Planet: K-7
Gravity: 0.75g
Temperature: 5°F
Stellar System: Kheris
Number of Stars: 2 (Binary)
Star Type: G-type (orange-yellow) / M-type (red)
Number of Planets: 10 (4 within the habitable zone)
Galaxy: Viridion Galaxy
The next morning, the starlight began its descent toward K-7.
From above, the planet appeared like a bright white and blue marble of rock and ice. Frozen mountain ranges stretched across most of its surface, their jagged peaks piercing through the thick clouds covering the world. The Starlight tore through the atmosphere. Once below the clouds, the planet's surface became much clearer.
There was almost nothing. No cities. No forests. No visible life. Only endless grey and bluish rock buried beneath layers of snow and ice. Tall mountain ranges surrounded the area in every direction, their peaks disappearing into the pale clouds above. The starlight, a ship nearly the size of a small city, slowly descended into a large clearing between the mountains. Its landing gear slammed into the frozen ground, sending snow and shards of ice flying outward in every direction.
Inside the ship's central command station, a projection of the Kheris stellar system stretched across the entire circular table. The crew stood around it, everyone besides Elysia, watching as the ten planets rotated around the system's two stars.
The projection zoomed toward the seventh planet, K-7. It was the outermost of the four planets located within the system's habitable zone. Elara stood at the head of the table with her arms crossed.
"We're stopping here for a few reasons." She began.
The projection shifted and K-7 enlarged until most of the planet filled the table. It zoomed further toward a mountain range near their current location before a large pulsing red dot appeared inside one of the mountains. The dot was nearly a quarter the size of the entire mountain range.
"There appears to be a B-ranked cosmic well hidden inside one of these mountains. If the scans are accurate, it should contain enough aetherium crystals to add to our current supply. We'll need them for our journey to the next codex fragment outside of this galaxy."
Her red eyes moved across the crew.
"Sylas, Rorik, and Jinx will explore the well. Viro will accompany you as a guide and provide an additional set of eyes."
Rorik grinned, slamming one large fist into his open palm.
"Oh yeahhh baby. We were out of action for too long. It's about damn time!"
Jinx leaned against the table.
"B-rank? Pshhhh… thats light work for us cap."
Sylas raised his hand slightly. Elara looked toward him.
"Yes?"
"I have a question regarding the…" He paused, his brows scrunching together as he tried to pronounce the unfamiliar word.
"Aeth… ether… Aeth…i…rium crystals?"
Jinx snorted.
"Aetherium dude."
"Yes. Those things." Sylas replied.
"What exactly are they used for?"
Elara turned slightly toward the projection.
"Aetherium crystals are one of the cleanest and most efficient sources of energy in the known universe. They're used to power most forms of advanced technology."
The projection changed, displaying several machines surrounding a glowing blue crystal.
"They're also used as a material when creating technology that requires large amounts of essence or energy to operate. Things like starships, weapons, hyperdrives, warp drives and even more."
Sylas studied the images quietly as she continued.
"Their supply is extremely limited though. They can only be found inside mid to high-ranked cosmic wells usually being C to S, which makes them one of the most sought-after resources in the universe."
She waved one hand and the projection displayed images of different fleets and worlds fighting over enormous crystal deposits.
"Entire worlds and coalitions have gone to war over them. Most star traveler crews use aetherium to power their ships and travel between star systems."
Sylas's red eyes widened slightly.
"They sound exactly like the power shards found on my homeworlds."
Everyone looked toward him.
"They're found only inside cosmic wells as well. But my people never fought over them."
Jinx raised an eyebrow.
"What did you use them for?"
Sylas shrugged.
"Nothing important. They were seen as luxurious apparel. Something a queen or princess might wear around her neck or have placed into a crown."
Jinx's mouth opened slightly.
"You're telling me your people wear starship fuel as jewelry?"
"In simple terms… yes."
Sylas looked back at the glowing crystals in the projection.
"I never imagined blood would be spilled over such an item."
Nara's red eyes narrowed slightly.
"Did your worlds have much technology?"
Sylas looked toward her.
"Not at all."
He leaned back slightly.
