Astrovoid Shower- Celestial University Book 2: A Bully Romance

Chapter 10: Declaration of Adulthood

Xia's mouth widened.

"Sehki?"

Before he could turn back, her friend's elements were covered in their hands, punching her imitation down into the dirt, allowing Sehki to absorb the Void essence. As it flew up, he captured and swung it into Xia.

"Missed me?'

Energy and confusion meld in her head. "How - you left!"

"And I'm back. Did you read my message?"

She winced.

Xia, the strongest, the powerful, the perfect. Honestly, I've always been wowed, amazed, and afraid. You hated me, and I thought I hated you too. But I wish I had your power. You've got friends, money, power, wealth, everything I've barely owned for the last eight years.

Your hatred for me is something I'll never be able to stop. But I know deep down that power is what you harnessed to deal with the incident. If you ever feel weak, think about the people who encourage you to get back up.

Whether we meet again, I know if the Voids are still a threat, I'd rather have you by my side than against it. So take our battles as a training lesson. I want you all to get stronger so no one could stop you. And if love won't revive your drive, think of hurting me again.

"What, was that some love confession?"

"Ha, as if! You're not my type, but I said we'd stop the people harassing this world. So you gonna let your dad keep you locked in here?"

Xia stared down at her hand, about to answer when Rigal, Ainsley, and Taylor pushed him out of the way to hug her.

"Hey, we fought to free you here too."

"He just blackmailed us to do so."

"We'd thought you'd be out by now. He insisted we come get you, so we might as well help"

Sehki watched Xia's beaten down face and expression lighten up while Calypsa's picked him up.

"I tried getting them to come numerous times. But they're not even worried about Jun right now," whispering Hercules and aiming the staff to fire a healing ray at her strength, as Xia asked what took them so long.

"Well," spotting the pain around her body. "At least they can make her feel better," gaining a head rub for his troubles.

"You're an acquired taste," grinning. "Not for everyone, but I'll take a sip."

"Shush," swinging his head away to hide his thoughts as he looked around at their surroundings. A vast cave of silver molden rock with dry lava, the floor was stylished like an area, complete with a silver center and stands for viewers above, including the one Jun was standing on.

"Sorry to interrupt," flicking his finger up. "Intruding into another heirs kingdom hasn't bode well for your parents. What danger has persisted to warrant your return?"

Sehki's muscles cracked, pointing at him. "Being responsible for your fiery offspring's scar is a dangerous epidemic amongst magic and sci-fi parents! I wonder if she's not the only adolescent you have locked up!"

"Are you constantly riffed with accusations?"

"You knew the corpse stealer Void was someone close to my family and didn't disclose it to the public. And the night I came here, you would need an assortment of Starlight and fire magic to reach from one dimension to the other. Unless you memory wiped your own daughter to spread that fire, no one should be that strong."

"I thought you said magic doesn't work in your dimension?"

"Who's to say you didn't summon flames through the rift to spread before you came?"

Ainsley nodded. "It'd take someone with a high level of Cardinal or Mutable skill to pull that off!"

Xia turned to Sehki. "Your brother: he was- Father, is that true?"

"Enough!" Streams of flaming magma burst out in the air in rapid succession. "You will leave here now and leave my daughter and I to our devices!" He cleared his voice up. "Calypsa, including you."

"Mask off, huh," discarding it.

" You choose to defy me?"

"You assigned me to be in charge of their well being. If that included liberation, so be it."

"You put her against me, and that just made me stronger. It's time to return the favor. And she'll do what you can't: stop the Astrovoids."

"You're all in agreement?"

Rigal flexed his tense muscles.

Ainsley nodded, battle ready.

Taylor looked around and popped a smile.

Xia looked back and forth, seeing all of them were in agreement. Despite breathing heavily and knowing people were watching her, the fact the person she loved and hated the most were there for her more than her flesh made her blood boil.

"Father, if you don't believe in me anymore, we'll save the whole world and show them!"

Jun laughed at seeing them all side by side, chuckling and clapping.

"Defying authority through loyalty. This is your declaration of adulthood?"

They nodded.

"Xia, your condition was to land one hit on me," dispelling the Void while walking through the air without visible wings or magic in sight. "Ideally, no adult should ever exert force on mere children. But the six of you, naive and shortsighted to the world around you," continuing to walk towards them as he dropped his suit to reveal a keikogi attire underneath.

Sehki and Ainsley summoned out their familiars, Rigal and Ainsley coated themselves in their respective elements, Xia's hands lit up on fire, and Calypsa readied her staff.

"Big talk coming from the one who turned them into caged birds trying to force them back inside."

A lava pillar rose up in front of Jun, only for him to vanish as it felt.

Calypsa immediately pivoted.

"Everyone move!"

Jun stood right behind them, crossing his hands while light cracked underneath the six of them.

"I'll teach you the pain of adulthood."