[A Few Moments Ago]

Herbs, Herbs, Herbs.

I sighed as I scoured the land, looking for some herbs.

"Maybe over there?" A star said.

"No way, the lands too dry over there." said another.

"Shut up, please. You guys are making this difficult," I told them in my head.

"Come on, Orion, we are trying to help you."

"Yeah, help you."

"Yup, Yup, Yup."

"It's not helpful when you all argue in my head like that," I retorted. "Time for a timeout."

"WHAT! NO, NO, NO." They said, panicking, "We will be quiet."

"Yea, yea, we promise."

Finally, they just began to swirl around me while keeping their mouths shut.

We had run out of herbs, and it was my turn to look for some. The kid mentioned that we should try growing them alongside another vegetable instead of looking for them, but that seemed more of a hassle.

More than three hours passed until I filled my sack with herbs. They should last us a couple of weeks before we need more. The stars, of course, resumed talking but stayed quiet throughout the duration.

"So Orion, what will you teach Ezra next?" asked the stars.

"Yeah, what are you going to teach him?"

"Maybe some mana control."

"How about archery?"

I continued to walk towards camp, taking my time and taking in the surroundings.

"I don't know yet; the kid still doesn't have the fundamentals down but has good fighting instincts," I said. "Him becoming a demon a few months ago helped speed up the learning process."

"Yeah, and seeing him train is hot," the stars said. "Yeah, it's really hot."

"Woah, Woah, Woah. He's nothing compared to me." I exclaimed.

"Yeah, okay, Ori-"

"Orion, Orion, Orion." Another star voice appeared through the trees.

A glitter appeared through the forest, flying quickly over.

"Demons are attacking the camp!" it yelled.

BANG

I jumped into the air, soaring towards the camp.

I closed my eyes as I pulled mana to my eyes.

CONSTELLATION SIGHT

I reopened my eyes, replacing my irises with a yellow, glittering star. My sight instantly improved. I could see everything from ants to birds and monsters everywhere, but that's not what I was looking for. I focused on the camp.

Three no... Four demons surround the kid.

"He's stalling for time." The Stars whispered.

"Faster, Orion... FASTER!!!" Other Stars Yelled.

"YEAH, YEAH, I'M ON IT!!!" I yelled back in my mind.

The demons pulled out their weapons as I landed back on the ground and jumped, but this time dating through the trees. Smaller jumps are faster than one big jump.

I focused on the camp again, seeing Ezra Impaled.

"Ouch. Not good, Orion." The stars said worryingly.

"I know, I'm almost there," I said back.

I came up to the cliff above our camp. The demons had chained up Ezra, but it didn't matter. My worry subsided as I smiled.

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"I guess I should make a grand entrance, don't you all agree," I said to the stars.

"HURRY UP AND SAVE EZRA!" they said back.

"Alright, alright," I said, annoyed.

I ran towards the cliff's edge, gathered my mana, and jumped as I reached the end.

'Demon's art: Comet's Embrace."

Four comments form and shoot out towards the demons, sending them flying. Three demons are taken out, but one partially blocks the attack.

I hunched over and let out a sigh. "Fuck, I destroyed the cabin again," I said, looking at the cabin, which was blown to bits.

I looked towards the demon who had survived. He was old, but I knew that face. He looked at me, and we made eye contact. He had a sad smile on his face—almost bittersweet.

"It's that old man Pontus." A star said.

"Why is he here." Another asked.

He was in no shape to move, even if he had survived the attack. Though he was healing quickly, so were the other demons except for one.

My eyes turned back to normal as I turned to Ezra. I broke the chains off of his body.

"It's do or die now, kid," I told him.

"What do we do?" Ezra asked. His white eyes were full of worry.

"Seems like one of them is still young like you. He has enlightened, though, so be caref-."

I looked back to Pontus, who had created massive Icicles. I extended my arms, gathering the mana around us to create a shield.

Pontus sent the Icicles towards us, crashing into the shield. They smashed into pieces, but the shield cracked.

"Can I keep the kid safe," I asked the stars.

"No, maybe if it was Pontus-"

or the other demons by themself-"

but not with all these guys together," they said back one by one.

"The young demon still is regenerating-"

"Send Ezra to him." They commanded.

"Can't you take them all on?" Ezra asked.

