Heavenly Mortals-Act One

XIX-Qi'ra

Qi'ra could see why Calum admired the stars so much. So much that he even studied about them.

As the sun's light was reduced to a splash of yellow and orange in the far horizon, the light of the stars and moon dominated the sky. They made beautiful splashes of light on the dark sky.

She could see the galaxy, a delicate yet grand stream of light. Despite the clouds surrounding the Floating Sanctuary, they still had a good view looking directly upwards. They stood there, in that strange grove, with its smooth stone paths surrounded by greenery.

Calum was still educating her on constellations, "That there is Ursa Major, and next to it, Ursa minor,"

He made a circle with his fingers to guide Qi'ra's eyes, "They're bear constellations. And if you look a little northeast, you'll see Arcus est Sanctas, the Sanctum's arch. My family's crest."

For the first time tonight, Qi'ra could see a pattern in the sky. A line of particularly bright stars made an arch. When she connected the stars with imaginary lines, she managed to make a strange, bizarre symbol surrounded by the arch.

"My great-grandfather was the one who discovered it. It became our family's symbol."

"How do you know so much?" Qi'ra asked.

"I have no idea," Calum replied, "But as someone who likes looking at the sky, I'm loving every second of it. There are so many amazing things hiding in plain sight, in this vast sky. It's more than just a sea of diamonds,"

Qi'ra couldn't help but wonder just what it was like for Calum. Sure, they had seen each others memories, but they were visited by gods, got sent on this quest, fought otherworldly creatures, but unlike her, he just seemed to be going with the flow. He took it all in stride. She was close to having another convulsion.

This went especially for when Qi'ra had tried to assassinate him. She had been unconscious for a while, but she was sure that he wasn't the least bit rattled. He was still cheerful enough to annoy her to her core.

It reminded Qi'ra of something Ikori had told her, A soldier obeys every order given to him by his general. No matter how crazy or bizarre, he just says, 'Yes, sir!' and does what he must. He does not complain, and certainly does not have a mental breakdown. The same goes for a disciple and their master.

Calum was like a soldier. He did what he was told. He didn't question anything, didn't let his emotions get in the way. He went on this quest without complaint.

It was scary how indifferent he acted, even though he acknowledged that this journey had been one crazy situation after another. Qi'ra couldn't understand how he had been convinced to do all he had.

Qi'ra had a scary thought-what would happen if he had to kill someone? Not some creature, but a person?

Would there be any remorse or fear in his eyes?

"Well, it's getting late. Only four hours before we depart. Let's go rest up," Calum's suggestion pulled her back into reality.

"You mean, head back to our quarters all the way over there?" Qi'ra pointed at the palace, looming over them like a very grand mountain.

"You're right," Calum chuckled, "Why don't we rest out here?"

Qi'ra shrugged and agreed. They sat on one of the stone benches in what was essentially a park, according to Calum. It remotely reminded Qi'ra of the grove in Ikori monastery.

Calum sat cross-legged on the stone bench, boots off, and started taking deep breaths. He was circulating his Chakra, something Chakra users did to restore lost energy.