Seris Velan delivered a swift kick to the Masked Man sprawled on the ground, his voice laced with fury. "Fool! Couldn't you just stay in your realm and mind your own fate? No, you had to come meddling with forces beyond your reach! Who stumbles upon an Astral Elixir and doesn't immediately absorb its essence? Save it for someone to steal? Idiot! Just because the stars granted you astral techniques, you think you can wield them? If it were that simple, the cosmos wouldn't be filled with those like you—minds too dull to grasp the true path!"
He punctuated his tirade with another kick, frustration boiling over. As the sharp pain radiated through his own body, Seris's anger began to fade. The ferocity of the recent astral duel had consumed him completely, his focus entirely on extinguishing his foe's light before his own flickered out.
Now, standing in the silence of the aftermath, he looked down at the lifeless body draped in torn robes, the Masked Man's once vibrant astral energy now reduced to a faint glow around the edges. Unease began to coil within Seris's chest. This had been too close. Had his ambush failed, it could very well be his blood soaking into the stones of this astral battlefield.
With a resigned sigh, Seris knelt beside the body, pulling out a star-patterned cloth from his pouch to cover the fallen. As he shifted his focus to his own injuries, the severity of his wounds became evident. A deep gash stretched across his chest, astral essence leaking like dim starlight from the gaping wound. Beneath the layers of torn skin, the pale shimmer of bone was visible.
Fortunately, during his last venture to the Astral Emporium, he had acquired a rare bottle of Celestial Dust, a potent he is inaling powder crafted from ground stardust and lunar blossoms. He needed to work quickly before his astral essence weakened further.
Seris poured lukewarm water from his canteen, mixed it with coarse grains of salt he always carried, and began cleaning the wound.
The sharp sting made him clench his teeth, a grimace crossing his face. In some twisted way, the pain was grounding, a reminder that despite all his travels through the stars, his mortal body still clung to the limits of flesh. It was almost ironic—alone in this vast astral realm, he couldn't help but regret that no one was present to witness his grit, his defiance in the face of death.
Once the wound was clean, Seris carefully sprinkled the Celestial Dust over it, watching as the powder shimmered briefly before adhering to his skin, beginning the slow process of mending his body. He then wrapped his chest tightly with hemp cloth soaked in star-forged water to reinforce the healing.
With the last of the Celestial Dust, he mixed it with a drop of water and swallowed the luminous mixture, feeling a cool, soothing energy spread through his limbs. It would help, but the battle had taken a toll on him—his body was still fragile.
Seris exhaled deeply, his gaze lifting toward the distant astral expanse, where countless stars pulsed faintly in the void. The path ahead was clear, but the dangers had never felt so real.
Seris Velan pondered the need to brew some potent astral healing elixirs in the future, but he lacked the necessary seeds for celestial herbs. True, high-grade celestial herbs were rare and couldn't be acquired with mere star coins or bartered with common materials.
The main component in Celestial Dust was the Moonveil Shroom, a mushroom that had to be harvested before reaching its first decade. This celestial herb was notoriously fickle, thriving only in specific, astral-rich environments. If it wasn't in such ideal conditions, it would wither and decay before its prime—a rare and elusive resource that even veteran starfarers struggled to cultivate.
Having tended to his own injuries, Seris stifled the discomfort gnawing at him and rummaged through the Masked Man's belongings. His search yielded a few fragments of starstone, valuable for trade, and another vial of Celestial Dust. It seemed that this astral healing powder was a staple among those who traversed the stars, useful for both survival and robbing others along the way.
Removing the Masked Man's astral mask, Seris revealed a pale-faced, thin man who appeared to be in his fifties. The unfamiliar features told Seris this man wasn't a known threat, but someone from the outer reaches of the astral territories—an opportunist, perhaps.
After dealing with the body, Seris contacted one of the patrolling astral wardens to report the incident. They would take care of the remains. By the time everything was settled, it was late into the astral night, and the effects of blood loss and fatigue made Seris feel lightheaded. He finished the last of his star-gruel, a sustaining meal made from dried cosmic flora, and settled down to sleep.
The next morning, Seris sent word to the local Astral Formation Instructor, Kaelan Vortex, requesting a few days off to recover. Having secured the time, he focused on recuperating at his quiet home in the outskirts of the Astral City. As the day passed, Seris sat sipping a warm cup of spiced astral tea, his eyes scanning over the pages of an ancient star-chart manuscript.
Suddenly, a series of knocks echoed through his home. Answering the door, Seris found a group of familiar faces—Karn Vo, Lyra Moonveil, Orion Starshade, and , fellow astral travelers and companions, who had come to visit him after hearing of his injuries.
During this time, Seris Velan and his companions often practiced astral battle formations together. Despite the seriousness of their training, they remained youthful at heart, finding laughter and camaraderie in each other's company.
Seris offered them a plate of astral raspberries, which had undergone gradual mutations from being nurtured in the astral space. These berries, once as small as a fingertip, had now grown to the size of pigeon eggs. Eating them subtly enhanced one's astral energy, though their effects were not as potent as other celestial grains or star-imbued crops found within the astral space.
Lyra Moonveil delicately picked up one of the berries, and as she bit into it, the fruit burst, releasing a sweet, starry juice that flowed smoothly down her throat. Sighing with contentment, she exclaimed, "Seris, where did you find these? They're delicious!"
