The soft, cosmic-black glow of Adrazenith's star above bathed the vast farmlands in obesidian-shaded shadows. The star had finally transitioned from its "exposed" to its "collapsed " state. Rows of bioluminescent, azure-shaded crops swayed gently in the night, their roots pulsing eerily below. Nivk tapped at the Elite435 badge on his armor's chest plate, his finger glowing bright with a golden hue. The rectangular badge reacted to his released spirit energy instantly. Beginning to sap at it, then clicking, and then retreating into four separate corners. A flash of white light enveloped his entire body. The thick billowing cloak from earlier, its pearl-white alien fabric stained with Stella Farm soil, had been tattered, dirty, and ripped in multiple places. Now golden threads stretched from the cloak, stitching and sewing it back to its pearly state. As the last of the rips were repaired, the cloak released a thick , snowflake-like set of energy around him and restored itself to its former glory, now draping over his elite armor. The weight of his barestride greaves pressed into the crystalline soil as he took slow, deliberate steps towards the entrance of Stella farms to leave.
He'd originally been sent out on elite guardsman patrol, tasked to operate on duty through the star's (sprouting-full-exposed) phases, and report back at the onset of (collapsed). Today, however, he'd bail on patrol, using the time to instead search for clues to his father's whereabouts after a Nayoe ambush. Of course, it was a dead end, like so many others before. Yet this time, he'd met Ederi and Themaine. Perhaps Ederi's explanation of Zexornites was meant to clear the shrouded truth from Nivk's perspective. The product of King Beo's wish bestowed upon the Bayoe people, "Zexornites,"could end the very war he'd been born into; it sounded like a fairy tale. Still, if such a revelation… were real, maybe it could help him find his Dodma.
Just as he dared to cross the border of Stella Farms' entrance, a familiar voice called out behind him."So, Big Shine Elite Soldier Boy, what's your vocation now?"
Nivk shifted his head slightly, spotting Ederi over his shoulder. Her arms crossed, eyes now normal, no longer showing their earlier Zephri state. Barefoot, her feet sank slightly into the soil, much like his own. Themaine strolled beside her sister, placing one hand on her hip as she gazed up at the stars above.
"You don't know where your Dodma whereabouts, the High Council will place a strait on your search for him. And if they find out you met or could be a Zexornite, even as a low light, they'll send you on a flickering flashout mission… or worse," Ederi continued, her voice softer now.
Themaine exhaled quietly, the golden veins within her body lightly thruming with a low pulse in time with the swirl of her spirit orb's core. She hesitated before speaking."If you'd been a bit more blessed, I'd be an Elite too. As you know, my shine would be bright enough to distract everyone , which at least would give you more time to look for your Dodma" she murmured, eyes darting to the side as if embarrassed by the admission.
Nivk sighed, adjusting the straps of his chest plate armor over the shoulder of his cloak. "I have to return to the Chrysalis. There might be more missions or training waiting for me. I don't even know if my Pardes is charged or warm over there, but I could use a res-cycle for a while."
A frown marked Ederi's entire expression. "You're eleven leap stars old, and you sleep in a cocoon in a training ground?" she asked, sorrow creeping into her tone.
Nivk merely shrugged. "Whether you are a shooting star, a lowlight, or a long-leap star legend, all elites sleep in Pardes. I don't get special treatment for being younger or shining brighter than the rest."
A quiet silence lingered between them before Themaine finally spoke again, voice barely above a whisper. "During Relight," she clarified, meaning tomorrow, " if you don't have any missions, come back."
Nivk's sight shifted over to meet her gaze. "Why?"
Themaine glanced at Ederi before answering. "There's a place you should gaze. It's a couple of zones away… in the Glistanemo Dayvide."
Ederi shuddered at the mention of the area, rubbing her arms as if the memory alone sent a chill through her. "Ohhh… you mean that hyper-dimmed place? It's always been so scary going there. How do you even remember it? Last time you snuck out to follow me, you got lost and wouldn't leave Stella Farms for three whole star warps after you got back. But… maybe it can help him out."
