Stellar System: Kheris
Primary Star: G-type (orange-yellow)
Secondary Star: M-type (red)
Number of Planets: 10 (4 within habitable zone)
Galaxy: Viridion Galaxy (Milky Way)
Distance to Starfall City: 0.003 light-years
Finn and Kaeline sat across from one another in the same training room of their battle before the exams. Kaeline sat with her legs crossed, her golden eyes studying him closely.
"You did well during the exams." She said calmly.
Finn scratched the back of his head while trying to contain the small smile stretching across his face.
"I almost died a bunch of times, sensei."
"That is usually how growth happens." She replied bluntly.
Finn blinked.
"…That's a little concerning don't you think."
Kaeline's expression didn't change ignoring his comment like he didn't speak.
"How do your eyes feel after using your new abilities?"
Finn's smile faded a little. He reached up and rubbed near the side of his right eye.
"My eyes. They feel a bit strained." He admitted.
"And I had a slight headache after everything, but it got better after Elysia treated me."
Kaeline nodded slowly.
"That's good."
Finn stared at her for a moment, his brows scrunching slightly.
"Sensei… how do you know so much about my eyes? And my powers? Like… you knew exactly what they were and how they worked."
Kaeline didn't answer immediately. Her gaze drifted to the floor for a short moment before returning to him.
"Because on my homeworld, Urova, every being carries elven blood to some extent. Some more than others."
Finn's eyes widened slightly.
"Everyone? But… I don't understand. What does that have to do with my eyes?"
"More than you think." Kaeline replied.
"Long, long ago, when the first elves began to travel the stars, they found our world tucked away in a secluded part of the universe."
She paused for a moment.
"Despite our galaxy being filled with many beautiful and habitable worlds, they seemed fascinated with ours specifically. Some say it was because Urova reminded them of their original homeworld in some way."
Finn listened quietly.
"Because of this, many of those travelers stayed. Some even fell in love with other races from nearby planets and star systems they explored for resources."
Finn's eyes drifted to her short pointed ears.
"So… are you part elf, sensei?"
Kaeline nodded.
"Yes, but only a small percentage. The elves who found my world were known as the Kairosian elves.They are the only known race born with a genetic connection to the true cosmic affinity of time."
Finn's body stiffened.
"A genetic connection to time…?"
Kaeline nodded.
"It is one of the most powerful cosmic affinities. Some would even argue it is the most powerful of all twelve."
Finn swallowed.
"But if their whole race was connected to it, does that mean they could all use it?"
"No." Kaeline replied.
"That power lay dormant in nearly all of them. Most never awakened it at all."
She lifted one finger.
"A very small few were able to use their latent power once in their entire lifetime. Mostly during extremely emotional or dire situations."
Finn's brows lowered slightly.
"But…"
Kaeline's eyes sharpened.
"But there were two people in their history who fully unlocked that latent power and used it to its full extent. Those same two individuals had something else in common besides access to those abilities."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"Their green eyes possessed twelve sharp fragments that rotated clockwise or counterclockwise when in use. The same eyes you seemingly awakened."
The room fell silent and Finn froze solid.
"Do you know when you awakened them?" She asked.
Finn sat there for a short moment, thinking. His eyes lowered to his hands as he tried to remember. But after a short while, he shook his head.
"No… I don't remember when." He muttered.
Kaeline studied him quietly for a long moment.
"Finn." She said softly.
He blinked, snapping out of his thoughts.
"Yes sensei?"
"Tell me about your homeworld."
His small pointed ears twitched slightly.
"My homeworld…?"
Kaeline nodded.
"Where are you from? Your family. Your race."
Finn sat there for a moment, almost surprised by the question. Then he rubbed the back of his head, eyes drifting upward as if the answer was written on the ceiling somewhere.
"Well… I'm from a world in a satellite galaxy right outside this galaxy." He began.
"It's not nearly as advanced as most worlds you've been to. We had ships, cities, and all that, but nothing crazy. Nothing like the starlight or those big space stations. Our people stayed isolated for the most part, hardly ever communicating or working alongside other worlds."
