Hyades City, Exterior Ward
Spring Court
Hidden world, Terra
Gaea solar system
Milky way Galaxy
Neutral Free zone
March 17th 2019
A week had passed, and Sam was finally beginning to grasp the intricacies of the tier-five spell, Stormfall. She remained by the pond where Sophia had left her to train, dedicating her days and nights to mastering the spell. She only paused to eat or rest when her mana reserves were nearly depleted, often pushing herself to the brink and suffering mild mana abuse due to the relentless effort she poured into her practice.
Sam gasped for breath, her hair dripping with water from the rain that had been pouring from the storm clouds she conjured. Stormfall demanded a complex combination of elements. The spell began with water and wind magic, used to saturate air molecules until they could no longer contain the water element, causing it to condense into both liquid and solid forms. Next, the earth element fused with the wind element to produce a powerful bolt of lightning. Finally, the condensed water and wind formed hail and sharp gales capable of slicing through objects while delivering devastating electrocution.
Sam's Odic force was stretched to its breaking point as she mentally calculated the speed, size, width, and purpose of the spell through intense visualization. She also had to carefully balance the exact amount of mana required. Too much, and the spell would destabilize during the conversion process; too little, and nothing would happen. The intricate steps demanded so much focus that Sam couldn't help but think how vulnerable she would be on a battlefield—her enemy could easily kill her with the time it was taking her to complete the spell. Her thoughts drifted to Sophia, who could cast spells with incredible speed and without chanting. By contrast, Sam relied on forming signs with both hands and chanting incantations to compensate for her lack of precision. These measures made the process smoother but underscored her lack of mastery when it came to weaving spells with just her mind. At one point, Sam had even asked to use Avis, her elemental familiar, to assist her. However, Sophia had firmly refused, going so far as to place a seal on Avis, binding the spirit to Sam's soul realm to prevent any interference.
"Again," Sam muttered, her voice steady with determination. She positioned her fingers into the sign representing the three elements, carefully weaving the spell as her mana flowed through her fingertips. The glowing runes began to coalesce, and she concentrated on converting her raw mana into elemental energy. She succeeded in this first step, then proceeded to pull and mold the energy into her desired shape. Slowly, the energy transformed into a dense, black mass of clouds crackling with static electricity. As Sam visualized the outcome, the spell fully manifested. Lightning, hail, and violent gales erupted from the storm, striking a massive slab of rock she had been targeting. The force of the spell triggered an explosion, shards of rock flying in all directions. The destructive power was so immense that even Sam found herself momentarily astonished by the results.
"It looks like you've finally learned the spell," Sophia said, her tone calm but measured. "Although you're still a long way from mastering it fully."
She had noticed Sam using hand signs and muttering the spell's incantation to aid in her casting. Sophia didn't rebuke her for it—she actually thought it was a clever approach. Tools and techniques like that could help smooth the learning process. Sam turned to face her mother, brushing her damp sleeve across her face to clear away the wetness as the storm clouds dissipated. She hadn't seen Sophia since the day she had been left here to train.
"You promised to give me more spells once I learned my first tier-five spell," Sam said, her voice carrying a hunger for more knowledge. Sophia studied her daughter, inwardly impressed. It took most Warrior Realm practitioners months to learn a tier-five spell, yet Sam, still at the Adept Realm, had accomplished it in just a week. From what Sophia observed, Sam's progress was remarkable. The more she practiced the spell, the smoother her casting would become. Before long, Sophia was confident Sam would be able to abandon the hand signs and chants altogether, relying solely on her willpower to cast it.
"Sure, but before that, isn't there someone you'd like to see?" Sophia asked.
"Leon..."
"No, he's still unconscious. I was referring to Miss Chavez," Sophia replied.
Sam's heart leaped, and she silently cursed herself for forgetting about Rosa. Rosa had been one of the main reasons she went to Cedar Lake in the first place—she'd been missing, after all.
"Is she...?" Sam started, unsure of what to say.
"Miss Chavez is fine. In fact, she's more than fine. Come with me," Sophia said.