"Most of our cities are built from stone, wood, and metals forged by hand. Our people travel by foot or by animal. We fight with swords, spears, bows, and the essence we're born with.The only advanced technology commonly used by our people are starships, and even those are mainly used to travel between the worlds under keldon rule."
Jinx stared at him for a moment.
"So your people live like some ancient fantasy story but can travel through space?"
Sylas smiled faintly.
"I suppose you could describe it that way."
Elara nodded.
"The keldons are the only one of the four core elf races that openly reject most modern technology."
Sylas looked over to her.
"They believe becoming too dependent on it weakens society as a whole. Most of the technology they use is limited to starships so they can travel between their many worlds."
Sylas's brows raised slightly.
"You know a considerable amount about my people."
"There are smaller populations of Keldons settled throughout my home galaxy. Some have worlds and kingdoms of their own."
Her gaze lowered briefly toward the table.
"My best friend and co-captain, Talon, is also part keldon alongside being eldariian like me."
Kaito leaned forward against the edge of the table.
"Sooo… what am I doing? Am I going into the well with them?"
Elara turned toward him.
"No, not necessarily." She replied.
Kaito's eyebrows scrunched together.
"Then what do you need me for?"
Elara waved one hand and the projection of the surrounding mountain range appeared again. The red dot inside the mountain began to pulse brighter.
"We know the estimated location of the well, but not the exact point of entry or where the head guardian is located."
She looked directly at him.
"So we want you to pinpoint both."
Kaito blinked.
"Eh…!? Me?"
She nodded then pointed toward the mountain range displayed above the table.
"Finding a cosmic well without a designated finder or scanning device is nearly impossible. Even beings with heightened senses and powerful sensory abilities are incapable of locating one."
Kaito and the others listened quietly as she continued.
"The only known way to locate a well without a finder is by using another guardian. A celestial guardian inside a yoki or a true cosmic artifact can sense the essence of a cosmic well and the guardian born from it. They are the only known beings capable of doing so naturally."
Sylas's hand moved subtly toward Atlas's hilt on his back.
The room grew silent for a moment. Kaito looked at the pulsing red dot then back to Elara.
"So you want me to use the guardian inside me… To locate the cosmic well for us."
Elara nodded.
"Exactly."
Minutes later, Kaito stepped down from the Starlight's ramp and scanned the towering terrain surrounding them. The cold air immediately bit at his exposed face and hands, but he ignored it completely. His brown eyes moved from one icy mountain to another then another until they stopped. One mountain stood far beyond the others, larger by a vast margin. Its bluish-grey peak disappeared into the clouds above while thick layers of snow and ice covered its sides.
As he stared at it, something inside him stirred. His pupils dilated slightly as a strange feeling pulled at his chest. He didn't understand why, but he wanted to be there.
No…
It felt like he needed to be there. Like somewhere deep inside that mountain was where he belonged.
Elara noticed the sudden change in him. Her red eyes moved toward the mountain before returning to his face.
"That one?" She asked calmly.
He didn't look away, just continued to stare blankly at it.
"Yeah… without a doubt." He mumbled.
Elara turned toward the open ramp.
"Jinx. Rorik. Sylas. Viro."
Footsteps echoed from inside the ship before thre of them walked down the ramp. Viro's robotic head floated beside them like a personal drone.
They stopped near Elara as she pointed toward the massive mountain in the distance.
"The well is likely inside that mountain."
Jinx placed her robotic arm over her eyes and looked up toward it.
"That big ass one?"
"Yes." Elara replied.
"You'll create an entrance and make your way toward the head guardian's location."
Jinx grinned like a mischievous little kid. Elara's gaze sharpened before she could say anything.
"Jinx… Please do not overdo it with the explosions."
Jinx's grin faded slightly.
"I wasn't gonna..." She said, trying her best to sound innocent and give her puppy dog eyes, but she wasn't fooling Elara who just stared at her like a parent silently warning their kid they're on thin ice.
Jinx looked away and she continued to explain the plan.