His voice softened a little.
"My world was mostly green and yellow forests, a single huge ocean that stretched the entire planet, small cities tucked between mountains… stuff like that. It was peaceful for the most part. Kinda boring sometimes, but peaceful."
Kaeline listened without interrupting. She watched as his fingers curled slightly over his knees.
"My family was…" He started, but the words stopped in his throat.
His expression changed. Not much, but just enough to be noticed.
His shoulders lowered and the small warmth in his face faded and his eyes lowered to the floor.
"My mom…" He muttered.
Kaeline's gaze narrowed slightly, noticing the shift immediately.
Finn swallowed.
"She was… she was nice." He said quickly, trying to push the words out before they could hurt too much.
"Really nice actually. Always worried about me. Always making sure I ate. Always telling me I should stop running around trying to prove myself to people who didn't care."
He let out a weak chuckle.
"She was probably right…"
The chuckle died almost instantly.
Kaeline opened her mouth, but no words came. She wasn't sure what to say, yet she wanted to speak.
"I think we spoke on this briefly before, but never went into depth about it. Why did you choose to follow Kaito?" She asked, changing the subject as if that's what she intended to do in the first place/
Finn's depressed demeanor slowly faded into something more genuine.
"Kaito…?" He asked, body perking up slightly.
"Yes. You speak of him so differently than the others. Why? What about him makes you view him that way?"
Finn looked down at his hands again, but this time his expression wasn't distant. It was thoughtful.
"Kaito has been through so much pain in his life. More than anyone should have to go through. And despite it all… he always smiles."
His hands tightened.
"He jokes around. He says stupid stuff. Tries to make people laugh even when he's hurting more than everyone else in the room."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"He's always the first one to step forward too. Even when a challenge looks impossible. Even when everyone else is scared. He just… do it."
Kaeline's eyes stayed on him.
"And despite being hated by almost half of the known universe…" He continued, voice softening.
"He still wants to help people. Protect them. Change things for everyone. Not just himself or humans, but everyone."
He chuckled under his breath.
"He's genuinely crazy."
His smile trembled slightly.
"He had every right to take all of that anger and pain and throw it back at everyone around him. I think most people would've if they were in his situation."
His eyes lowered.
"But he didn't. He's doing the exact opposite."
The room went quiet again as Finn gripped a handful of his black shirt over his chest.
"And sometimes…" His voice dropped.
"Sometimes it's like I can feel some of his pain."
His fingers tightened until the shirt wrinkled.
"It hurts… It hurts so bad..."
Kaeline's expression softened slightly.
"Watching him smile every day. Watching him train like his life depends on it. Watching him push himself harder and harder and harder like he doesn't even care what happens to his own body…"
Finn's voice cracked.
"It hurts so bad because… it's like… it's like he doesn't care about himself."
His eyes began to glisten.
"That adrenaline power of his…" He swallowed hard.
"Every time he used it during the exams, it felt like it did more than just hurt him physically. It was like… like he was burning himself. Like he was burning away piece by piece or like…"
He stopped. His hands left his shirt and shot to his head, fingers digging into his brown hair.
"I don't know." He muttered, voice breaking.
"I just… he—"
A hand rested gently on top of his head.
He froze.
Kaeline's palm settled between his hands, soft but firm.
"It's okay." She said quietly.
Finn's fingers slowly loosened in his hair.
"I understand your concern. But I'm sure Kaito will be okay."
Finn looked up at her, eyes watery.
"How are you so sure?"
Kaeline watched him for a moment.
"Because of Elysia."
Finn blinked.
"Elysia…?"
Kaeline nodded.
"Despite how Elara and the rest of the crew may feel toward her, her care for Kaito is just as great as yours. Perhaps even greater."
He stared at her silently.
"She will never allow Kaito to put himself in a danger he cannot return from."
She took both of Finn's hands and gently pulled them away from his head, bringing them down to his sides. Her golden eyes locked onto his.
