In a distant galaxy, there existed a planet unlike any other.
It was neither the largest nor the brightest among the worlds of the cosmos, yet it was the most balanced. Five other planets revolved around it in perfect harmony, never straying from their paths nor slowing in their orbits, as though bound by an ancient, unspoken covenant.
Its name was Sentera, and it was the heart of this cosmic system.
Across its surface stretched calm oceans that rarely knew storms, vast forests overflowing with life, and volcanic mountains that kept their burning heat buried deep within their cores, never erupting without reason. Thick clouds drifted slowly across its skies, reflecting the glow of green and violet energy fields that spread along the horizon like curtains of light.
At the center of this world lay a silent lake. Its waters were so clear that anyone who gazed upon them would not only see the reflection of the sky above but also feel as though they were staring into another depth hidden beneath its surface.
Above that lake, rising between layers of gathered clouds, stood a towering crystalline fortress.
It had no roof.
Open to the sky, as if it feared neither the rain nor the endless void above.
Within its walls gathered the Supreme Aetherial Council, the six sages entrusted with watching over the balance and protecting Al-Xira, the Great Crystal that was born with the beginning of the universe and carried within it the first energy of existence.
The hall was vast and circular, its floor made of transparent crystal threaded with faint streams of light.
At its center rose Al-Xira, glowing with a radiance similar to sunlight, yet far purer. It pulsed with a deep green light, within which delicate flashes of violet shimmered like distant lightning.
Before it stood Orifan, the High Sage.
He remained silent for a long moment.
Then at last he spoke, his voice calm but carrying a weight that filled the entire chamber.
"The time is running out, brothers and sisters."
Silence spread through the hall.
"The threat is closer than ever before."
Al-Xira suddenly pulsed with light, as though responding to his words.
Orifan drew a slow breath.
"Once again… the Guardians must awaken."
His gaze hardened as he looked upon the crystal.
"And they must begin protecting Sentera."
No one answered at first, but the concern was evident in their eyes.
Then Drikath, the Sage of Anigra, finally spoke, his voice steady yet thoughtful.
"And who are the chosen ones this time?"
Orifan answered without turning away from the crystal.
"Five young boys, Drikath."
A slight murmur passed through the chamber.
Then Lymaris, the Sage of Aquilia, spoke with quiet concern.
"They are… humans?"
Orifan finally turned to face the council.
"Yes."
"They are not ordinary beings, Lymaris."
"They are beings of power."
"Nature answers their call. The earth is their mother, and each of them carries the power to command the forces of nature."
Fire.
Water.
Earth.
Air.
And the fifth…
Energy.
For a moment the chamber fell into silence.
Then Al-Xira pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
The green crystal flared with a sudden surge of light, waves of energy spreading through the hall like ripples across still water.
The six sages watched in silence.
Something had begun.
And far away, on a small blue world orbiting a distant star, someone else felt it.
Darkness.
Then clouds.
But it was not the darkness of night.
It was the darkness of a dream.
Gared was flying.
Not falling.
Flying.
He moved through thick clouds that parted gently before him, as if the sky itself were clearing a path for him. He had no wings, yet he felt weightless, carried by the air without effort.
Strangely, he was not afraid.
Instead, a deep calm filled him, a feeling he could not explain, as if he had returned to a place he had known long ago.
He lifted his gaze.
Above him a light appeared.
A deep green light threaded with soft flashes of violet.
It did not burn the eyes.
It did not blaze like fire.
It pulsed slowly.
Steadily.
Like a living heartbeat in the sky.
And with every pulse something inside Gared responded.
His chest tightened slightly.
His own heartbeat slowly matched the rhythm of the light.
Whispers filled the air.
They were not words.
Not a language he understood.
More like vibrations moving through him, settling deep within his bones.
Gared drifted closer.
And then he saw them.
Four shadows standing quietly behind the light.
Their forms were unclear, their faces hidden, yet they did not feel threatening.
They were waiting.
As if his arrival had been expected.
Then a voice spoke.
Deep.
Calm.
Ancient.
"Extend your hands… do not be afraid."
Without understanding why, Gared slowly raised his arms.
From the center of the light, a single beam shot forward.
It wrapped around his wrist like a strand of living energy.
He felt its presence immediately.
Not pain.
But power.
Something small formed against his skin.
A tiny crystalline object.
Softly glowing.
Gared tried to look at it more closely.
But before he could, a voice called his name.
"Gared…"
He froze.
The voice came again.
Closer this time.
"Gared…"
Suddenly the light split apart.
The clouds shattered.
And everything disappeared.
He opened his eyes to the light of day, the steady hum of the car engine, and his mother's gentle smile as she looked at him from the driver's seat.
"I've been calling you for a minute," she said. "We're at the university."
He took a deep breath. His heart was still beating faster than it should. Without thinking, he glanced down at his wrist.
There was nothing there.
No crystal.
No trace of light.
And yet a faint sensation remained, as if the dream had not completely ended.
