The ship shuddered as it began to slow, they were pulling free of the portal.
Before Aurelia could recover from the shock, the void outside parted, revealing a titanic construct suspended in space.
Built upon a colossal asteroid, its surface glowed with runes, towers, and sprawling districts. It looked less like a space station and more like a floating city ripped from a world and set adrift in the stars.
Thomas leaned closer to the viewport, awe softening his voice. "It's like… a city torn from a planet and hurled into the stars."
Elara pressed beside him, "How many people live there?"
Aurelia's composure returned at last. "This is Solvaris Nexus Hub. Every galactic route nexus has a hub like this beside it."
She gestured toward the sprawling construct. "This hub is one of the most famous in the Aethelian Empire. A trade port, a fortress, a nest of billions."
Her voice sharpened. "And don't think of it as safe. In here, the law is strength."
"Violence isn't forbidden everywhere. It's survival of the fittest." Aurelia's fingers danced across the ship's controls.
The AI guided them into a docking lane. Streams of ships lined the approaches, slipping into bays like fish into tidepools.
Aurelia guided them down, the hull humming as runes aligned for descent. The ship settled with a soft thud into Bay 47-C.
When the ramp lowered, they stepped into Solvaris for the first time.
It was overwhelming.
Crowds surged past in endless waves, some humanoid, but others bearing crystalline skin, curling horns, elongated eyes, or subtle ridges across their bodies. Adrian caught glimpses of beings with four arms, others with skin that shifted color like oil on water.
Voices in a dozen tongues rang out, yet glowing banners overhead spoke in one common script, the Language of Mana. Shops advertised wares, mercenary contracts scrolled in looping script, auctions blazed their times in floating runes.
Kael ducked as a floating cargo platform drifted overhead. "The noise alone could drive someone mad."
Adrian's Source Eyes burned. Everywhere he looked, inscriptions whispered secrets.
Walls reinforced by binding runes. Lifts driven by teleport arrays.
Even lamps powered by etched fragments of space and fire.
Selena whispered, "It's like… walking through the Language itself."
Her golden tattoos pulsed faintly, responding to the ambient runic energy. "Every surface tells a story."
The others stared in mute wonder, but Aurelia broke their awe. "This is only the outer ring. Docking bays, residences, and lodges."
She shouldered past a group of traders arguing in harsh, guttural tones. "Come, we'll go to our residence here."
Her lips curved faintly, a tease. "The others don't yet know about Earth's awakening."
Adrian exchanged a glance with Selena, both realizing who she meant. The other Celestial Eleven.
Thomas frowned. "You haven't told them we're coming?"
Aurelia explained, "The Node is always monitored, so I only inform them when I return, not while I travel."
She pulled out her Node, fingers dancing across its surface. "It's safer this way."
A simple message was sent, Returned to Solvaris. Request immediate assembly.
Everyone understood. The Celestial Eleven seemed to be extremely careful when handling anything related to Earth.
Aurelia led them through streets lined with glowing advertisements and floating cargo platforms.
Past wards humming with protective runes and watchtowers that tracked every movement. The deeper they went, the quieter it became, until they reached a towering residence of blackened steel and etched stone.
Doors opened without a sound, recognizing Aurelia's approach.
Inside, four figures waited in a circular chamber lit by floating orbs of captured starlight.
The first was tall and gaunt, silver hair framing a face marked by centuries of war. His pupils threaded with faint golden tides that shifted like liquid metal. He spoke before anyone else, his tone calm, as if he'd already foreseen this moment.
"I knew something was coming. I've felt the ripples for days, like stones thrown into still water."
His voice carried the gravity of one who saw further than others. "But this… this exceeds even my sight."
Beside him, a broad-shouldered man with dark skin and scars crisscrossing both arms snorted, "There you go again, Cassian. Mumbling riddles like some oracle."
His voice boomed in the enclosed space. "Speak straight or don't speak at all."
Cassian only smiled, "Wait for the report, dumbhead."
Golden threads pulsed in his eyes. "You'll know soon enough."
The scarred one crossed his arms and grumbled louder. Before he could retort, a lean man in robes inscribed with glowing sigils rapped his staff against his skull.
"Be silent for once, Draven." The robed man's voice dripped with exasperation. "Not everything needs your shouting."
Draven rubbed his head, scowling. "Septimus, you old snake—"
"You've got the lungs of a void beast but the patience of a child." Septimus's staff pulsed with contained lightning. "Learn when to use which."
The last of the four said nothing at first, only watched.
Adrian and the others bowed deeply, recognizing legends made flesh. "Celestial Eleven."
The reverence in their voices echoed through the chamber.
Draven frowned, his scarred face twisting in confusion. "Celestial what? What's that supposed to mean?"
His tone carried genuine bewilderment. "We're just soldiers who left home."
Septimus snapped his staff against the floor, runes flaring. "Silence, fool."
Then he turned his gaze to Aurelia. "Who are these?"
Aurelia's voice was calm but pride leaked through every word. "Our home has awakened."
She paused, letting the weight settle. "Earth has awakened. These are the warriors I've brought with me."
The four froze like statues carved from starlight.
Cassian's golden threads stilled completely. Draven's mouth hung open. Septimus's staff dimmed to nothing.
The quiet one at last spoke, his voice heavy with disbelief. "Impossible."
"It should have taken another thousand years."
"Lucian," Aurelia said softly, her tone gentle but firm. "I don't know why either."
She gestured toward Adrian and the others. "But when I returned, Earth had already been awake for years. Sentinel has guarded it, as we planned."
Her voice warmed with something like wonder. "And the people… they call us the Celestial Eleven. The eleven who left to protect them."
The four exchanged stunned glances, processing what should have been impossible.
Then Draven's scarred face split into a fierce grin. "About time!"
He slammed his fist into his palm, "Our soil finally sends us more warriors."
Cassian chuckled, "The Cradle does not sleep forever. It always sends its children when the time is right."
Their gazes turned to the newcomers, measuring strength, age, bearing. To veteran warriors, the assessment was instant, these were S-ranks, most of them.
Pride flared in their eyes, pleased that Earth had not failed them.
Lucian murmured as his dark gaze settled on Adrian. "So young… already risen to SSS-rank?"
His voice carried approval. "Earth has not lost its spark."
Aurelia gestured toward Adrian specifically. "His name is Adrian Blackwood. He bloomed his seed with a natural treasure, like us."
She paused, choosing her words carefully. "It was somehow a treasure that landed on Earth."
Draven immediately thumped Adrian's shoulder like greeting a brother. "No matter how it happened, you look barely twenty but you're already SSS-rank."
His scarred face beamed with approval. "You've done us proud, boy."
Aurelia's smile deepened, "You misunderstand."
She looked at Adrian with a mix of pride and something approaching awe. "Adrian… is not SSS-rank."
The chamber fell silent except for the hum of floating orbs.
"He has crossed into Stellar."
The room broke like glass under pressure.
Septimus stiffened, his staff clattering to the floor. "Say that again."
Cassian's golden-threaded pupils rippled like tides under stormlight. "I felt change… but not this."
His voice carried the weight of prophecy. "Not now. Fate bends here."
Draven slammed the table, eyes blazing with disbelief. "Impossible! From Earth? From our soil?"
His voice rose to a roar. "Already Stellar?!"
Lucian spoke the final words, "How?"
The question hung, "How is that even possible?"