The Celestium refers to both the Pantheon of Gods and the solar system of worlds they govern. Seven planets revolve around a single sun; each planet serves as the domain of a different deity, and each deity has shaped their planet in their image.
Throughout his life, Kamoshami, the God of Benevolent Dominion, governed Hogar, the second planet from the sun. This planet is known for its vast farmlands and closely-knit rural communities, where enduring traditions and diligent labor flourished under his compassionate rule. Currently, his widow, Tokimi, has taken on the responsibility of leading for the past sixteen years.
Shinjin, the God of Willpower, rules over Solaris, the third planet from the sun. This harsh, rocky, and desolate world is a place where only the strong of heart and spirit can endure. It was here that, sixteen years ago, cosmic forces brought forth both a mysterious child and a new tree of life. Naroki, Sumitsu, and Goji hail from this place, each raised by Jitsuno, the Sage.
Shinishin, the Goddess of Life and Death, reigns over Vechnost, the planet closest to the sun. Vechnost embodies her duality; as it orbits the sun in tidally locked rotation, one half experiences perpetual day while the other half remains in constant night. Near-immortal beings inhabit both sides: elves and dragons on the Light Side thrive in unending daylight, while vampires, werewolves, and demons on the Dark Side flourish in eternal darkness.
High above the intriguing world of Vechnost, a single starliner entered orbit. Starliners are among the many modes of transport used by people to journey to various planets across the Celestium. Each planet's patron deity grants special powers to chosen mortals called Templars, who use these gifts to serve others through miracles. Occasionally, Templars from the Seven Worlds unite to participate in the Tournament of Templars.
Among the starliner's spacious accommodations were two Templars: a pair of young adults who had never traveled off-world before.
Naroki, a sixteen-year-old with striking blood-red hair, sat at a table, absorbed in reading about the Tournament of Templars. He was eager to learn everything he could, as it was the reason for their journey. Now a Templar, he was finally old enough to compete—a dream he had nurtured ever since his mentor, Jitsuno, spoke of it.
The Tournament of Templars takes place every four years, with competitors from all seven planets engaging in a martial arts contest to crown a champion. It is always hosted on Vechnost, at the Coliseum of Templars.
Goji, another sixteen-year-old, distinguished by his fiery orange hair and infectious smile, stood gazing out the porthole at the planet below. As a fellow Templar eager to compete, he preferred experiencing everything firsthand instead of burying himself in books.
"So this is the planet that doesn't turn?" Goji inquired, mesmerized by the view.
"No, Goji," Naroki replied without lifting his gaze from his book. "Vechnost is tidally locked—it spins at the same rate it orbits, so one side always faces the sun. That's why there's permanent day and night."
Meanwhile, Sumitsu, an elegant sixteen-year-old with long hair the color of sunbeams, supervised the packing of their belongings by the starliner's attendants. The journey from Solaris had spanned many weeks, and they were preparing to disembark soon. Unlike the others, she was not competing. Not a Templar, she was an Avatar.
Templars are mortals who dedicate their lives to serving their patron deity, while Avatars are divine beings representing their deity's will in the mortal realm. It is common for Templars to be physically close to the Avatar they serve.
While many Avatars resemble divine beings like seraphim or other angelic figures, Sumitsu is an Avatar bound to a mortal form. Other Avatars have the divine ability to traverse planets and planes of existence effortlessly. However, following her father, Shinjin, the God of Willpower, Sumitsu is destined to travel like mortals do.
The luxury of the starliner still amazed Goji after all these weeks. He remembered the first time he had seen the endless buffet tables laden with food from seven worlds. The monastery had fed them well enough, but their meals were simple: rice, vegetables grown in terraced gardens carved from the mountainside, and the occasional fish from the streams. Here, exotic fruits burst with flavors he couldn't name, and delicacies he had only heard about in stories sat casually beside everyday fare. The memory triggered another, sharper recollection of home. It felt like yesterday, though it had been years ago now…
The clack-clack of wooden staves striking each other echoed through the monastery's courtyard. Two boys, both ten years old, were sparring. The stances they took and the forms they adhered to attested to the years of practice they had undergone to reach this point. Still, their youthful behavior indicated the journey ahead to attain true mastery. The boys had the familiar fiery hair common in their region.
Naroki's long red hair, held back in a loose ponytail, trailed behind him as he ducked below a swing from his opponent. He laughed out loud, followed by a spirited "ya!" with his next strike, a wide diagonal swing aimed at the other boy's left shoulder.
