from each other.
"Your feelings and emotions are valid and so are your fucking hands, you hear me!?" She yelled before tossing him back.
"Ehhhh…?" Kaito aired out again, completely dumbfounded.
She turned around and stormed off towards Rikona at the main piloting area, grumbling furiously under her breath. Kaito watched her go with a mix of terror and fascination.
"Wh–What was that about? Did something I say set her off? She seems more pissed off than me, like he was talking to her, not me…"
His contemplation was abruptly interrupted by a strange, muffled sound from behind a nearby utility door. Kaito tensed up, on guard before shooting a glance toward Valentina and Rikona, who had both turned to the noise as well. He nodded without saying a word, before cautiously approaching the door. He reached the door, hand hovered over the button before pressing it.
The door hissed open, revealing a sight that instantly seared itself into his retinas for the rest of his life.
A light teal lanky alien man with a bright purple pompadour was tangled in countless ship wires in nothing but his white underwear, seemingly getting busy in the ship's insides.
Kaito froze in absolute horror.
Valentina leaped to cover Rikona's eyes.
"Zeek, you lanky idiot! Where have you been and what in the cosmos are you doing to the ship?!"
Zeek frantically scrambled to untangle himself from the wires.
"H-hey! What good? I—I was just doing some pre-flight checks before we took off that's all Val!"
Valentina's expression twisted into pure disgust.
"In your damn drawers?"
Zeek laughed awkwardly, finally managing to get out of the ship's guts.
"Look, it's a long story…"
He stood upright ready to apologize, but instantly halted, noticing Kaito's round ears.
"Wait a sec… your ears aren't pointy—"
Valentina rolled her eyes.
"I guess you can see with those shades on after all... Our teammate here isn't an elf—he's a human."
Zeek's neon-blue eyes went wide, pupils practically dilating in shock, mirroring Kaito's traumatized state, jaw dropping, frozen in awe.
Valentina sighed.
"Oh, fantastic. Now they're both broken…" She muttered before looking down to Rikona.
"Cover your own eyes for a second okay genius?"
Several minutes later, all four sat around a table in the common area. Rikona stretched from her seat next to Kaito, patting him gently on the head, helping him recover from his shock-induced paralysis.
Valentina gestured annoyedly toward Zeek.
"Hey round-ear, this walking embarrassment is Zeek, our third teammate and pilot. Believe it or not, his people are heavily—"
But she was cut off immediately as Zeek leaned aggressively forward.
"50 Cent or Ja Rule?" He asked, tone dead serious as if the faith of the galaxy rested on the answer.
Kaito stared at him blankly for a moment before a subtle smirk slowly crept its way up his face.
"What's half of a dollar?"
They stared each other down in silence for just a second, before the both of them burst into uncontrollable laughter simultaneously, slamming their fists against the table. Rikona and Valentina exchanged embarrassed and confused glances.
"Dude! How do you even know about stuff like that?" Kaito asked eagerly, his eyes brightening.
Zeek leaned back, his pompadour bobbing.
"My world, Quasa, is in the same star system as Val and Kona's homeworlds. My people are huge fans of human culture—my continent specifically is obsessed with stuff from a place called the USA!"
Kaito's eyes practically glowed with excitement.
"No freaking way! My dad was actually from the USA!"
Zeek nearly fell off his chair, eyes sparkling brightly as he leaned over the table excitedly.
"Wait, wait, wait—do you know about… what's his name… Oh! LeBron—LeBron James? Or… or… WWE!? The reds of my world were obsessed with human wrestling!"
"Yeah! I know all about that stuff! I actual fought a red guy who was into wrest—"
A sudden thought struck him mid-sentence.
"Wait a minute…" He mumbled quietly.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Loud beeps from their wristbands interrupted his thoughts followed by Astra's calm voice.
"Ascendants, the second phase of the Cosmic Death Relay begins in two minutes. Prepare yourselves, and may your essences shine brightly."
Valentina pushed back from the table, standing up.
"Alright, you two human-loving freaks can reach around each other and gawk over Lebron another time. Right now, we've got a race to win and a head guardian to beat."
She turned and walked towards the piloting area.
"Hey kid, you're that same human from the Grand Sirius Tournament, aren't ya?" Zeek asks as he lowered his sunglasses just enough to see him over the rims.
Kaito chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head.
"Hehe… uhhh yeah that's me alright. You actually saw that too?"
Zeek's pompadour bobbed like crazy as he nodded.
"Saw it? Man, the whole Milky Way and all of the neighboring galaxies saw it! You're THE hottest newest star in this corner of the known universe right now kid! Everybody and their momma is trying to get a peek at you."
