"The galaxy divides power into stages far beyond what Earth understands," Aurelia began, her tone calm but heavy with the weight of centuries. "After SSS-rank comes the Stellar Stage."
Her words made even Sentinel lean forward slightly. Adrian listened intently, his gaze fixed on her.
"When you reach SSS-rank, it means you've bloomed your essence seed. But that is only the beginning. Most at that level barely scratch the surface of their own concept. They wield it, yes, but shallowly, without depth."
She raised her hand. The ship's walls shimmered, and runes formed a simple illusion of two figures clashing.
One radiated ordinary essence, their strikes wild but strong. The other stood calm within a vast sphere of light. Every attack that entered it bent, dissolved, or was erased entirely.
"Beings of the SSS-rank spend thousands of years, tens of thousands, deepening their comprehension. The threshold comes when their manifestation ceases to be like a mere aura that clings to the body and becomes a domain."
Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly. The word 'domain' stirred something in his memory, the way the Abyss had pressed against everyone except him.
"A domain," Aurelia continued, "is not just power wrapped around your body. It is a territory of reality itself. A field where your Essence is absolute law."
The illusion shifted. The sphere of light expanded, consuming the chamber around the figure. Within it, the very air seemed to bend to the being's will.
"Within your domain, other essences weaken, mana bends, even the void itself obeys your concept. Other Essences falter, suppressed under its weight."
Her gaze darkened. "The size depends on your comprehension. The smallest domains can stretch wider than multiple Earths."
Adrian's breath caught. A Stellar being's mere existence rewrote the battlefield.
"To fight within one is to face inevitable defeat. Unless your own Domain is equal, or greater, you cannot even touch them."
He could almost feel the idea of it, his own manifestation stretching beyond himself, rewriting reality according to his will.
"And that is only half of what makes them terrifying." Aurelia's voice lowered, the illusion fading as she clasped her hands behind her back.
"At Stellar Stage, you are recognized. You may establish a clan under any empire."
Sentinel's posture straightened. "A clan?"
"A clan recognized under law, bound to no lord but the empire itself. From that moment, your clan becomes the pillar of a star system."
Aurelia began pacing the small space before them. "You may purchase star systems, discover them, or claim abandoned ones. And from there, they grow."
"Empires themselves are webs of clans, each tied to Stellar beings. Even emperors rule by clan law."
Sentinel's eyes narrowed faintly. "And the empires allow this?"
"They must," Aurelia answered. "Clans are the foundation of their power. Some clans have multiple Stellar beings, their banners feared across the galaxy."
The weight in her voice deepened. "Few dare provoke them. Even demons think twice before striking where Stellar domains hold firm."
"Battles at that level are disasters. They change the map of the galaxy."
She drew a long breath, her gaze distant. The command chamber's soft lighting cast shadows across her face, highlighting the weariness of centuries.
"When we Eleven first entered the galaxy, we thought we could attach Earth to a clan. But the clans are selfish, greedy."
Her jaw tightened. "If we handed them our star system, Earth would have been stripped bare, its people turned to slaves."
"So we dreamed of building our own clan. But to do that, one of us must reach Stellar."
Her lips pressed thin. "And none of us have. Not yet."
Silence stretched. The weight of her admission settled over them.
Adrian felt the enormity of it. Eleven of Earth's greatest warriors, scattered across the galaxy for millennia, and none had achieved what was necessary to protect their home.
Finally, her gaze shifted to Adrian. "But you… you never touched a galactic concept. And still you reached this level of power."
"Your strength matters, but what sets you apart is your comprehension speed. If you could do the same with galactic concepts, then perhaps you will be the first among us to reach Stellar."
Her voice carried hope and desperation in equal measure. "Perhaps you will be the one to establish and lead our clan."
Adrian bowed his head slightly. The responsibility felt immense, but his resolve never wavered.
"I understand. For Earth, for all of us, the Stellar Stage is more than power. It's survival."
"If I can reach it, we can form a clan. Earth would be recognized, connected to the galaxy, no longer prey."
Sentinel nodded once, silent agreement etched into his stern features. The ancient guardian's eyes held something Adrian had never seen before, genuine hope.
Aurelia turned to Sentinel, her expression softening with something like regret. "I never revealed these things to you before because I know you too well."
"Knowing about clans and domains would have only pressured you more. You would be in a state where you could not concentrate on Earth alone."
Sentinel's golden aura flickered slightly, his eyes meeting hers. "I am stronger than you think, Aurelia." His voice carried the weight of millennia, steady and unwavering.
As these two spoke, Adrian's thoughts turned inward. His Source had been the reason comprehension came so swiftly. It translated, guided, stripped away barriers.
It had let him understand the three Volumes when others struggled for centuries. The Source revealed the fundamental truths beneath every concept.
And then a thought struck him.
"If I had access to another set of Volumes," he said aloud, interrupting their exchange. "Ones written for galactic concepts, then I could comprehend them too."
Both Aurelia and Sentinel turned to him. Adrian's pulse quickened as the possibility bloomed in his mind.
"With that, I might ascend to Stellar far faster." His voice carried growing excitement, the path forward suddenly clear.
But doubts crept in. These volumes should be impossibly rare, guarded by empires, or costing too much.
"Do you have them? Even one?" he asked, hope threading through his words.
For a heartbeat, Aurelia only stared. Her face cycled through expressions, surprise, understanding, then something that looked almost like pity.
Then she laughed, sharp and bitter. The sound echoed strangely in the ship's command chamber.
"Oh, Adrian," she said softly, shaking her head. "Your thoughts are so naive. But it's not your fault."
"You've never walked the galaxy. You don't know." Her smile faded into something cold, distant.
"No, Adrian. There are no more Volumes. Beyond the three you know… nothing exists."
The words fell like thunder.
Silence filled the chamber. Even Sentinel looked stricken, his golden radiance dimming slightly.
"That makes no sense," Sentinel murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "Galactic concepts exist. Alien civilizations command them."
"If they codified planetary concepts into three Volumes, why not do the same for the galactic ones?" His brow furrowed deeply.
"Even fragments, basic collections should exist, right?" The ancient guardian's confusion was palpable.
"Should," Aurelia echoed, her voice laced with centuries of frustration. "But they don't."
"The three Volumes are the only ones that exist in the entire galaxy." Her words carried the finality of absolute truth.
Adrian felt something cold settle in his chest. The very foundation of his path, the cornerstone of his growth, seemed to end here.
His Source stirred restlessly within him, as if sensing his distress. The white-grey mist wanted to understand, to translate, but there was nothing to work with.
"Why?" Adrian's voice cracked slightly. "Who had written the three Volumes, and why had they stopped?"