Goji's bright orange hair was cut short, as its tendency to curl made managing it quite the chore. He grinned wildly as he countered Naroki's strike, using his stave to guide Naroki's over his head and down to the ground next to his right foot. He then put his foot on the end of Naroki's stave, pushing the tip further into the sand and pinning it there while he went in for a controlled strike at Naroki's neck, stopping just short as he had been taught. He had won that bout.
They were both caught off guard by the sudden applause of someone watching them from above. Sumitsu, a 10-year-old girl with long golden hair, was clapping from a balcony. "Very good, both of you." The boys' faces flushed with embarrassment as they stepped away from each other, turned to face Sumitsu, and bowed deeply as one would to a princess. "Oh please," she waved off their bows just as embarrassedly. "D-don't do that. Don't be so formal. I just wanted to watch."
Goji smiled at the memory. Even then, Sumitsu had possessed that peculiar blend of divine grace and mortal awkwardness that made her so... Sumitsu. Even then, Naroki had been trying to impress her.
"Remembering something?" Sumitsu's voice brought him back to the present. She had finished with the packing arrangements and joined them.
"Just thinking about how different this all is from home," Goji replied. "Remember when you used to watch us spar in the courtyard?"
Naroki looked up from his book, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. "You mean when we used to get in trouble for messing up Jitsuno's zen garden?"
"That was your idea," Goji protested.
"Mine?" Naroki sputtered. "You're the one who—"
"Both of you," Sumitsu interrupted gently, though there was fondness in her voice. "You've been having this same argument on and off for the past six years. Isn't it time you dropped it?"
The three of them had grown up together in Jitsuno's mountain monastery, an austere place where discipline and sacrifice were as much a part of daily life as breathing. The old sage had raised them in the ancient ways—meditation at dawn, combat training in the morning, scholarly pursuits in the afternoon, and reflection as the sun set behind the peaks.
Jitsuno had been more than a teacher; he had been their father figure, their guide, their anchor in a world that often seemed too vast and complicated. There had always been something different about him, though Goji could never quite put his finger on what. The old monk possessed a wisdom that seemed to extend beyond mere learning, as if he understood truths that others couldn't grasp.
"Do you think he's proud of us?" Goji asked suddenly. "Jitsuno, I mean. That we made it this far?"
"He trained us for this," Naroki said confidently. "Of course he's proud."
But Sumitsu's expression had grown thoughtful. Her divine perspective now revealed depths to Jitsuno's methods that she had missed as a child. The old sage had prepared them for more than just a tournament; he had been preparing them for something far greater, though she doubted even he had known exactly what.
"It's time to go," Sumitsu announced, pushing aside her more profound thoughts.
Goji delighted in gorging himself on this trip. Naroki decided to enjoy his meals slowly and deliberately, just as he would have at home. Sumitsu relished her delicious and varied foods while retaining her refined elegance.
During the first week of their trip, they were confined to a special section of the starliner that matched the gravity and atmospheric pressures of Solaris. In those days, gravity and air pressure were gradually modified to align with their destination. It was then that they were permitted to roam the main areas of the ship.
The technological marvels still overwhelmed them. The monastery had been intentionally simple, featuring wooden structures, stone paths, and basic tools that required skill and patience to master. Here, walls displayed information with just a thought, water flowed from nowhere at a wave of a hand, and the very air was controlled by machines too complex for them to grasp.
Now, their time on such a luxurious vessel was drawing to a close. The voyage attendants departed with their luggage to have it packed on their shuttle. A craft of this size is incredibly costly to launch from a planet. It is much easier and cheaper to fly smaller shuttles to and from the surface of a planet and leave a behemoth like this in space.
Naroki hurriedly packed his book into his satchel, grabbed his katana, and opened the door for Sumitsu. She favored the boy with a polite, gentle smile. A slight blush peeked through on his cheeks.
"Goji!" Naroki barked. Goji's gaze remained fixed on the planet below.
"Be right there—woah!" Goji yelped as a sleek fighter craft rocketed past their window, its engines leaving trails of ionized particles that dissipated like smoke. "Did you see that?"
"The fighter starship that nearly gave you a heart attack?" Naroki inquired, finally bookmarking his page with exaggerated patience.
"Yeah!" Goji's face was practically glowing with excitement, utterly oblivious to their departure schedule.
"Nope," Naroki replied with mock seriousness.
Goji pouted. "It had a purple hull with spots! Like some wealthy noble decided 'regular purple' wasn't fancy enough! I bet that pilot's competing too! Someone important enough to have their very own custom paint job!"
