The hermit lived at the edge of the slums, where the metal shanties gave way to rusted wreckage and forgotten junk. No one went there unless they had to.
Kay went there now.
His ribs still ached from Jax's punches. His shoulder throbbed with every step. But the crystal in his pocket pulsed warm against his thigh, and that warmth pushed him forward.
The old man's hut was a half-collapsed cargo container, patched with scrap and sealed with dried mud. A single light flickered inside.
Kay knocked.
"Come in, boy."
The voice was dry, like wind over sand. Kay pushed open the door.
The hermit sat on a crate, wrapped in a faded military coat. His beard was gray and tangled. His eyes were the only thing young about him—sharp, clear, watching.
"You're hurt," the hermit said.
"Jax."
"Karl's dog." The hermit nodded. "Sit."
Kay sat on an overturned bucket. The crystal in his pocket glowed brighter, pulsing like a second heart.
The hermit looked at it. "It woke up."
"You knew it would?"
"I hoped." The hermit reached into his coat and pulled out a small leather-bound book, old and worn. He set it on the crate between them. Then he pulled out a second object—a crystal, identical to Kay's. It pulsed with the same blue light.
Kay stared. "You have one too?"
"Had it for thirty years." The hermit held it up. "They're a pair. A beacon and a key." He tossed it to Kay. Kay caught it. The moment both crystals touched, they flashed brighter, vibrating faintly.
"What does it mean?"
"It means the relic is still there." The hermit leaned back. "I served with your father. Twenty years ago, we found something in the asteroid belt. An ancient structure. A relic from before the Federation, before the Empire, before anyone kept records."
Kay's heart quickened. "What kind of relic?"
"We didn't have time to study it. Our patrol got ambushed—pirates, or maybe something else. Your father took a blast to the chest protecting the extraction team." The hermit's eyes dimmed. "That's where he got his wounds. The ones that won't heal."
Kay's fists clenched. He'd never known. His father never talked about how he got hurt.
"We recovered two crystals," the hermit continued. "I kept one. Gave the other to your father, told him to hide it. The relic itself is still out there, floating in the belt. And if you can reach it, it can give you what you need."
"What?"
"Power." The hermit's sharp eyes locked onto Kay's. "Enough power to crush every test the academy throws at you. Enough to make Karl's family choke on their recommendation scheme."
Kay's breath caught. "How much?"
"Your battle energy is 0.22 now." The hermit pointed at the wrist monitor Ella had given him. "After the relic? You could hit 0.8. Maybe 0.9. Enough to qualify on raw numbers alone."
Kay's mind raced.
0.8. 0.9.
Karl was at 0.97. But Karl had trainers, serums, everything money could buy.
If Kay could reach even 0.8 with no resources, no sponsors, no family name—
They couldn't ignore that.
"The belt is dangerous," the hermit said. "Pirates. Drones. Radiation. And Karl's family has been sniffing around out there for years. They know something's hidden. They haven't found it yet, but they're close."
"Then I have to get there first."
The hermit smiled. It was a thin, hard smile. "That's what I wanted to hear."
He pushed the leather book toward Kay. "This contains incantations and diagrams related to the relic's energy. Study it on the way. And take this." He handed over a small, battered compass—except instead of a needle, it held a tiny shard of the same blue crystal. "It points to the relic. The closer you get, the brighter it glows."
Kay took the compass. It hummed faintly in his palm.
"The crystal you have—the one your father kept—it's the activation key. Without it, the relic is just a rock. With it..." The hermit paused. "With it, you might unlock something bigger."
"Bigger than the relic?"
The hermit didn't answer directly. He stood up, his old joints cracking, and walked to the far wall of the cargo container. He pulled back a faded tarp, revealing a star map scratched into the metal.
Lines connected worlds. At the center, a symbol Kay didn't recognize.
"The relic isn't just a power source," the hermit said quietly. "It's a key. A key to something called the Stargate."
Kay frowned. "Stargate?"
"An ancient portal network. Before the Federation, before recorded history, someone built gates that could cross the galaxy in an instant. The relic in the asteroid belt? It's one of those gates. Or part of one." He turned to face Kay. "The crystal you hold? It's a gate key."
Kay looked down at the pulsing blue shard.
He'd carried it for years, thinking it was a worthless trinket. A gift from an old man who'd lost his mind.
"You're not crazy," Kay said.
The hermit laughed—a dry, rasping sound. "No. Just old." He sat back down. "The gate is inactive. Has been for millennia. But the relic still holds residual energy. Enough to boost you. And maybe..." He hesitated. "Maybe enough to wake something else."
"What something?"
"I don't know. And I don't want to find out until you're strong enough to handle it." The hermit pointed at the door. "Go. Find Max the pilot. He owes me a favor. He'll take you to the belt. Take the girl—Ella. She's smart. She'll keep you alive."
Kay stood. His ribs protested. He ignored them.
"One more thing," the hermit said as Kay reached the door. "Don't trust anyone out there. Not pirates, not scavengers, not Federation patrols. Karl's family has eyes everywhere. If they catch you near the relic, they won't just stop you. They'll erase you."
Kay nodded. "I understand."
"No, you don't." The hermit's voice was soft. "But you will."
Kay stepped out into the night. The slums stretched before him, dark and hungry. Above, the Core Star glowed like a false promise.
He looked at the compass in his hand. The crystal shard inside pulsed faintly, pointing toward the sky.
Toward the asteroid belt.
Toward the relic.
Kay tucked the compass into his pocket next the crystal. Both hummed together, warm and alive.
He had a ship to find. A pilot to convince. And five days until the exam.
No pressure.
He started walking.
Behind him, the hermit watched from the doorway. His sharp eyes followed Kay until the boy disappeared into the maze of shanties.
Then he looked up at the Core Star.
"Kane," he murmured. "Your boy has your fire. Let's hope it doesn't burn him alive."
He went back inside and closed the door.
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**(End of Chapter 3)**