"I will be honest. There is still much we need to learn about his ability. There will be risks. Hurdles he will have to face and overcome."
Her thumb reached up and wiped a single tear from the corner of his eye.
"But that is why we are here."
Finn's breath hitched slightly.
"To help him when he is in need. To stand beside him when he needs us the most." She paused.
"Just as he does for us."
Finn looked down, sniffling softly.
"Kaito will be fine." She reassured him.
"Ignore the outside noise and trust Elysia."
Finn wiped the little bit of snot from his nose with the back of his hand. Kaeline's voice softened even more.
"I cannot explain everything to you yet. But once we arrive in our home galaxy and visit Elysia's homeworld… you will understand."
Finn looked up at her again. His eyes were still wet, but calmer now. He nodded slowly.
"…Okay." He muffled.
In the medical bay, Kaito sat shirtless on a floating medical bed with his legs hanging off the side. The room was quiet outside of the soft beeping of the machines around him and the low hum of the Starlight moving through space.
One of Elysia's pink hands rested gently against his chest, right over his heart. Golden essence flowed around her palm and spread through his chest in slow circular waves.
Kaito stared down at her hand silently. Aqua stood a few feet away, arms loosely crossed as she watched.
The golden essence slowly faded and Elysia removed her hand with a bright smile.
"Everything seems just fine, Kaito dear."
Kaito blinked.
"Really?"
"Mhm." She hummed, placing a hand on his cheek and pinching it gently.
"There's no need to worry yourself so much."
Kaito's face scrunched slightly as she rubbed his cheek between her fingers.
"I know I shouldn't… And I try not to, but… it's kinda hard not to." He muttered
Elysia tilted her head.
Kaito raised one hand and rubbed the scar near his heart.
"Ever since I joined the crew, I've been getting my ass kicked nonstop." He said, half joking, half not.
"Liora nearly blew me up during the tournament. Myzen was a whole different problem. Velzari shot me straight through the chest on Nara's world and now my heart basically gave out after the exams. "
Aqua's gaze drifted to the scar beneath his hand.
Elysia's smile didn't move. She leaned closer to him, voice softening even more.
"Everything will be fine. Once we arrive to my world, you'll understand."
Kaito looked up at her just as her hand returned to his cheek, but this time her touch was gentler.
"Don't forget the promise we made to one another. You're my sword and I'm your shield. "
Kaito's eyes softened slightly.
"I swear on my life, Kaito dear… I won't ever let anything happen to you."
The words lingered in the room for a short moment.
Then—
Hisssss.
The medical bay door slid open and Elara stepped inside.
Elysia's head turned toward her, smile already forming wider.
"Oh, Elara dear, I was just—"
"Shut up."
The room froze.
Kaito's eyes widened slightly.
Aqua's body stiffened.
Even Elysia stopped mid-smile.
Elara stood in the doorway with a look Kaito had never seen before. Her face was calm, but her red eyes were colder than ice. The pressure that rolled from her body filled the medical bay in an instant.
Kaito swallowed.
"Captain…?"
Elara didn't look at him. Her eyes stayed locked on Elysia.
Without another word, she unclipped the katana-like sword from her belt and held it out to her side.
The blade began to glow.
Red-orange essence sparked across the sheath before flames curled around it. It expanded and unfolded like something being born from fire.
A tall humanoid figure took shape beside her.
It stood roughly two and a half meters tall, covered from head to toe in red knight-like armor that looked ancient yet shone brighter than diamond. Its helmet resembled a sharp-beaked phoenix, glowing eyes burning beneath the visor. Wings made of pure fire spread from its back, each feather flickering and snapping like a living inferno.
The heat in the room rose instantly. Aqua took a step back, the fins on the side of her head twitching violently. Kaito stared at it, breath caught in his throat. Sweat rolled from the back of his neck down the crack of his ass.
Elara's voice cut through the humidity.
"Kaito… Aqua... Elysia… We need to talk."