STELLARIUM(BOOK ONE)

Chapter 28: The Court Storms

Aster ran straight for them, he yelled, "Everyone! Out! Get in! It's the start of the storms!"

       Astrid stood with her eyes fixed on the stormy clouds, "Xander what are you doing?"

    Zephyr pulled her arm, "let's check this at the top floor of the firm. It's unsafe here! Come on!" He ran upstairs with both ladies behind him. He opened the door with his card, he ran towards the windows and pulled it up. Guess what, it even looked scarier compared to before. It looked like they were close to it.

     The clouds had this blue light coursing through them like lightning would, Zephyr sets his tripod and starts a video of it. Astrid asked, "Luna? Is it possible for the celestial serpent to cause this? Or just Xander?"

        "This is clearly Solstice, not Xander. It's either there is a fight or an argument at the courts but what led to it? It's either Vexis or Solstice, according to what I've studied. These two are the only ones capable of causing anything like this."

         "Can we open a portal now?"

     Zephyr warned, "Hell no! Definitely not! How could you think of such a thing as that?! We already have three portals set. Did your ada mention anything about the seven portal theory?"

       An invisible lightbulb appeared above Luna's head. "Yes! He said something like that, but I can't remember what they were for, I think he spoke of an alignment."

      While they spoke, Seraphina, Orion and Lyra walked into the scene. Zephyr didn't expect to see his three younger siblings at the moment. Seraphina said, "Zephyr a word, we need you downstairs. The loophole got triggered. It went mad on it's own and it's causing the fourth portal to open behind the firm. I think it's at the Orion Beltway."

        "Everyone and anyone should avoid that hole till dad gets back. I can't tamper with anything and neither should anyone of you."

        Orion asked, "you think? You should check this footage out to see who tampered with it in the first place." Zephyr took the laptop from his hands and sat by the chair, he started the video from the very start. Everyone gathered around him, it played. He zoomed in.

          To their greatest surprise, it was none other than Aurora. Their eyes stared in shock after he passed the video on her face, Zephyr dropped the laptop and walked down the stairs alone. Lyra took her phone out and dialed her father's number but it was switched off.

         Zephyr yelled, "Dad!" They ran towards the direction his voice came from. On getting to the room, he saw his dad already unconscious and nearly lifeless. His head had a wound on it and his stomach had a cut, he bled terribly. "Dad, what happened to you? Who did this to you?" The sadness from his voice hit Luna deeply.

         Astrid already ran ahead to get the first aid kit and Lyra took the oxygen mask. Orion loosened his shirt and stared at the stomach cut. He noticed it was a clawline not a knife line. "Someone tore him, not a knife but a claw-like finger."

          Void tried to speak from his mouth already filled with blood and blood clustering between his teeth. "Zephyr." He could barely speak and breathe, still he tried to. "Zephyr, She possessed Aurora. She came back before the exile." Zephyr stared at him confused at his words. "Zephyr, the serpent never left, it helped her escape beforehand. Either that or the astral chimera came back."

      Lyra and Astrid put him on the bed, Orion tore his shirt off revealing his chest. Lyra started the wound treatment, Orion handled his head and the oxygen machine.

       Zephyr walked away from them feeling hopeless, he walked till he got to the hole. He kept his distance from the loophole, he saw the dark smoke within it. He turned to the switch his father pulled out forcefully, he walked to the side of the loophole and forced it into the wall. He switched it down, the loophole closed up."

        He unplugged the switches from the wall and he smeared the paint from the bucket on it. It put cement before the paint, he moved away with the equipment. He dismantled it and separated the parts of it on the table. The storm stopped.

        Aster noticed this, he walked outside the firm and felt the cool air. He saw something falling from above, it looked like it was put in a floating case as he flew through the atmosphere. He tried to get a glance of what was inside but he couldn't. He walked closer and noticed it was a woman. The case landed, he stood by it. It was Aurora.

         She was unconscious, he carried her in his arms. He dropped her on the medical table close to Galen and Void. He fixed a fluid into her veins, the trio lying straight on the table with oxygen masks hovering over their faces.

       Soon enough the alignment broke loose and all portals closed. Orion yelled, "they're closed," Professor Thalia walked into the firm looking for everyone, she heard voices from the medical rooms. She opened the door and was surprised by the sight of the team.

        She asked, "What happened? Where's Xander? Vexis? Is that Void?" She walked closer to the table. "Who did this to him?"

        "It's a very long story but I'm glad he's here now." Zephyr replied, he didn't want to cause anymore issues or draw attention to Xander's disappearance.