Humanity had always believed that the greatest achievements required time. Cities took decades to build, civilizations took centuries to flourish, and even reaching the moon had demanded years of planning and preparation. A permanent settlement beyond Earth was therefore considered a dream for future generations, something that would slowly become possible after countless technological breakthroughs.
Then Aster Collins announced it.
Construction had already begun on the very surface of the moon, Luna.
The first stages of the lunar project began almost immediately after the announcement. Lumen Enterprise did not spend years laying foundations or wait for the rest of humanity to catch up. It simply moved forward, as it always had with mana reactors, Blueprint, VRain, and every other impossible project the world had barely finished processing before Aster had already moved on to the next.
Massive transport vessels traveled continuously between Earth and the moon, carrying equipment, construction materials, and specialized units designed specifically for the undertaking. Unlike traditional construction efforts, however, Lumen Enterprise was not relying solely on machinery.
Magic played just as important a role.
Perhaps an even greater one.
Among the first deployments were specialized homunculi created specifically for large-scale environmental magic. Unlike the general-purpose homunculi used in research, administration, and everyday operations, these models had a singular purpose, to fill the moon with green and blue.
The most notable among them was a druidic homunculus developed from centuries of accumulated magical knowledge combined with modern engineering. Its entire existence was devoted to ecological restoration, accelerated growth, and environmental balance. It could perform restoration spells with unmatched precision, manipulate soil conditions, accelerate the growth of entire forests, establish sustainable ecosystems, and continuously analyze its surroundings to adjust magical processes wherever necessary.
To traditional witches, the existence of such a being was both fascinating and deeply unsettling. The discomfort did not come from the fact that it was artificial, as the Witching Hour had already accepted homunculi as part of modern magical society. Rather, it came from the realization that this particular homunculus wielded nature magic at a level rivaling the greatest naturalists in history. It did not merely cast spells; it understood them, adapted them to its surroundings, and continuously refined their execution.
The irony was not lost on Lunarium students. Many of these homunculi had once served as their professors, spending months teaching restoration and environmental magic within the academy. Now those same instructors stood upon the surface of the moon, calmly creating an entire ecosystem from nothing. More than a few students joked that their teachers had gone from lecturing about nature to literally building one.
The transformation of Luna began.
The transformation of Luna began soon after. Unlike traditional construction projects, Lumen Enterprise did not rely on machinery alone. Magic became the foundation of the process as specialized spells were used to reshape the lunar environment, alter the landscape, and prepare the surface for life.
At first, the changes appeared almost impossible to notice, but they quickly became undeniable. The barren gray plains that humanity had known for centuries began to transform as carefully controlled magical processes spread across the surface, creating the conditions necessary for an entirely new ecosystem..
The Witching Hour was perhaps the first to truly understand the scale of what was happening. Witches had spent thousands of years studying the relationship between mana and the world. They understood magic as something connected to life, nature, and existence itself. But they had never seen magic used like this, a way to terraform a planet. Magic had always been viewed as a force that interacted with the world.
Aster was using it to build one.
Observation platforms filled with witches stood silently as they watched the lunar surface transform. Many had no words. Others simply recorded everything they could.The moon was becoming green. That single fact was enough to break the understanding of countless magical scholars. The moon, a place that had always represented emptiness, silence, distance, and the source of Aether was becoming alive.
The reaction was not limited to witches. The entire world watched. Barebloods watched through broadcasts. Supernaturals watched from the Witching Hour. Scientists watched from laboratories. Governments watched from offices. Even those who had criticized Lumen Enterprise found themselves unable to look away.
Because this was no longer about technology.
This was no longer about business. This was the creation of a new world.
Slowly, Luna developed what Earth possessed. An atmosphere. The process required a combination of advanced engineering, magical combination of spells, and continuous environmental adjustments. The air became cleaner. The temperature became livable to the species of Earth. The ecosystems expanded. The moon was no longer just a place where humans could survive. It was becoming a place where humans could live. The concept of a second world stopped being science fiction. It became reality.
The most surprising part was how naturally the transformation occurred.
There was no dramatic moment where the moon suddenly changed overnight.
Instead, it happened gradually.
One forest. One river. One ecosystem. One impossible step at a time. Until one day, people looked upward and realized the moon they had known their entire lives was different. It had become something else.
Greener.
Eventually, Aster made another announcement. The object above Earth would no longer be referred to as a satellite. It would have a proper name.
Luna, as it should be in the books.
The announcement was surprisingly simple. The moon was not merely something orbiting Earth. It was now humanity's newest world. And somehow, the public accepted it almost immediately.
Perhaps after everything Aster had done, renaming the moon was no longer considered strange. Soon, images of Luna spread across both worlds. The sight became one of the most shared images in history. A green world hanging above Earth. Forests beneath a dark sky. Rivers flowing across land that had once been considered completely lifeless. A place that looked impossible. A place that looked almost perfect. Tourism requests began before construction was even finished. Companies started preparing future lunar travel programs with the help of Lumen Enterprise's Aether FTL ship. Researchers requested access to check the life on the surface. Families wondered when they could visit. People wanted to walk beneath the sky of another world. Many described Luna as the most beautiful place humanity had ever created. Some compared it to paradise. A world untouched by the mistakes of the past. A second chance. A place that felt almost divine. Others had a different reaction. They called Aster Collins insane for playing God. They argued that creating a new world was arrogant. That humanity was moving too quickly. That some boundaries existed for a reason. That no single person should be able to reshape reality so easily.
And yet, even those critics had to admit something.
Luna existed.
The forests were real. The rivers were real. The air was real. The world they claimed should have been impossible was already above them.
The people who called Aster a genius believed he had created a miracle. The people who called him insane believed he had crossed every possible limit. Both descriptions were accurate. Because only someone completely insane would look at the moon and think: "This could be a home." And only someone like Aster Collins would actually build it.