Rikona eagerly leaned slightly forward across the table with eyes sparkling as brightly as Zeek's.
"That's right! That's where I saw your face from! Wait, that means… you're part of that famous core race elf captain's crew too, aren't you? The one everyone talks about, Elara the Destroyer?"
Kaito nodded slowly, surprised by Rikona's sudden enthusiasm.
"Yeah… That's my captain."
Rikona's small pointed ears fluttered slightly as her lavender eyes widened with admiration, visibly starstruck by his confirmation.
"Wow… guess the captain really does have fans everywhere among star travelers. I never expected Rikona of all people to admire that monster of a woman. Hehehe, still… that's pretty amazing. The captain's actions and words are so potent that it's felt across the entire known universe without her even trying… I honestly can't blame Riri for fangirling so hard, the captain's so damn cool."
Valentina, overhearing their conversation from the cockpit, shouted back.
"Hold on round-ear! How in the stars did someone like you manage to join up with a legendary elf captain like Elara? She's one of the most famous elves born in the past ten thousand cycles… well maybe second only to the current elder of the core elf races."
Kaito perked up instantly.
"Wait—'Elder of the core elf races'? I've never heard about that before…" He thought to himself, before replying out loud.
"I met the captain back on Thaloria, a planet not too far from Earth actually, in the Sirius star system. After we talked, she gave me a chance to join the crew, but only if I competed in the tournament. Now, we're on our way to a place called Starfall City for upgrades to our ship."
Zeek nearly leapt from his chair.
"Starfall City!? You mean Starfall City, Starfall City!? The one in the Kheris System!?"
Kaito hesitated for a moment, slightly confused by his reaction.
"Uhhhh… yeah, I think that's the one."
Zeek circled the table to sit right beside him and threw an arm around his shoulder, dramatically gesturing toward an imaginary cityscape in front of them.
"My brother… Starfall City is legendary! The ultimate party city in the galaxy! Every star traveler who comes to the Milky Way has to pass through there. It's mandatory. It's THE place to relax, pick up the hottest tech, and… ya know…" He pulled his sunglasses down slightly, winking and nudging Kaito's ribs playfully.
"Uh, yeah… I think I get your drift."
"Hahahaha! No joke though kid, it's one of the biggest cities in the Milky way—over 2.4 billion citizens. Zarakians, Zelurians, tons of elf races, and everyone else from across the universe gather there. It's the galaxy's melting pot."
Rikona scooted over to Kaito's other side, pressing her body against his, leaving him no room for personal space.
"It's not just a party city, either! Starfall City is a technological marvel! It's the galaxy's premier tech hub… no, it's the top tech hub in every galaxy within twenty-four million light-years! Even my backpack was modeled after one of their most legendary engineers called J-Boom. I heard your captain and J-Boom actually know each other!" She said eagerly with uncharacteristic confidence and excitement. "
Kaito's eyes widened.
"Wait—really? I had no clue Starfall's tech was that advanced…Your backpack's insane! Without you and your gadgets, I seriously would've been toast by now."
He gave her a warm, appreciative smile as he reached over, softly patting the top of her head.
"Thanks again, Riri. You're freaking amazing, you know that?"
In an instant, Rikona's pale skin across her entire body shot red, her short pointed ears perked up stiff. She stumbled backwards out of the chair before clumsily standing on her feet, stuttering like a lawnmower out of gas.
"Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th-thank you, K-Kaito! I-I-I-I… umm… gotta go help Valentina!"
She turned and bolted to the cockpit.
Kaito's hand hovered awkwardly in the same place her head was a second ago, confusion all over his face.
"Uhhhh… did I… did I say something wrong?"
Zeek slapped him on the back, chuckling and shaking his head.
"Those were some smooth words kid. I'm going to have to take lessons from you one day to up my game! Hahahahahahaha!"
Meanwhile, aboard another rusted D-class starship, Sylas towered calmly over a short timid alien examinee with vivid orange fur and a nervous twitch in his three wide green eyes.
"You, tiny one. You're our pilot." He declared bluntly.
"M–me?!" The alien squeaked anxiously, trembling so much he practically vibrated.
"B-but… I barely have experience flying a real starship! The only training I've done is with VR simulators back on my homeworld!"
But Sylas already turned towards Nara and Finn as if the poor little guy hadn't spoken at all.
"Sylas, about earlier… what exactly was that move you used back there? You barely moved an inch, yet you were able to put down a bunch of other examinees at once." Finn asked.
Sylas turned to him with a subtle smirk.
"Oh, that? It wasn't an ability at all my elven comrade. That was purely my essence and willpower."
Finn's head tilted to the side, repeating slowly.