Without hesitation, Sam followed her mother out of the pond room and into a long, gray corridor. Along the way, they passed people dressed in dark green and white robes. They appeared to be monks, each wearing religious symbols of the goddess Asha around their necks. Sam's curiosity grew as she noticed the recurring symbol—the same one marked on her right hand. It was everywhere: etched into the walls, embroidered on clothing, and featured prominently in the ornaments decorating the building. She couldn't help but wonder about its significance. Sam turned to Sophia, her gaze drawn to the necklace around her mother's neck—a pendant bearing an eight-pointed star.
"You still haven't told me anything about yourself," Sam said as they approached an elevator. Sophia smiled softly as she looked at her daughter.
"I was waiting for you to bring up the topic," she said. "It gladdens me that my daughter has an interest in me." Sam hesitated before asking the question gnawing in her mind.
"Why... why did Father leave you and take me with him?" The memory of her father's heated argument with Sophia before the accident flashed in her mind. "And why did Aunt Stella keep the truth about you from me?" The elevator doors slid open, and the two stepped inside. Sophia pressed a button, and the elevator began its descent. For a moment, silence hung between them before Sophia finally spoke.
"There are things I can't fully explain yet—things that wouldn't make sense to you right now," Sophia said gently. "But what I can tell you, I will." She paused, studying Sam's expression. "You've heard of the Fallen Stars."
"Yes," Sam replied. "Some kind of intergalactic terrorist group."
"That's the Federation's propaganda," Sophia said, her tone firm. "Before we were called the Fallen Stars, we were known as the Morning Star. We were an activist group dedicated to the welfare of the common people, both in the Federation and the Neutral Free Zone. Our mission was to enlighten people and give them the means to forge their own paths. We also worked to expose and combat the corruption at the heart of the Federation."
"Corruption?" Sam repeated, a mix of confusion and skepticism in her voice.
"You've already experienced it firsthand," Sophia said. "Sinutu and Anuntium—the assassins who tried to kill you—they were sent by the Federation."
"Wait... what?" Sam's eyes widened in shock. "Why would the Federation want to kill me? I... I haven't done anything!"
"It's not about what you've done," Sophia replied, her tone steady. "It's about what you are. Your very existence defies the core principles of the Annunaki religion. That faith revolves around the Divine Emperor and the gods of the Anu pantheon. To them, you're an anomaly—something that shouldn't exist."
Sophia's voice grew sharper as she continued, "The Divine Federation might appear to be a federal democracy—a system where power is shared between central leadership and regional governments, with the people seemingly having a voice through elections. But that's nothing more than an illusion. In truth, the Divine Federation is a theocracy. Every decision, every law, every aspect of governance is dictated by the religious dogma of the Annunaki faith. And anyone or anything that challenges their authority is marked as a threat."
"And what exactly is this dogma that I threaten?" Sam asked.
"'Thou shalt spread, sustain, and preserve the Divine peace throughout the cosmos,'" Sophia recited, her tone measured.
"Divine peace?" Sam echoed.
"Yes," Sophia said. "In the Annunaki religion, the Divine Emperor is revered as a god of light, truth, fairness, justice, and peace. He is said to despise war, conflict, and any form of discord within the universe he created—a universe he claims to have birthed and gifted to the children of his warriors: the Pleiadian race." Her voice darkened. "It is from this belief that the Divine Federation was born—an alliance between twelve Pleiadian planets united to combat the invasive forces of the Abomination."
Sophia continued, her tone growing heavier. "Thus, Starlight, the religious organization, was established. After a thousand-year war against the Infernal forces that once sought to invade the Physical Plane, the Divine Federation emerged victorious. But their purpose shifted. No longer content with defense, they turned their sights outward—on other planets and other races.They began their reign of conquest, subjugating world after world and adding them to the collective might of the Divine Emperor. All in the name of 'Divine peace.'"
Is this the world Leon was from? Sam wondered.
