CELESTIA — CHAPTER 41 : The Echo of Stars and Blood
The ship sliced through Earth's atmosphere with silent grace, like a war angel descending from the heavens. Its white hull, veined with celestial gold, gleamed beneath the setting sun. Along its sides, the UAP symbol — a winged "J" — pulsed with a soft inner radiance.
It landed upon the main platform of the Celestial Sanctuary, hidden deep within the Rocky Mountains.
The fortress itself looked unreal.
Crystalline towers pierced the heavens like frozen spears of light. Suspended bridges floated between snow-covered peaks, held aloft by ancient Fumetsu. Luminous gardens bloomed in impossible colors despite the freezing winds, eternal flowers swaying beneath the pale glow of the evening sky.
Inside the grand Council Hall, the atmosphere was heavy with tension.
Arthur D. Blackthorne stood at the center of the chamber, tall and imposing, his black coat cascading behind him like a living shadow. Beside him stood Ginryuu — a young man with messy black hair and large, unnaturally white eyes that carried an almost supernatural intensity.
He wore black from head to toe: a long dark cape fastened with a silver clasp, a fitted combat suit, gloves, and a belt lined with blessed steel.
Near him stood Lucan, an ordinary-looking Paladin whose awkward posture and nervous gaze contrasted sharply with the overwhelming presence of the others.
Facing them were several Seraphims.
Râ stood in absolute silence, radiating crushing solar heat that distorted the air around him. Beside him, Himari Harihiho remained perfectly still, cold and emotionless like a statue carved from divine ice.
Arthur finally spoke.
His voice was low. Sharp. Precise.
— "The time has come."
The hall fell even quieter.
— "Error has already razed Nyx."
A holographic projection appeared above the council table.
Ruined cities. Burning skies. Dead civilizations.
— "Ryuusei continues to corrupt reality itself."
The projection shifted again: twisted landscapes, distorted bodies, dimensions collapsing into impossible shapes.
Arthur slowly placed his gloved hands on the table.
— "Merela and her Sovereigns are preparing something far greater."
His gaze darkened.
— "We can no longer afford to wait."
Silence.
Then—
— "The Academy examinations will be moved forward."
Even the Seraphims seemed to react slightly.
— "Three weeks from now."
Arthur's voice became colder.
— "The Zenith Class will be tested earlier than planned."
A pause.
— "We need real Paladins."
Another silence.
Heavy.
— "The weak will be eliminated."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
— "The survival of humanity comes before everything else."
No one argued.
No one objected.
Because everyone in that room understood the truth:
the world was already beginning to collapse.
One by one, the Seraphims nodded.
The decision had been made.
---
Thousands of kilometers away…
The sun was dying slowly behind jagged cliffs overlooking the ocean.
Gold and crimson reflections bled across the waves like liquid fire.
Zayn Al-Kage was shirtless, finishing the final repetitions of his training.
His arms trembled violently.
Sweat poured down his skin, mixing with dried traces of purple blood running along his forearm.
Every movement hurt.
Every breath burned.
His Blessed Energy Disorder was tearing his body apart from the inside.
Yet he continued.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Until finally—
He collapsed onto the rocky ground.
His chest rose violently as he struggled to breathe.
Above him, the sky stretched endlessly blue and merciless.
— "I can't anymore…" he muttered weakly.
Nearby, Azel stood with his arms crossed, watching him with cold precision.
His gaze never softened.
But he understood.
— "That's enough for today," Azel finally said.
At that exact moment—
BZZZT.
Zayn's phone vibrated beside him.
He grabbed it lazily and answered without even checking the screen.
— "Yeah… what's up…?"
Cynthia's voice immediately cut through his exhaustion.
Tense.
Urgent.
— "Zayn… come to the infirmary."
A short silence.
— "Right now. It's urgent."
The exhaustion vanished from his face instantly.
Zayn stood up.
Fast.
He grabbed his shirt, pulled it over his head, and immediately sprinted toward the Academy.
---
The infirmary hallways were cold and unnaturally white.
The smell of medical Fumetsu lingered in the sterile air.
Zayn slowed his pace as he approached the corner.
Then he froze.
Jessica.
She sat motionless in a wheelchair.
Her hands gripped her knees tightly.
Her face was pale.
Empty.
Haunted.
She looked like someone whose soul had never truly returned from somewhere terrible.
Behind her stood Cynthia, quietly holding the wheelchair handles.
Even Cynthia looked shaken.
Zayn approached slowly.
His throat tightened painfully.
— "Jessica…?"
No response.
— "What happened?"
Cynthia lowered her eyes.
When she finally spoke, her voice carried something fragile.
Something deeply tired.
— "She had a breakdown during light training today."
Zayn's expression changed immediately.
— "The memories came back too strongly."
Silence.
— "It's because of that mission."
His stomach tightened.
He already knew which mission.
The abandoned mansion.
That horrible night.
The memory crashed back into him instantly.
The four of them: Zayn. Yojuro. Murata. Jessica.
The mansion had been filled with corpses.
Blood everywhere.
The smell.
The silence.
Jessica had already been terrified before the fight even started.
Then the djinn appeared.
Fast.
Violent.
Monstrous.
Yojuro had been gravely injured.
Murata lost his sight during that mission.
And Jessica…
Zayn remembered the exact moment.
He had restrained the djinn temporarily using a Primal.
Just for a second.
But the creature broke free.
And then—
Jessica was struck directly in the stomach.
The impact nearly killed her.
She survived.
But something inside her never healed.
— "She can't forget it," Cynthia whispered.
Jessica's fingers trembled slightly.
— "Every time she tries to use Fumetsu… she sees the corpses again."
Her voice grew quieter.
— "She sees the djinn."
A pause.
— "She sees her own blood."
The hallway suddenly felt colder.
— "She said she never wants to experience that again."
Slowly…
Jessica lifted her eyes toward Zayn.
And what he saw there broke something inside him.
Fear.
Not ordinary fear.
The kind that remains long after survival.
The kind that lives inside the bones forever.
Zayn clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Guilt crashed into him violently.
— "It's my fault…" he whispered.
His voice shook.
— "If I had been faster that day…"
Cynthia gently shook her head.
— "No."
But even she did not sound convinced.
Then she looked toward the darkened window at the end of the hallway.
— "The exams have been moved forward."
Zayn slowly looked up.
— "Three weeks."
Silence.
— "We're all going to be tested."
Her eyes hardened slightly.
— "And if we're not ready…"
She looked at Jessica.
— "We might all end up like her."
Broken.
The word was never spoken aloud.
But everyone heard it anyway.
A long silence settled over the hallway.
Heavy. Painful. Human.
Then Zayn slowly knelt in front of Jessica.
Carefully…
he placed his hand over hers.
Warm.
Steady.
His eyes no longer carried arrogance.
Only determination.
— "I'm sorry."
Jessica's trembling stopped slightly.
— "But I swear…"
Zayn's voice became firmer.
— "I'll become stronger."
A pause.
— "Strong enough to protect everyone."
His grip tightened gently.
— "I promise."
Outside the Academy…
the sun disappeared completely beyond the horizon.
And darkness swallowed the world whole.