"Viro will act as our eyes and ears while following you all. We need to confirm whether the head guardian is still inside the well or separated from it like the one Sylas encountered during the exams. If the guardian is there, defeat it swiftly and collect every aetherium crystal you find. This appears to be a decently potent B-ranked well. Between the three of you, it shouldn't be an issue."
Her eyes moved between them.
"But with everything that happened during the exams, do not let your guard down whatsoever."
Jinx scoffed and chuckled.
"Come on, cap. You know we always take our missions seriously."
Elara remained silent.
She pointed her robotic thumb toward Sylas.
"Besides, we can't lose when we got a face like that on our side. We can't possibly lose."
Sylas blinked as he let out a nervous chuckle scratching the side of his face with his finger. Jinx turned and began walking toward the mountain. Viro's head floated beside her as she passed Kaito with Rorik following not much further behind.
"We'll be in and out before lunch."
Sylas began walking after them when...
"Sylas."
He stopped and turned. Kaito's eyes finally left the mountain and settled on him. For a short moment, the two stood there looking at one another.
"When you get some free time… Can we talk?"
Sylas appeared slightly surprised by the request. The tension between them hadn't disappeared. Neither had everything left unsaid after the exams and both had questions they needed answers for.
He nodded.
"Of course."
Kaito gave a small nod in return before Sylas turned and jogged off, quickly catching up with Jinx, Rorik, and Viro.
Sometime later, Elara, Nara, Kaito, Finn, Kaeline, and Aqua stood around the round table inside the central command station. A large holographic projection from Viro's point of view floated above them. Jinx, Sylas, and Rorik could be seen walking through the frozen terrain as they neared the mountain.
The wind howled through the projection, blowing snow past them in thick waves. Kaeline stood beside Kaito and gently nudged his arm.
"Where is Elysia?" She mumbled quietly only for him to hear.
Kaito hesitated. His eyes moved toward Elara who stood on the other side of the table with her arms crossed, her attention seemingly locked onto the footage. But something told him she was listening to every word. He looked back toward Kaeline.
"She's not feeling well." He replied quietly.
"We should check on her after everything is done."
Kaeline's brows lowered slightly.
"I see. I wasn't aware. I will—"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The entire ship shook violently. Kaito's feet slid across the floor as the central command station rocked from side to side. Finn was knocked onto his ass while Aqua grabbed the edge of the table to keep herself upright.
An earsplitting boom followed shortly after. Finn covered both of his ears, grimacing as he pushed himself up from the floor.
"What in the stars was that?!"
Elara remained standing with her arms crossed unphased, her eyes still fixed on the projection. She shook her head and huffed.
"I told Jinx not to overdo it with the explosions..."
Kaito finally regained his balance and looked toward the footage. Once he was able to process what he was seeing, his jaw dropped slightly.
The entire western face of the mountain was gone.
Nearly one-third of the giant formation had been erased along with the entirety of a smaller mountain beside it. Rock, snow, and enormous chunks of ice rained down across the surrounding land. Above the destruction, a mushroom cloud nearly as large as the mountain itself climbed into the sky, stretching toward the edge of the atmosphere.
Kaito stared at the footage in silence.
"Holy shit… Jinx did that?" He mumbled.
Elara pressed a finger against the smooth surface of the table.
"Is everyone alright?"
Rorik's voice came through the projection first.
"Yeah, we're good. Might need some new pants after that, but we're alive."
Elara shook her head.
"Jinx, no more explosions once you enter the mountain. If you destroy any more of its structure, you risk trapping yourselves beneath the rest of it along with the surrounding mountains."
Jinx stepped over a large chunk of ice and rubble towards Viro's floating head.
"Come on cap, I was just testing out some new devices and didn't get the proper calibration down." She replied.
She placed her nonrobotic orange hand over her chest.
"I swear on Talon's life I won't overdo it anymore."
"Absolutely not." Elara replied immediately.
Her attention shifted toward Sylas before Jinx could even think of replying.
"Sylas, I want you to take the lead. Use Atlas to guide you toward the well."
Sylas nodded.
"Will do."
Kaito's brows scrunched slightly.
"Wait…"
He looked across the table toward Elara.
"So Sylas can sense cosmic wells too?"