"Any planet that refused the so-called benevolence of Starlight was destroyed," Sophia continued. "They were made an example, labeled as heretics and sinners against the Divine Emperor. After years of subjugating planets, the Federation's expansion was halted by powerful forces in other sectors of the universe. The Divine Federation knew they couldn't afford to go to war with them, so they agreed to a peace accord. Because of this, most of the known universe remains free from their control.
"The regions outside Federation rule became known as the Neutral Free Zones, while the conquered planets were labeled the Colony Planet Region. Over time, peace settled in these regions. The people there became subservient to the Federation, their resources exploited to sustain the elites."
"But was there peace? Did the Divine Federation really bring about peace?" Sam asked.
"Yes," Sophia admitted. "For a time, there was peace. Crime, conflict, and warfare nearly disappeared. The people became utterly dependent on the Federation's elites and their power."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Sam said. Having lived in the United States, in an era of relative peace, she couldn't understand Sophia's disdain. From Sam's perspective, what the Federation had accomplished didn't seem so different from Earth's history. Sure, the Federation's beginnings were brutal, but wasn't that true of most fledgling governments? Even the United States had committed atrocities, yet it had played a key role in maintaining global peace.
"It is a bad thing, Sam," Sophia said, her voice sharp but measured. "The world we live in—its true nature—does not abide the weak. It doesn't care about the circumstances of one's existence. It is impartial to both the strong and the weak. The true nature of the universe is one of struggle and suffering. Those people who became dependent on the Federation's elites for protection fell into stagnation. Their reliance on others to shield them from hardship dulled their spirit. They stopped growing, stopped innovating, and ultimately became powerless. A society that forgets how to stand on its own, that gives up its strength and independence, is one that cannot survive the universe's harsh realities."
"Your situation isn't so different from theirs. Think about it," Sophia said. "James and Stella hid the truth about who you really were. James placed a seal on you that prevented your awakening since the age of nine. Stella gave you pills that stagnated your growth…" She paused, noticing the frown forming on Sam's face, and sighed.
"Look, I'm not questioning their love and care for you. I know they loved you. But in their fear—and in their desire to spare you from suffering, to give you a normal life—they made you weak. They left you vulnerable to a world that is cruel and unforgiving. If Golden Dawn hadn't kept an eye on you, you might not have survived the forces that are against you."
Sophia's tone softened for a moment before she continued. "We, the Morning Star, saw what the Federation was doing to these worlds—to the other eight races they deem inferior. Any planet that dared to think for itself, act independently, or forge its own path outside of the Federation was crushed. They were declared heretics and destroyed to set an example.
"We sought to change things, to give those worlds a chance to stand on their own. But Starlight and the Federation refused to listen. Instead, to tighten their grip on power, they branded us as a terrorist organization responsible for uprisings. They needed a scapegoat to justify their actions. In the end, we had no choice but to accept that label, to break away from the Federation entirely. All so we could forge our own path."
The elevator finally came to a stop. Sam felt as though they had been inside for an eternity, the confined space giving her too much time to process everything Sophia had revealed about the Federation, the universe, and herself. She didn't know what to think or believe—let alone if any of it was even her concern. The Divine Federation was light-years away from her, and though advanced transportation made instant travel possible, it still felt distant and abstract. She had never been there to witness it for herself or to confirm if they were truly as oppressive as Sophia claimed. Yet, despite her doubts, Sam couldn't shake the unease growing in her chest. The world—or rather, the universe—was turning out to be far more complex than the simple black-and-white lens through which she'd always viewed it. Or perhaps, deep down, she had always known that life was more complicated and just chose to ignore it. After all, Sam had been privileged to witness the depths of humanity's complex emotions, the shades of gray in every choice, every action, and every belief. Sophia led Sam out of the elevator and into a hallway at a four-way intersection. The walls around them were made of glass, though they weren't transparent. People in white lab coats carrying tablets walked briskly by, engrossed in conversations. Whenever they saw Sophia, they quickly bowed before continuing on their way.