Is this kid reading my mind? No, that's not possible, I think.

"I would, but that old man is an old friend. He's powerful." I said. I refocused and repaired the barrier. "I'll make sure your fight stays uninterrupted."

Icicles came flying back in from Pontus, the lady, and the man. They had reformed back up, but the young demon was still out of commission.

"Okay, kid, times up," I said.

CONSTELLATION STRENGTH

I let down my arms as they began to glow and grabbed Ezra. This would destroy his body, but luckily, he was a demon. I flung him into the air towards the young demon.

I could see the trees tumble as dirt clouded the air in the distance. Luckily, it seemed I hit the demon with the kid. What a great throw.

I could feel the stars worry a bit for the kid, but now wasn't the time to be focused on that fight.

"Look at you, still speaking your art out loud to make a flashy entrance. You haven't changed, Orion," A familiar voice called out.

His voice left me filled with nostalgia.

"Pontus..." I said as the dust settled around me.

"Orion?" the woman's voice came out from the right. "The traitor who left our kingdom in shambles. He's supposed to be dead." She looked at Pontus with a surprised look.

"He looks quite alive to me." said the man to my left.

"I am dead, and that's how I will stay. Nothing but a story left for ears to hear." I said back.

The man and women walked forward with their weapons drawn. Pontus stayed near the back of the camp, waiting.

"Your story is used to scare children into behaving nowadays," Pontus said. "How are you here? How are you still alive."

"It doesn't matter now, does it?" I glanced at Pontus one more time. I could see the pain in his eyes—betrayal and hate.

I closed my eyes and started to gather my mana. The small pebbles around began to float. The air filled with vibrations as my body began to glow.

The women sense the change and are charged.

Pontus looked at her and yelled, "Tana, NO!" but it was too late.

CONSTELLATION AGILITY

I stepped forward, disappearing. Only a small circle of dust was left where I had taken my step. The pebbles fell, and the energy in the air died. The surroundings went silent until it was interrupted by the thump of the women's heads on the ground.

"Shit," The man snarled. "Demo-"

Before he could finish what he was saying, my clenched fist embraced his teeth. I then dropped my body down, sweeping his legs.

CONSTELLATION POWER

My hands glowed, his body thumped on the ground and brought down my fights towards his throat.

BANG

My fist hit an ice shield, sending a shockwave through the surroundings. I looked towards Pontus, whose rapier was a few centimetres away from my face. I moved my head to the side as the rapier cut my cheek. I dashed forward, getting ready to unleash a combo on Pontus.

"To your right," The stars called out.

I looked over and saw Tana creating miniature icicles.

Pontus jumped backwards, going into some trees. I tried to follow, but The man grabbed my foot.

"You're staying right here." He said.

Tana sent her icicles towards me. Each pierced my body, and I was sent flying backwards as the icicles that pierced me pushed me back rather than destroying my body.

I was tossed around in the trees until. Finally, I hit the ground and came to a stop. The icicles became snowflakes, leaving my body bruised by the impact.

"Ouch, that must have hurt." The stars laughed at me.

"I was caught off guard, that's all," I said back

"Sure, sure."

These fucking stars really can't keep their mouths shut.

"Why do they send you away? It looked like they were winning." Asked the stars.

"They were not winning, and they were looking to regroup and strategize or to run away," I explained.

"Well, I feel bad for Pontus." Said a star.

"Yeah, the poor guys are going to die today." another said sullenly.

"Yeah, super sad." giggled a star.

"Sad, huh? It doesn't matter now; Pontus is no longer a friend," I explained.

Around me, the stars glittered. It was slowly growing in number.

"Come to me-" I said quietly.

The stars began to gather in front of me as they began to take the shape of a sword and a dagger.

"Asterion"

The stars glowed and then stopped as I grabbed the hilts. The sword's blade was straight and looked like the night sky, dotted with the sparkle of the galaxy. The hilt was a simple dark steel bar, black-weaved, grippy, and cool to the touch. The Dagger was a miniature version of the sword, except it was slightly curved.

I looked back toward where I came flying from, still feeling their presence.

"I shouldn't leave our guest waiting now, should I," I asked the stars.

They laughed, and I let out a chuckle as well.

"Time for a show," I announced.

CONSTELLATION AGILITY

I stepped forward again, disappearing with a small dust ring on the ground left behind.