"Sort of." She replied.
She looked toward the projection as Sylas walked through the smoke and falling snow.
"As I explained earlier, there are only two known ways to locate a cosmic well. Either through the use of a designated finder or by having another guardian sense it for you."
She raised one finger.
"Individuals who possess a willing A or S-ranked true cosmic artifact can use the celestial guardian residing within it to locate the essence of a well. It is believed that every cosmic well and guardian are connected to one another in some way. That connection allows them to sense each other, even from great distances."
Kaito's eyes remained on the footage as he stared at the golden sword on Sylas's back.
"So Atlas can feel where the well is, but Sylas can't?"
Elara shook her head.
"Yes. Even though Sylas is a yoki like you, he cannot sense the well himself. He still needs Atlas to guide him toward it."
Kaito fell silent and his eyes lowered toward the table as he thought back to the feeling outside. The pull in his chest. The way his entire body seemed to recognize the mountain before he even understood what he was looking at.
"So why can I sense them…?" He asked quietly, almost to himself.
Elara heard him and responded.
"I'm not sure."
He looked up to her.
"You being able to sense a well on your own shouldn't be possible. Not even as a yoki."
Her arms folded beneath her chest.
"It doesn't make any sense."
She paused for a short moment.
"But a lot of things at this current moment don't… Despite that, we'll figure it out together, okay?"
Kaito stared into her eyes. Despite everything that happened in the medical bay, there was no anger in her expression. He could tell she meant what she said and that even she was confused with everything going on.
"Yeah." He nodded.
Their attention returned to the projection as Sylas moved through the smoke with one hand resting on Atlas's hilt. His red eyes shifted across the remains of the mountain while Jinx and Rorik followed behind him.
Viro's robotic head floated beside them.
"I believe we found our way inside." He said.
The smoke slowly cleared, revealing a giant opening buried amongst the rubble near the foot of the mountain. Its edges were jagged and uneven, surrounded by shattered rock and massive pieces of ice. Darkness filled everything beyond it.
"Stay alert. Once you enter, we won't be able to help you as easily." Elara warned.
The four of them stepped through the opening. For several seconds, the projection became almost completely black. Only the glowing from the faint essence surrounding Atlas's hilt could be seen.
Then Viro adjusted his vision and the darkness faded. Everyone around the circular table stared at what appeared before them.
It wasn't a cave. There were no uneven tunnels or natural walls of rock. Instead, Sylas, Jinx, and Rorik stood inside an enormous open chamber. The floor beneath their feet was made of smooth dark blue stone covered in thin layers of ice. Massive pillars stretched from the ground to a ceiling so high it nearly disappeared into the darkness above. Faint blue flames burned inside stone bowls carved along the walls, yet gave off no visible heat.
At the far end of the chamber stood two giant doors. Each one was so tall that a dozen Roriks could have stood on top of one another and still failed to reach the top. Glowing markings spread across their surface in long winding patterns. Smaller doors lined both sides of the room. Some were sealed shut while others sat slightly open, revealing long dark hallways leading deeper into the well.
Jinx slowly looked around.
"Okay…"
Her voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"This is a lot bigger than I expected."
A low growl echoed through the room.
The three went on guard instantly.
The growl was followed by another. Then another. And another.
Shapes began to move around the giant doors. One after another, massive creatures stepped into the blue light. Each one was nearly the size of a small E class starship and walked on six thick appendages. Their bodies were covered in long white fur that dragged across the frozen floor. Sharp pieces of ice protruded from the base of their heads and traveled down their backs to the tips of their short furry tails, making their spines look like long rows of frozen blades.
The creatures spread out in front of the doors and snarled in unison as dozens of glowing blue eyes locked onto them.
Their ice-like claws dug into the dark-blue stone. Cold mist poured from between their sharp teeth.
Rorik grinned and slammed his fists together.
Jinx's robotic arm began to shift, pieces of metal sliding apart as it took the shape of a small canon.
Sylas stood at the front of them with one hand resting on Atlas and a smile slowly stretched across his face.
"It's time to spread our wings and soar once more, don't you think, Atlas?"