STELLARIUM(BOOK ONE)

Chapter 33: The Crafts IV

Xander consults Apex, they're standing at the courts. "Apex! You lied to me! Why?!"

       Apex remained silent, calm even. He maintained his composure, his lips couldn't move. Solstice walked in at the sound of his voice, "Xander!"

       Xander turned to stare at Solstice with rage, "I'll tell you everything you need to know. It's not Apex, it's me. It's my fault. I sent her to exile and if she tried to come back then it'll be me and her on the battlefield, all I need is just a next in command. The rest can't leave their duties."

       "Oh but I can leave my lab? My life and my dreams? My goals and my ambitions?! You've not said a proper thing, you just gave a preamble for the explanation I bet you are about to give me."

       "Alright then! She wanted to be the court master. I couldn't let that happen, I built the courts and the realms! So I cast her out to exile. She was a rebel!"

        "A rebel? Or difficult to manipulate. Which is it?"

    Solstice remained silent. 

    Xander continued, "exactly, just as I expected. When is she coming back?"

       "By the rise of the Blue Moon. She'll return through the seventh gate of the Earth HZ."

       "You kept her with the normal humans because you wanted her to lose the majority of her self concept. To lose her power and reason for the opposition, won't that make her even more bitter and what if she never lost it?"

        "That's the issue, she never lost it. That's why I asked for you to be here and also I'll need someone soon."

        "Who?", "Luna."

     "You can't be serious, I don't want Luna in any of this. Leave the remaining part of my family out of this, I don't want any form of interference."

      "I understand but it's almost time for her to become an ascended master, but it'll be after the battle. Depending on who wins."

        Xander replied, "until then." He walked out on them. He appeared at the house by walking through the wall, he sat on his bed. His nervous system was overworked and tense. 

       Zephyr already left, it was the next day evening. Although Zephyr left a note. "I'll be back tomorrow evening but if I can't I'll send a text."

        He exhaled and laid on the bed with his back, he could overhear a male voice and that of Astrid. He smiled, he walked towards their room, he peeped through the door. He saw a man there. It was Aster and Astrid. 

       He stared at them till they noticed his gaze. Aster stood and said, "you must be Xander. Nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you. After all these years we meet."

      Xander shook his hand and asked, "You are?"

      He took off his eyeglasses, "I'm Aster, Lucas Aster. I'm a senior scientist at the lab. I'm one of your fathers's students or rather former students. He was my guide and science mentor."

       "Oh alright, and who are you to my sister?"

      He smiled, "Her boyfriend."

    Xander bobbed his head for a while, "right, that's alright. I'm sorry for distracting you both. I'll be back with what I had going on."

       "No not at all, it's fine. I'll see you some other time."

      "Certainly. Some other time. Bye As…trid."

       He teased and walked away slowly, he shut the door behind him. His phone beeped, it's the text from Aster. He's shocked. 

     Aster said 'hey' . 

  He replied the same, he walked straight to his room, shutting the door. His phone beeped again, this time it was Zephyr. 

      He decided it'll make more sense to dial his number. The phone rang, Zephyr picked. "Hey dude, guess what I met her boyfriend, he seems cool. Any news? Oh shoot! Sorry about my leaving and not giving a time frame for my departure. How are you??"

        "And I'm expecting, you're expecting me to actually answer all the questions and respond to all the gestures and sentences you just gave at once. Right?"

        "Yeah of course", "Wrong!"

     Xander laughed, "come on, catch me some slack. Let's get into it. What happened, I noticed you dropped a set of files and voice notes  for me. Summarize them."

       "Oh really, if you really want to know what's happening then you'll take your total lord ass and check them through. Text me when you're done."

       Zephyr hung up. Xander could tell he was pissed. Not at him but probably his father, probably because of what he did. 

       Xander sat by the dinning table, he decided it'll be best to listen to the voice notes as he ate dinner. His eyes glanced through the room and noticed Lily and Luke with Luna. His eyes dimmed down when he remembered her future fate. He turned his face back to his bowl of fruits and cereal, he blocked his ears with his ear pods. 

        Zephyr firstly expressed how unhappy he was about the situation between both brothers. He wanted more clarification, he felt cheated, he felt rejected and he felt lonely. He threw more light on the laboratory and it's new policies, the new projects and the dangers of each. They've been affecting the weather ever since he left. He felt like Xander could talk some sense into his father's head before things got ugly. 

       Xander dropped his bowl by the kitchen sink, he washed the images he used. He noticed something. He noticed a light, it was outside the window, it was far away. It was blue, that's the experiment. The light, the portal, his father tried to connect the seven galaxy gateways but why? 

        He just remembered, he never asked for the name of the woman Solstice exiled and what her family tree was. He wasn't up for any strange surprises. 

      He chose to send a voicemail to Zephyr, he walked to his room quickly. On the way to the staircase, Lily blocked his path. She wanted him to play with her but he couldn't. He just kissed her cheeks and he dropped her, she ran off to Luna.

       He shut the door and he said during the recording, "Zephyr! I get it! He's trying to connect the gates. He wants to get into Earth HZ but that'll bring her out. What do you think?"

      Zephyr received the voice mail, he called and said. "Next time send a voice note, not a voicemail. How hard would that be! Just adapt to it. This new age for a moment, you're off your throne."

       "Really? Just think of what I said. We need her name and her family tree. I'll check on Solstice and get back to you."

         Zephyr replied with a thumbs up emoji. Xander felt dirty, his skin was so sticky. He took his clothes off, he walked into the bathroom nude. Surprisingly he saw someone he didn't expect. 

       The Little boy standing there looking at him, he was in a vision. 

     He asked, "What's your name?"

    The boy replied, "Yerkis."