Leaning against the bark of an ancient tree, Alden gazed at the night sky silently, full of wonder. The vast canvas filled with a myriad of twinkling stars made him feel very small, and often, he wondered how it would feel to roam through the stars and discover the splendours of the universe.
Maybe… that was better than dealing with the complicated nature of human relationships.
Alden sighed, his heart still heavy from leaving Celeste.
Even though it had been three days since then, the sight of her heartbroken expression forever burned into his memory. It was like a curse, haunting him wherever he went. There was no escaping it.
Alden banished the dark thoughts.
However, No matter how much he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about his first love.
How was she doing?
Was she eating well?
Drinking?
How were Alistair and Elara holding up?
What was Drakon's reaction to his sudden departure?
All these questions and more swirled in his head, leaving him on edge.
Unfortunately, Alden could only receive the answers to his questions once he returned to the Sanctuary.
And that…
That seemed like an age away.
Trying to distract himself from the bout of homesickness plaguing him, Alden shifted his gaze to stare at the little phoenix nestled comfortably in his arms.
A portion of his loneliness receded.
Stroking his adorable familiar, a small smile appeared on his face.
Ignia was suffering from the effects of what seemed to be a food coma - did phoenixes also have them? - and overuse of her flame to cook the wolf meat.
Alden didn't want to create a campfire that would attract any wandering Defiled, so he relied on the little bird to serve as his source of warmth and a hearth. He could have made a fire if he wasn't alone, but since he currently did not have safety in numbers, he took the safer option.
With the metal disk in place and Ignia's use of her pitch-black flame, the abominations did not bother them too much while they ate. At most, they got attracted by the slight scent emitted from their meal.
When they found nothing, they moved on.
Ignia unconsciously nuzzled his chest as she slept.
He smiled fondly.
'She really did wolf down that wolf, huh?'
His lips twitched at the pun.
Grinning to himself, Alden turned his thoughts towards the celestial firmament again.
However, instead of being in awe, all he felt was mistrust and suspicion.
Gazing at those distant constellations, his eyes narrowed, and his features hardened.
They twinkled brightly and Alden thought they had sensed his hostility, however irrational the notion seemed. Thanks to his Sponsor, he was hidden from the gazes of these other Asterons.
Which…
Was quite a unique power to have.
And way too convenient for Alden.
His mind's eye conjured the image of his feature self shackled inside his inner world.
He chewed the inside of his cheek.
It definitely felt like someone was manipulating events from the shadows.
'Could it be 'him'?'
Alden had a sinking suspicion his future self was involved in these strange happenings. As the younger version, Alden would doubtless be embroiled in whatever his older self had planned.
He gritted his teeth and shook his head.
'There's nothing I can do right now. I just need to increase my rank, survive, and make it back to Celeste in one piece. That's all that matters.'
After reaffirming his priorities, Alden returned to pondering over the existence of his Sponsor.
Most contracts with Asterons amplified the potency of one's Magic Class.
For example, the dead scout leader, Scar, could have gained the ability to manipulate metal after awakening, and only when he bound himself to his Sponsor, did he obtain the capability to move metallic objects with his mind.
Alden's case was an exception.
An outlier from the norm. Further reinforced by the fact the System could not give a name for his mysterious Asteron.
Sensing for the link that connected him to his Sponsor, Alden frowned.
It really was odd how there had been no contact between him and the nebulous being.
Perhaps they were dormant, if such an Asteron like that existed. Perhaps they did not want to approach because he was too weak.
Or perhaps they were not the type to involve themselves in the affairs of mortals.
Either way, the result was the same.
Searching through the sea of stars, Alden had trouble discerning which constellation belonged to his Sponsor.
Which was to be expected.
He knew it was a fruitless endeavour.
Nonetheless, Alden wished to try.
At the very least, it could help occupy his mind from thinking about home.
Gazing at the vast and sparkling tapestry, a sudden thought struck Alden.
It was well-known that once someone made a contract with an Asteron, the nebulous being would receive the opportunity to view Arkanis through their eyes in return.
In some ways, humanity was akin to vessels.
'Vessels…'
The word reverberated inside Alden's mind.
Recalling the warning from his future self, and how distant the constellations in the sky seemed from their world, a terrible premonition gripped his mind.
'Could it be…'
Alden sat up straight, his face turning both serious and pale.
Was the reason why the Asterons sponsored the human race because they wished to gain access to Arkanis from the inside?
Or perhaps even worse, did they want to control everyone in the Sanctuary and the world to achieve what they desired?
If that was the case, then what was so special about Arkanis?
What was so important about it that beings from other worlds specifically paid attention to it?
A shiver crawled down Alden's spine as he stared at the night sky.
While this was a tenuous hypothesis at best - he had no evidence to back up his claims-, he couldn't deny that large parts of it made sense.
…Like why the Asterons had made such a selfless act in such a selfish world.
Now that he had come to such a conclusion, Alden had trouble not viewing it skeptically.
After all, it was both plausible and gave a potential reason for the Asterons' lack of benevolence.
Eventually, he sighed and slumped against the tree, huddling Ignia closer to him.
'...Curse it all.'