"This is the Research and Science Division of Octagram," Sophia said, lightly touching the pendant around her neck before glancing at Sam. "There are three forces that govern the Hidden World: the Seasonal Courts, which rule the Interior Wards; Golden Dawn, which oversees the Exterior Wards; and finally, Octagram, an organization formed by our family. You've heard of Ogoád Corporation, haven't you?"
"I have," Sam said. "They're a pharmaceutical company, right? They're always competing with Yesh Institute for the top spot on the stock market. I only know about them because I went to Yesh University."
"Yes," Sophia confirmed with a small nod. "And I assume you're familiar with the Five Magical Families of Golden Dawn."
"I am," Sam replied, recalling what she had learned from Emily during her first lecture and her own research afterward. There were nine great families of Terra, four of which had assumed rulership over the Seasonal Courts, governing the Hidden World for as long as history remembered. The remaining five families had joined forces to create Golden Dawn, an organization tasked with maintaining balance between the mundane world and the Hidden World. But centuries ago, two of those families had left Golden Dawn, while one had lost most of its power. Now, only two families held the founding titles within Golden Dawn.
"Does the McCoy family have any ties to these magical families?" Sam asked curiously.
"Yes," Sophia said, her expression softening. "The McCoy family was a vassal family that served our family, the Vysileaf family—one of the founding families of Golden Dawn."
Sam's eyes widened in surprise. Aunt Stella had always raised her with the understanding that her mother had been adopted into the McCoy family. She'd known she wasn't biologically related to Stella, but the revelation that the McCoy family had once served her mother's family left her stunned.
Sophia continued. "The Vysileaf family, along with the Al'Roth family, left Golden Dawn to forge a new path. That path led to the creation of Octagram." They stopped in front of a door, and Sophia knocked lightly. "It is because of the sacrifices we've made that dear Rosa had a chance to survive."
"Come in," a familiar voice called from the other side. Sam recognized Rosa's voice and suddenly felt a wave of nervousness about what awaited her. When the door opened and she stepped inside, the sight before her left her utterly shocked.
The room was a soft blend of beige and pink, reminiscent of Sam's own quarters. It featured a large plush bed adorned with decorative pillows, shelves filled with books and martial manuals, wardrobes, and a silver chandelier that bathed the room in a warm, soothing light. Resting on the bed, dressed in a white sports bra and matching leggings, was Rosalinda Chavez. Sam froze at the sight of her. Rosa's appearance had changed—sharply and undeniably. Her black hair was shorter than it had been before, framing her face in a way that accentuated her refined features. Her face was smoother and clearer, as if an artist had delicately sculpted her, making her look both strikingly beautiful and intensely captivating. Rosa's brown skin had a radiant glow, smooth and sleek in a way that seemed almost otherworldly. Her presence exuded an air of sensuality, but there was also a newfound strength, an aura of quiet intimidation that made her seem larger than life. Yet what truly unsettled Sam was not Rosa's physical transformation but the absence of something she'd come to rely on. She couldn't read Rosa's emotions. There were no colors to give her insight into what Rosa was feeling—no familiar hues or vibrations to guide her. It hit Sam like a jolt: Rosa had awakened.
"How..." Sam began, but before she could finish, Rosa moved with newfound speed, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Sam, you're here," Rosa said, her voice richer and more melodic than Sam remembered. It was as if every word Rosa spoke carried a subtle harmony. Sam struggled to push past her shock, taking a step back to examine Rosa again. She was alive—and not just alive—she was stronger than ever.
"How... did you do this?" Sam asked, turning to Sophia with a mix of suspicion and wonder.
Sophia smiled softly and shook her head. "Show her the mark, Rosa."
Rosa hesitated for a moment, glancing at Sophia for reassurance, then nodded. She turned around and pulled up her top slightly to reveal a marking branded on her back—a radiant eight-pointed star, identical to the symbol on the pendant Sophia wore.
"Is that..." Sam trailed off, her eyes wide.
"A Gratia," Sophia explained. "A divine blessing from the gods. Specifically, from the goddess Asha."
