STELLARIUM(BOOK ONE)

Chapter 18: Celestial Serpent

"…Me on this, first we'll need dad's laptop with that sound encryption. Then, we'll need you to move through the earth's realms for it."

      Elysium interfered, "excuse me? You are not sending your brother into some loophole for eternity. That's not the best and most beneficial idea. Change it."

          "I need him to activate his powers before it's too late. He needs to ascend."

        "I'm ready, let's go there. It'll be safer to reach the Astral Outpost by nighttime. It'll be safer for us."

        It's 9:45 pm, and they had already reached the Astral Outpost. Astrid logged into the laptop, Xander stood waiting for the blue light from the circle in front of him. His mother watched him afraid of what could go wrong if he mistakenly missed it. Her fingers rub the pendant of her necklace nervously.

       The sound played, "Xander get ready. Do it now."

       Xander walked into the portal in his suit filled with oxygen and it took him to the other dimension. The portal shuts down.

        They stared in silence after his departure. Elysium exhaled the fear locked up in her chest, with her hands on her sweaty head.

       Xander passed through the timeline with a dizzy head, he stared at the bright light taking him to the other side. He falls through the hole, he hits the ground. "Ugh!"

        He exhaled and stayed low, he noticed he laid on a crystal surface, he stayed calm and he watched the environment closely. He realized he had no upcoming threats, so he stood to his feet.

          It made him feel like he was lost, he took his hands to the crystal bridge he was on. He studied its cool temperature with his hands, he stared at the lower darkness underneath the bridge. He was in the galaxy.

        He saw the light come from above him, from Earth X. He saw another doorway behind him and in front of him, he's confused. He walks closer to the one behind him, he hears a strange sound emerging from it.

      He saw the written label placed above it, upon the gold an inscription appears. He read it aloud, "Earth SDIA?" He stared at the hole, he took his fingers through it. He walked through the portal, his eyes stare in shock at the world in front of him.

      The water, the swirls, the temperature and the air. He saw the atmosphere, it looked like an imaginary heaven. The clouds were made of swirls and the pillars were made of water, or looked like a palace. He stared closely, he noticed a set of small creatures floating through the air towards him. The light protruding through the tiny creatures floating in the air made him move back with caution.

       He brought his palm forward, one floated above his hand and it spoke. "Alex." He stared at the creature in shock, it's twelve legs touched his palm and settled on it. It spoke again, "Alexander Nova, what do you seek?" Xander got chills and goosebumps from it's quiet voice.

       Xander replied, "Who are you? How did you know that? My name? Have you been watching me?" The colour of the being changed from white to gold.

       It said, "Yes we all have, we've been paying close attention to your strategies. What do you seek? Armour, weapon, wisdom? What is it? Speak?"

        "I want to know everything, from the beginning to this very moment and even the future. Tell me everything, I want weapons too, I don't know what is going against me and what I'm going against. Again, what are you?"

        "Very well, I am a Lunaract. We come from the energy of the moon, we are the guardians of the gateway portals. We also have the power to transform into a human-like body, we have different colors for different moods. First the white is a neutral mood or temper, it symbolizes balance and wisdom. The second is the gold, it symbolizes happiness and excitement. The third is the blue, it symbolizes sadness or pain. The fourth is the green, it symbolizes a state of power and strength. The fifth is the purple, it symbolizes a state of anger and bitterness. The sixth is black, it symbolizes a state of death. There are three types of our kind, the Lunaract, the Solaract and the Triract. Each house holds a special responsibility and they use the same colour formation. Do you need anything else? Or should we proceed to the royal house?"

          "The royal house? First I need the weapons. How do I get those and what's this Earth about?"

       "Well, as you can see… this is Earth SDIA. The earth of the marine, it bears one of the strongest powers within the cosmos, the first created by Solstice. It is infused with a single culture of species. As for the weapons, you must get them from the royal house of SDIA."

        "Where's the royal house and who's in charge?" The Lunaract floats away from his palm, it's colour turned gold again. It's happy.

       "When you meet him you'll know. Follow me." It transforms into a lady of light, another does the same. They had fairy wings, they took a hold of Xander and opened a portal, through the portal Xander could see the royal gate. He walked through with them and the Lunaract said, "When you get there, you must show respect and offer yourself as a subject to the lord of the royal house. Always respect the kingdom you find yourself in. Even if it's the enemy's."

          Xander walks through the gate still in his suit, he sees the man seated. He expected someone else but it's none other than the Grand Arbiter Apex.

        Apex greets, "I presume you least expected me to be here, didn't you? Well anyway you are welcome."

        Apex walked down the stairs to meet Xander, he looked gorgeous as always. His long hair reaching his waist and his archer suit well fitted on his body. He smiled at him, "Xander, Xander, Xander, what do you need?"

      The Lunaract replied, "My lord, he seeks the weapons."

       Apex bites on an apple staring at Xander, "So suddenly he can't speak?"

       "Accept my apologies, my lord."

      He chews on the apple, "Why ask for weapons without wisdom or simple knowledge. What would you gain?"