Ad Astra - The Alagore War

AA V4 Salva, Chapter 13

Starlight spiraled high above, a shimmering cascade drawn into an endless whirlpool. The Epliss Embers' haze bled into the boundless glow of the cosmos, a fusion of misty fire and celestial radiance. Vertigo gripped her, swirling through her senses before dissolving into stillness. The sky settled, unveiling billions of winking lights piercing the velvet dark, the ember-haze threading through them like a whispered secret. A tranquil hush fell over everything, the universe pausing in quiet reverence.

"So beautiful," she murmured, her voice a soft echo in the void.

Reaching toward the stars, she froze—her arm shimmered into view, an otherworldly blend of glowing green, yellow, and white. Concern flickered through her. "What is this? I... I have an arm?"

Curiosity overtook her, and she twirled with delight, inspecting her luminous limbs. Mid-spin, she realized she wasn't tethered to the ground—she was adrift, weightless in the vastness. "This... this feels... I know this. But how?"

As she hovered, two radiant bugs blinked into existence beside her, their tiny forms pulsing with light—one a pure, gleaming white, the other a warm, flickering orange. She could see their hum, vibrations rippling through the air like delicate waves. "Hello," she ventured, tentative yet awed.

The glow bugs responded in unison, bobbing and weaving as if caught in a playful dance. Her glowing arms shimmered and dissolved, transforming into twin orbs of light that mirrored the bugs' brilliance. She joined their rhythm, swaying and spinning in a silent, cosmic waltz.

Then, faint voices drifted up from below. Peering down, she glimpsed the Salva Palace, its stone walls aglow under the starlit haze. Guards paced the ramparts, but her gaze settled on three figures leaning against the wall: Ryder, Natilite, and—impossibly—herself, Assiaya.

"It wasn't a dream?"

She descended, drawn toward the scene. There she lay, her sleeping form cradled in her father's lap. As she drifted closer, Natilite's hand lashed out, swatting at her glowing presence. Startled, Assiaya darted back, her light pulsing with a surge of fear.

From a safe distance, she hovered, watching. The muffled voices of the Valkyrie woman and Altaerrie man blurred into the night, their tones warm and light. Natilite's laughter—a rare, angelic trill—cut through the haze. Assiaya's gaze lingered on her sleeping self, nestled against Ryder. Drawn in again, she floated nearer, circling the Captain as he raised his drink. Her presence brushed against him, and the cup tipped, splashing liquid into the night.

April 10th, 2069 (Military Calendar)

Salva, the former Confederacy of Daru'uie

Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore

*****

Staring out from the balcony, Flavius-Elpidius Antius found the city beautiful. Throughout his military career, he had seen many towns. He could not pinpoint precisely what he found attractive, maybe because the war had only touched it, so it still had its innocence. It was not as large as the megacities in Hispana, like New Eboracum, Allsari, or the capital city Matho, being below moderate. Still, he could tell there was history here—when Salva once had importance.