The registration office had been crowded since early morning. Students moved slowly through a long line stretching in front of the glass counters.
Gared stood there holding his acceptance letter and the small ticket bearing his waiting number, reading the same lines for the third time as if expecting to find a mistake that wasn't there.
A voice suddenly came from behind him, playful and amused.
"If you keep staring at it like that, the letters might start flying away."
Gared turned.
Behind him stood a young man with warm wheat-colored skin and dark brown hair, smiling with easy confidence. He wasn't particularly tall or short, neither thin nor heavy, just average in build. Yet there was something comfortable about the way he carried himself.
The kind of presence that made people relax without even realizing it.
He extended his hand.
"Usher."
Gared shook it.
"Gared."
Usher's smile widened slightly.
"First day, right?"
Gared raised an eyebrow.
"Is it that obvious?"
Usher laughed.
"Very. Because it's my first day too."
Gared let out a quiet breath of relief.
"So," Usher asked, "are you starting the foundation program?"
"Yeah… apparently."
"What's your major?"
"Computer Science."
Usher nodded with interest.
"Nice. I'm studying Law."
Before they could continue, one of the office doors suddenly swung open.
A young man stepped out, visibly angry, raising his voice.
"This is unacceptable! I submitted all the requirements and met every condition. How can you make me take foundation courses? I should be starting my major classes. I'm going to speak to the director."
Heads turned toward him.
He was slightly taller than most of the students, broad-shouldered, with sharp features and a voice that carried his frustration clearly.
Usher leaned slightly toward Gared and said calmly,
"Oh… that's Austin."
"You know him?" Gared asked.
"Since childhood," Usher replied. "Don't worry. He's always like this."
Then he added,
"Let me see what's going on."
Usher walked over to him and spoke quietly. Gared couldn't hear what they were saying, but he noticed Austin's voice gradually lowering. After a few minutes, the two of them returned to the line.
Usher smiled.
"Gared, this is Austin."
Austin extended his hand immediately.
"Hey."
Gared shook it.
"Hi."
Austin asked, his tone much calmer now,
"What's your major?"
"Computer Science."
Austin gave a half-smile.
"Great. If the network ever crashes, I know who to call."
Gared laughed.
"I'm not that good."
"And you?" Gared asked.
"Chemical Engineering."
Gared smiled jokingly.
"Please don't blow up the lab."
Usher laughed, and this time Austin laughed too.
"I'll try."
The line moved forward slightly.
Austin glanced around.
"What about the others? Did they arrive?"
Usher shrugged.
"No idea. The only one who always arrives early is Daniel."
Austin smirked.
"True. He's the most impatient person I know."
Gared asked,
"And Ryan?"
Usher shook his head.
"No idea… but he won't be late."
Then he looked at Gared with a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry. You'll meet them in class."
They turned forward again as their turn approached, while the electronic board continued announcing numbers.
There was nothing unusual about that morning.
Just students waiting for their schedules, meeting each other for the first time.
Completely unaware that this perfectly ordinary moment would later become the beginning of something far greater than it seemed.
About an hour later, the three of them stepped out of the hall with a quiet sense of relief, as though they had finished an exam rather than an orientation session.
The instructor had spent most of the time explaining the university system.
Attendance rules.
Grading policies.
Regulations that students rarely read until it is too late.
They stopped in the wide corridor outside the classroom, where students were moving in every direction. Some were checking their schedules, others asking about classroom numbers.
Usher pulled out his phone and opened a photo of his timetable.
"Alright… what's your first class?"
Austin looked at his paper first.
"Language Skills."
Gared glanced down at his schedule.
"History."
Usher compared the lines on his phone.
"Looks like Austin and I have the same class."
Austin looked at him and smirked.
"Seems like you won't escape me that easily."
Gared smiled.
"Great… I guess I'll see you guys in math later."
Usher started walking.
"Yeah. Good luck."
Austin added jokingly,
"And don't get lost."
Gared gave a small wave as they walked away.
Then he stood there for a moment, looking at his schedule again as if trying to memorize it.
He muttered quietly to himself.
"Alright… where is this history class?"
He looked up at the signs hanging above the corridors, arrows pointing toward different wings of the building.
He began walking slowly through the crowd of students, moving along the long hallway filled with overlapping voices and footsteps.
The walls were decorated with old photographs of previous graduating classes, pictures of university events, and posters from student clubs looking for new members.
He passed a group of students arguing about a project while others laughed loudly nearby.
But Gared remained focused on matching the classroom number with the correct direction.
He turned left, following one of the signs.
Then slowed as he read the numbers above the doors.
He wasn't in a hurry, but he didn't want to start his first day late.
He stopped in front of a staircase leading to the upper floor.
He looked at his schedule once more, then began climbing the steps at a calm pace.
He had no idea that this ordinary hallway, and the classroom he was searching for now, would one day become a place he would always remember.
Not because it was a history class.
But because it was one of the very first steps in a day that seemed, at the time, completely ordinary.