"Fascinating," Naroki responded, "Please, tell me more about the pretty colors you saw."
Sumitsu giggled, the sound like wind chimes in a gentle breeze, as she watched her two charges fall into their familiar roles.
Goji squirmed about uncomfortably in his seat. The harness binding him to his chair was too tight and restrictive. He really did not like the feeling of being tied down.
Naroki had no issue with being strapped in tightly. He acknowledged the necessity of it. He had educated himself on the importance of safety protocols and the turbulent history behind them. He eyed Goji wearily and wondered if the wild boy would do something stupid.
Sumitsu looked mildly uncomfortable being strapped in so tightly. She was very self-conscious about how her dress was bunched up in the harness. She blushed with embarrassment. Naroki quickly noticed and flagged down an attendant to accommodate Sumitsu.
Now strapped in correctly, Sumitsu was much more comfortable. And she was given a blanket to help her cover herself. The smile of gratitude she gave Naroki made him blush even more.
Goji didn't notice any of it. He was busy looking out the window and watching their descent to the planet below.
On the dark side of the planet, he could make out vast cities and regions of total darkness. In the center of the dark side, there was a massive abyss that was even darker than the shadows around it. Looking at it gave Goji a dark, foreboding feeling. Something was down there.
Then he saw the Walls. The Dark Wall was a massive structure that surrounded the globe. A short distance away was the Light Wall. Equally significant and erected in parallel. Between the walls was a land bathed in eternal twilight.
Goji had heard tales of the Dark Worlders. Vampires and werewolves, ghosts and mummies, demons and worse made their homes in a place where the sun never shines.
Long ago, the Land of Twilight was a place where people of both sides could coexist comfortably. Unfortunately, it was also a perfect place for both sides to wage wars against one another. The Walls were erected to prevent interaction between the sides, and the Land of Twilight became a demilitarized no-man's land.
Naturally, Naroki knew all about it. Goji might have known this if he'd paid attention during their lessons.
They traveled a while longer into the light side of Vechnost towards Luminara, the city that has been host to the Tournament of Templars since its inception centuries ago. The city is a wonder of architectural history and achievement. Structures built to withstand the test of time stand firm and tall alongside contemporary buildings. The evolution of architectural design can be documented by walking through the city streets.
On the outskirts of the city is the spaceport, a technological wonder created and maintained by the engineers of the Starliner Guild. It is kept far away from the city to protect the inhabitants and structures from the forces and shockwaves common to technological space travel. Every major city on every habitable planet in the solar system had a Starliner Guild spaceport. Luminara of Vechnost was no exception.
When the city is visible, Goji and Naroki are entirely gobsmacked at the scale of it. The city stood like a mountain sticking out of an otherwise flat plain as far as the eye can see. For a moment, the boys saw a flash that made the whole city appear to be encased in a ball of glass, like a snow globe.
"What was that?" Goji exclaimed.
"Is that the sun shield?" Naroki speculated.
"Sun shield?"
Naroki wondered if Goji had heard a single word he had uttered in the last few weeks. "The divine protection granted over the city to make it habitable for non-natives? That much sun all the time without any night is extremely harsh to mere mortals."
As if to punctuate Naroki's statement, a wing of five dragons ridden by native elves flew past their shuttle toward the city. Elves and dragons were native to the Light World.
Unbeknownst to the boys, Sumitsu regarded their sense of wonder with deep admiration and a hint of jealousy. As an Avatar, she retains all the memories she made from before her mortal life. This was a place she had been to in spirit many times before. She had attended in spirit form since the tournament's inception centuries ago. To see it again for the first time in a physical body was a joy she was glad to share.
The landing at the spaceport was somewhat rough. It made Goji feel retroactively grateful for the harness. As the shuttle settled with a final shudder, he pressed his face against the window to get his first real look at an alien world.
"We're here. We're actually here," he whispered, his breath fogging the porthole.
Outside, the spaceport stretched in all directions, a marvel of engineering that made their monastery's stone buildings seem impossibly primitive. Strange vehicles moved with purpose across vast landing fields, and beings from different worlds walked alongside each other with casual familiarity.
For the first time since leaving home, the magnitude of what they were about to undertake truly hit him. Somewhere in this alien city, templars from across seven worlds were gathering—warriors who had trained their entire lives for this moment. And somehow, three children from a mountain monastery were supposed to compete among them.
"Come on," Sumitsu said gently, standing as the harnesses released. "It's time to see what we're made of."