"Essence and… willpower?"
Nara sighed.
"He's talking about Dominus Presence." She said bluntly, a very subtle annoyance in her tone.
Finn glanced over at her with a confused look.
"Dominus presence? I never heard of it..."
Nara crossed her arms.
"It's not an ordinary skill or ability. Dominus presence is purely an expression of one's essence and the strength of their spirit. The captain said it's basically the pressure of your essence made tangible. If the gap between you and your opponent is large enough, it can immobilize them, make them feel intense fear, or even cause physical harm."
Sylas chuckled lightly, genuine admiration in his eyes.
"I should've known a student of the great Elara would know of presence."
Nara scoffed.
"Huhh? She's one of the strongest star travelers in the known universe! Did you seriously expect her not to know something that basic?"
Her gaze slowly drifted to Finn, scanning him from head to toe.
"I never knew you had a fire affinity. And those other moves you used… Hpmh. Maybe that training you and that goofball Kaito had with the creepy shadow-woman wasn't just for show after all. I guess I won't have to carry your beat up body back to the ship after the exams after all…" She said calmly, her eyes locking onto his.
Finn matched her gaze without a word, their silent stare-down seemingly lasting hours within the few seconds.
Sylas watched them silently for a moment, tilting his head curiously.
"Are you two dating?"
They both instantly erupted into hysteria, their faces flushed red as they turned toward him simultaneously.
"N-no way! Not in this universe!" Finn shouted, waving his hands wildly.
"I'd rather eat literal yarkle shit before something that ridiculous ever happens!" Nara yelled, turning redder by the second.
The two paused, turning towards another simultaneously, exchanging shocked and irritated looks.
"You'd be lucky if someone even remotely considered dating you! You act more like a guy than Kaito, Rorik, and me. Are you even an actual girl?!?" Finn barked, his green essence subtly flowing around him.
"Oh, please! I know that's not coming from you!? Maybe it seems like that because you're the one acting more like a girl, you short brat!" Nara spat out, walking over and getting all into his face, their chests pressed against each other as her red-orange essence merged with his.
Finn didn't move an inch though. He wanted all the smoke and then some.
"Who are you calling short…?" Finn muttered, his eyes narrowing.
BEEP BEEP!
Before their fiery fiasco could continue, the beep of their wristbands abruptly interrupted. Astra's voice cut through their quarrel, instantly grabbing everyone's attention.
"Ascendants, you have thirty seconds until the second phase of the cosmic death relay commences. Once your team retrieves its designated flag from the moon base, you'll be tasked with navigating through the final checkpoint. Afterward, the cosmic well's coordinates will be transmitted directly once your flag is secured within your ship. Prepare yourselves well, ascendants."
As her voice faded, a digital timer appeared above their wrists, counting down from thirty seconds.
Sylas clapped his hands.
"Alright, love birds and my little orange friend—take your assigned stations and get ready to move."
As everyone left toward their positions, Sylas gently grabbed Nara's arm.
"Nara, hold on a moment."
She turned to him.
"What?"
Sylas held out a small mechanical cube, faintly glowing with a cyan light.
"After the exams, give this to Elara. I need to speak with her."
Nara eyed the cube suspiciously, not even reaching for it.
"What exactly do you need to talk to the captain about and what is that?"
Sylas hesitated slightly, an unusual vulnerability flickering through his normally confident eyes.
"It concerns recent events involving the elf races—specifically, the elders and the leaders of the core elf races. Strange incidents and disappearances have been happening lately across each of our races, causing… significant turmoil. Elara might hold answers or at least more information about what's truly happening. It's critical I speak with her, if possible. Please."
Nara paused, conflicted for a moment as she studied his face. His usual confident and composed demeanor now appeared unusually anxious along with a genuine concern clear in his eyes. She didn't know the clear details, but based on that and it dealing with elves of the same race as Elara, she knew whatever it was had to be told to her at least. With a reluctant sigh, she finally took the cube from his hand.
"Fine, I'll pass it on to her. But I swear, if you try anything funny or suspicious, I'll burn you to a crisp myself." She stated firmly, her stern eyes locked onto his.
Sylas nodded.
"Understood."
Seconds later, everyone had settled at their designated stations. The ship's engines roared to life, shaking the entire rusted ship. Sylas stood at the center of the ship's bridge, eyes set on the timer as the countdown entered its final seconds.
Above the planet in the licensing station, Astra in front the massive wall of monitors, each capturing a different starship preparing for the race. A subtle smirk crept up her smooth porcelain face.
"Let us see who among you truly shines brightest in the darkness of space…"
The countdown hit zero.
"Let the Cosmic Death Relay begin!"