Karn Vo, having already downed three in one go, chimed in, "These have to be wild astral berries. I've picked some in the stardust groves before, but none were this big or tasty."
"I harvested them from an astral grove yesterday," Seris replied, casually mentioning that the harvest was already done, hoping to dissuade them from asking to join him next time.
Meanwhile, Xandor Ironclad with his mouth full of berries, mumbled, "These would make excellent wine. I used to brew celestial wines with wild astral grapes from the mountains. These berries could probably create something even more fragrant."
Orion Starshade, ever composed, twirled a berry between her fingers, smiling as she remarked, "You little rascal, always pretending to be an adult with your wine-making."
"You're only a year older than me, and I don't remember you refusing any of the astral wine last time!" Xandor Ironclad shot back with a quick grin.
Though they bickered playfully, Seris's mind wandered to the raspberry plant within his astral space. When he first found it, the plant had only been half his height. Now, it had grown taller than him, thriving in the enriched atmosphere of the celestial realm. The challenge was its frequent yield; every few days, a new batch of fruit would ripen, and if not harvested promptly, the berries would fall, take root, and sprout into new plants. What once was a small patch was quickly becoming an entire grove, a blessing and a burden all at once.
Initially, Seris Velan grew the astral raspberry plant as a simple source of snacks for himself and his younger brother, Torin Velan. On days when they couldn't finish eating the harvested berries, Seris would store the extras in large jars. Over time, those jars of raspberries became part of an experiment—brewing astral wine.
Seris had discovered a curious property of his astral space: anything kept suspended above the ground remained preserved indefinitely, never spoiling. However, once something with any trace of life touched the ground, it would immediately root and sprout. In fact, when Seris first built a wooden rack to store harvested grains, he returned two days later to find that new roots had sprouted beneath it, and the rack was covered in fresh, tender twigs. After that mishap, he made sure that any rack he placed in the astral realm was sun-dried and fire-roasted to prevent regrowth.
After some playful teasing, Seris's companions reminded him to stay vigilant, as the Astral Academy had recently been troubled by intruders. Naturally, Seris couldn't resist recounting his recent clash with the Masked Man, embellishing his tale of victory with flair. Karn Vo and Lyra Moon Veil listened with wide-eyed admiration, while Orion Starshade and Xandor Ironclad exchanged skeptical glances.
Before they left, the group invited Seris to join them on a hunting trip once he had fully recovered. Seris, thinking of the vast, uncharted astral realms beyond the academy's borders, gladly agreed. With so much space to explore, the chances of being found in those wild regions were slim, making the offer even more appealing.
North of the valley where the Astral Academy resided, there was a small cluster of homes where the instructors and their families lived. In front of these residences was a short, bustling street lined with various shops and open-air stalls.
As Seris strolled down the street, he observed the shops and vendors with keen interest. Some were selling star-forged tools, others rare celestial herbs, and many stalls were filled with daily necessities for the academy's residents. The vendors, noticing Seris's attention, eagerly called out, trying to lure him toward their wares. Though most larger transactions were handled in the central marketplace of the nearby star-town, the variety on this street was enough to tempt anyone passing by.
Most of the items sold by the vendors on the street were local specialties, celestial herbs, and products harvested from the nearby astral mountains. Some were items academy students gathered or crafted in their spare time, such as rare herbs or star-infused mountain products. The shops, in contrast, focused on everyday essentials—celestial oils, salts, fermented star sauces, vinegars, teas, and garments for the academy's inhabitants.
As Seris Velan wandered the street, he noticed a shop named Starforge Wines and decided to step inside. The rich aroma of various astral brews greeted him as soon as he entered, his gaze falling on rows of large, ornately carved barrels lined up against the wall.
Before Seris could speak, a cheerful young woman approached him with a welcoming smile. "Looking for some fine wine, sir? We have a range of celestial brews, from the ten-year-aged Stardust Spring, to the twenty-year-aged Golden Nebula, and even our freshly brewed Blazing Wine."
After a moment of thought, Seris inquired, "I'm looking for wine to brew medicinal elixirs. Do you have a recommendation?"
The young woman's eyes brightened as she responded, "For medicinal brewing, I'd suggest our newly brewed Blazing Wine. It has a bold flavor, and it's reasonably priced—fifty astral shards per jin."
Seris nodded and agreed to the purchase, ordering a hundred jin of Blazing Wine split into ten small jars. He also requested some celestial yeast for fermentation, which the shopkeeper was happy to include as a complimentary gift. After paying five astral coins, Seris left the shop with his order in hand.
Back in his courtyard, Seris carefully dug up five forty-year-old ginseng plants and five forty-year-old violet star mushrooms from his personal astral garden. Each plant was potent, their roots gleaming with stored astral energy. He soaked them separately in the wine jars, sealed them with a layer of beeswax, and stored them within his astral space for safekeeping.
Next, he crushed the remaining batch of astral raspberries he had in storage, added the celestial yeast, and stirred the mixture thoroughly before sealing the jar. From now on, he only needed to stir it every few days to ensure proper fermentation.
Although berry-like fruits could ferment into wine naturally without the aid of celestial yeast, the resulting brew would contain more impurities and lack the refined taste that the yeast provided. The extra effort promised a superior and purer elixir, worthy of any starfarer.