Chapter Nine: Maya's Celestial Awakening
For a moment, Aiden thought he was dreaming.
The blinding white radiance washed over the shattered hospital hallway, illuminating every crack, every splintered tile, every drifting particle of dust with impossible clarity.
The SSS-Rank entity froze mid-climb.
Its six eyes twisted toward the tiny silhouette—
toward Maya.
The girl who could barely lift a school backpack.
Who hid behind Aiden whenever trouble showed up.
Who cried quietly instead of screaming like other kids.
Now she glowed with the light of a newborn star.
Aiden tried to push himself upright—his arms trembling, ribs cracking.
"M–Maya… what are you doing here…?"
She didn't answer.
Her small hands were raised, trembling violently.
Her irises were gone—replaced by pure, liquid-white light too bright to stare at directly.
The System flickered with glitchy symbols again.
[UNREGISTERED CELESTIAL SIGNATURE DETECTED]
Designation: UNKNOWN STAR-FORM. CLASSIFICATION—ERROR.]
Power Tier: —REDACTED—]
Threat/Ally Potential: BEYOND MEASUREMENT]
Aiden's breath hitched.
"…Beyond measurement…?"
The SSS-Rank monster recoiled—its stone fingers digging into the walls as it tried to shield its six eyes.
"THE FIRST STAR… SHE LIVES…"
Its voice trembled—not in rage.
Not in hunger.
In fear.
Aiden had never heard something so powerful sound afraid.
Maya stepped toward the fissure, each movement shaky, like she was fighting against invisible chains.
"Don't… hurt my brother…"
Her voice wavered like a cracked bell.
Her light flared—
FOOOOM—!!
A shockwave blasted outward, ripping the tiles from the floor, buckling steel beams, and forcing the entity back into the pit it had nearly escaped.
It snarled—
a raw, furious sound like mountains grinding together.
"YOU—CANNOT—REAWAKEN—HER—"
Its runes burned hotter, restraining the celestial force pushing against it.
Aiden's eyes widened.
Reawaken… her?
His sister?
Maya collapsed to one knee, clutching her chest.
The light around her flickered.
"Aiden…" Her voice was small now—her normal voice. "It… it hurts…"
Aiden crawled toward her, burning pain shooting through every limb.
"Maya… Maya, look at me. Stop using it! Whatever that is, your body's too young—your soul—"
The ground shook as the monster roared again, slamming its hand into the floor to try climbing out.
"STAR-CHILD… YOU WILL BREAK YOUR VESSEL—"
Aiden snapped.
"SHUT UP!"
Golden light erupted from his limbs again—raw, unstable, but raging with protective fury.
He threw himself in front of Maya, shielding her with his battered body.
She clutched onto his shirt, crying, "Big brother… I don't want to disappear…"
"YOU WON'T!" Aiden roared.
BOOM—!!
The monster slammed a massive hand toward them.
Aiden braced—
But at the last second—
A new notification exploded across his vision:
[EMERGENCY HEAVENLY LINK REQUESTED]
Source: Maya Kuro]
**Compatibility: 87%]
Result: POSSIBLE]
Effect: Shared Celestial Amplification (Temporary)]
Aiden stared at the message, stunned.
"Maya… did you… call me?"
She nodded weakly, tears glowing like silver stars.
"Help me… please…"
Aiden didn't hesitate.
"System—accept the link!"
[HEAVENLY LINK: ACCEPTED]
The world burst into gold and white.
Aiden's body felt like it was splitting apart and forging itself again from light.
Maya's hand tightened around his.
Her celestial energy pooled into him—soft but unimaginably vast, like the warmth of a miniature sun trying not to burn him alive.
Their lights intertwined.
Merged.
[NEW SKILL AWAKENED]
• Starbound Resonance (Temporary) — Combine power with a chosen celestial source to amplify all abilities x10 for 60 seconds. Warning: Extreme backlash likely.]
Aiden rose to his feet.
Not weakly.
Not staggered.
He floated an inch off the ground—cracks of gold-white energy flickering around his body.
The giant entity stopped climbing.
Its six eyes widened.
"NO… THIS IS FORBIDDEN… THE STAR AND THE ASCENDANT—TOGETHER—"
Aiden's hair lifted weightlessly.
His eyes glowed pure gold.
Maya hugged him from behind, arms trembling but determined.
Aiden raised his hand toward the pit.
"Get away from my sister," he whispered.
Then—
"STARBOUND—HEAVEN STRIKE!"
The beam of celestial power that erupted from his palm was brighter than the moon, hotter than a solar flare, and infused with a resonance that was not entirely human.
It tore through the creature's arm—
blasted its runes—
shattered half the pit—
and sent the SSS-Rank monster crashing downward into the darkness below.
For the first time—
it screamed in pain.
The hospital shook like an earthquake.
The light faded.
Aiden collapsed to the ground—gasping, sweating, trembling violently.
The System blinked:
[STARBOUND RESONANCE: EXPIRED]
His vision blurred—
But he caught Maya before she fainted.
"Maya… Maya, stay with me…"
He shook her gently.
Her breathing slowed.
Her light faded.
But she managed to whisper one last broken sentence:
"Brother… someone… someone is calling me… from the sky…"
Then she passed out.
The pit rumbled once more.
Aiden's head snapped toward it.
The monster wasn't dead.
Not even close.
But it wasn't free anymore, either.
It growled one last message, its voice echoing from deep underground:
"STAR-CHILD… ASCENDANT… YOU HAVE STARTED… THE HEAVENLY WAR…"
Silence.
Aiden looked at the unconscious girl in his arms—
And for the first time since the apocalypse began…
He felt fear deeper than any monster had ever caused.