"Asha..." Sam echoed, her gaze falling to the mark on her own hand—the ankh-like symbol she'd always associated with the heretic goddess. She had believed it represented some form of blessing, but Sophia had shattered that assumption earlier. It wasn't a celestial seal like the ones most Ascendants carried. No, Sophia had revealed it was simply a seal of approval from the universe itself—an acknowledgment of Sam's awakening without divine intervention. The eight-pointed star on Rosa's back, however, was different. It bore the unmistakable signature of Asha, indicating that Rosa's awakening came directly from the goddess's blessing.
"How did you awaken?" Sam asked, her mind racing. "I thought races outside the Pleiadians couldn't..." She trailed off, suddenly recalling something Emanu had told her. She had never explicitly said other races couldn't awaken—only that the Pleiadians had an easier time due to their celestial lineage. She thought of Lance Al'Roth, the Beastman Ascendant, and her confusion deepened.
"Every race is capable of awakening," Sophia said calmly. "The Pleiadians simply have it easier because of their descent from household gods and their celestial bloodline. In the Federation, only the elite—those from Named families—are typically able to awaken. The middle class and common Pleiadians are given limited opportunities in Awakening Temples if they prove themselves worthy. But as for the so-called lesser races?" Sophia's voice darkened. "They are denied such chances, especially humans living within the Federation."
Sam's jaw tightened as Sophia continued. "It is only in the Neutral Free Zones, where the oppressive stagnation of the Federation does not exist, that the other eight races are able to receive blessings and awaken. Rosa's awakening is proof of that."
"The Echo Field," Sam said. "It had an Awakening Temple. Is that the reason..."
"Yes," Sophia confirmed. "The Awakening Temple that undid the seal on your powers also blessed Rosa."
"I started feeling its effects after we left the temple," Rosa added, her expression thoughtful as she recalled the events. "I remember experiencing aches from time to time. It seems my core was activating, and the more I used mana during my fight against the Abominations, the faster the process became. Unfortunately, I was poisoned—infected with infernal energy. I would have become depraved if your mother and the technology here hadn't saved me." Sam's stomach twisted at the thought of Rosa being so close to death.
"If it hadn't been for your aunt, I wouldn't have survived," Rosa continued, her voice tinged with regret. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't save her. It was my mission, and I failed. Again. I couldn't save you either from the Abomination..."
"Don't stress yourself out," Sophia interjected, her tone firm yet kind. "You were only a regular Mystic at the time. There was nothing you could have done. These are Greater Beings we're talking about here." Sam frowned, her thoughts shifting to a different topic.
"The Blackearth Virus that's infecting the world," she said, her voice tense. "And the Celestial Realignment… do you know what it all means?"
Sophia sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "The Blackearth Virus is partially our fault," she admitted, her tone heavy with guilt. "In preparation for the Celestial Realignment and the finale that's approaching, we released an alchemical serum designed to awaken humanity to their dormant Star Seed potential. It was meant to prepare the human race of the mundane world for what's to come."
"But the Beast King..." Rosa interjected, her voice bitter.
"Yes," Sophia continued. "The Beast King, an Accursed being, tampered with the serum. He corrupted it, turning what should have been a tool for awakening into a catalyst for disaster. Those who should have awakened their Star Seeds were instead turned into Abominations."
Sam's anger flared, her fists clenching at her sides. "Wait... Why would you do something like that?" she demanded, her voice rising. "Messing with the lives of people like they're nothing?"
Her thoughts drifted to Cedar Lake, her hometown, and the horrors that had been inflicted upon it. The memories were vivid and painful, fueling the wave of fury swelling within her. She felt compelled to direct that anger at Sophia, the one standing before her with answers but also culpability.
Sophia met her gaze, her expression calm yet resolute. "I understand your anger, Sam," she said softly. "But you must understand—what we did, we did out of desperation. The Celestial Realignment isn't just a phenomenon. It's a reckoning. A battle for survival against forces greater than anything you've ever known. Without preparation, Terrans—all of Terrans—will be annihilated."