Themaine's swirling core spun faster, lighting her whole body with spirit energy as her golden veins flared in embarrassment. "I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP EXPLORING ZONES IN ADRAZENITH, I CAN BE A DUMB DECAPREMAI THAT EXPLORES JUST AS MUCH AS YOU"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah… enough with the flaring out already, you'll diminish the already very slim chance of your new shiny friend coming back at Relight." Ederi teased with a chuckle, "Now, before I tell Monama, go and make sure the Surnshine herded all the Pegasus and Capricorns back into the nesting barn. And don't forget to feed Torrac, you ride that dang pegasus from Sprouting to exposed, and always manage to forget to feed him half the time, flicker head."
Before Themaine could respond, however "Monama… that's right, I've got some Sabbatical leave, it won't be many cycles, but I should get a couple of warp stars out of it, " Nivk said, meaning he'd have at least a few weeks off, warps, cycles, and blooms marking time in Adrazenith. The thought of seeing his mother again clung to him; it had been three whole leap stars since they'd last spoken. Three years, by that same star above, timing.
Themaine scoffed, the internal golden hue of her veins dimming as she calmed. " Then do it zork…. I'll see you at relight sometime in the next few cycles then.. Right?"
"Only if you promise to let me tell Jevohan about you trying to fight me earlier," Nivk replied simply, before tightening his cloak and setting off into the night.
As Themaine tried to lunge at Nivk's back, Ederi swooped in, laughing. "Oh, for sure, I can promise you that!" she called out, snatching up her young sister and tucking her under her arm like a rolled-up carpet . She'd then strode back towards the Stella barn, Themaine flailing and hurling insults at an already half-gone Nivk.
As the stars' collapsed phase stretched on, cosmic-black hues blanketed the land like a thick, suffocating mist. The journey from Stella to the Chrysalis wasn't grueling, but at times it felt endless, measured in silent, barestride greave steps and the rhythmic rustling of his elite cloak against his armor. Nivk traversed the vast expanse of a crystal-filled sandy desert. The Terflora zone, where towering, behemoth-like worms coated in the same sand Nivk trod upon, burrowed easily thanks to their rock-hard shells. Their gigantic, splaying mouths revealed a black, diamond-shaped core inside, and their thousand rows of teeth induced terror with each flash. Occasionally bursting from the ground, their massive forms silhouetted against the collapsing star above. Called Cruciforms, they were among the many light devourers that emerged during Adrazenith's collapsed star phase to feed, vanishing back into the pitch-black and purple crystal dunes once the sprouting phase began. Each impact shook the once-bright, now dampened Adrazenith soils as if they might sunder apart once more. Yet Nivk remained unfazed, his pace steady.
He reached for his Elite435 badge, his finger shining gold with imbued spirit energy. The badge immediately sapped the energy from his finger and snapped, separating all four corners of the rectangular badge with a satisfying click. Now, fully opened, it projected a holographic sundial that ticked faintly in the air before him. Holographic warning symbols glimmered and flared, flashing text, as crystal shards raining from the sky, streaking towards the planet at extreme speeds.
Then, without warning, a Crucifom erupted from the sand directly in front of Nivk, its massive body shaking the ground as it towered above him. The creature arched over his frame, then slammed forcefully back down into the depths of the dunes below.
"A Crystorm," he muttered, his tone melancholy. "It's one thing to deal with a Crucifom herd, but this is really dimming me down. And with it being collapsed phase, things will only be worse for me when I get back," he watched the glowing dial shift slightly. "If I'd left earlier, I'd be nearing the elite campgrounds within the Chrysalis by now."
He took what looked to be a deep breath, the light within his spirit orb core dimming, making the pitch-black cosmic darkness around him seem even deeper. With a snap, he closed the badge, shutting off the holographic sundial. Nivk continued to trek across the desert as crystal shards crashed into the sands around him, Crucifoms by the dozen, traversed the landscape behind him. For a brief moment, worry flickered across his face, shooting from the lowlight in his core. Perhaps, at the thought of how harshly the high council will punish him for showing up past night-light curfew.