Shoving the body of his friend off of him, the robber scrambled to his feet before darting toward the broken door, desperately attempting to escape.

Watching the distressed man abandon his friends, Kist raised his right hand as he molded his power in a different expression, generating a haze of shifting colors.

However, as he prepared to release the build-up of energy, a bell tolled.

Consumed with panic, Kist, waving his hand off to the side, dispersed the lights before racing towards the train windows.

Turning toward the old man, Kist spoke through a nervous grin, “Sorry, you got it from here, right?”

“Wha- why I-” Stumbling over his words, the older man watched as Kist pried open the lock window, breaking the latch that held it in place.

Taking a moment to himself, Kist took a deep breath before leaping out the train window, disappearing into an arc of light, and racing through the morning sky.

Using the train tracks to guide his path, Kist, in his desperation, set a pace he could hardly control, snaking into the ground and mountainside several times.

“Damn, I should have paid more attention to the time! I can’t be late!” Shouted Kist.

Racing through the sky, Kist felt his strength failing him as his hold on the strand of light rocketing him forward began to slip before failing.

Falling out of the colored lights, he attempted to land safely, only to hit the ground harder than he’d expected, his momentum dragging him across the tracks.

“Goddamnit!” Swearing as he felt himself once again being thrown, Kist managed to plant his feet as his body momentarily uprighted, allowing him to skid to a halt.

Fearing he hadn’t covered enough distance with the energy he’d already exerted, Kist was prepared to burst into flames with anger.

Frantically looking around to see how far he’d made it, Kist begrudgingly swelled himself with power only to feel his racing heart calm as he noticed the large domed building above him.

Fed into the face of the mountain range, a large strip of earth supported the ornate observatory decorated with stained and painted glass he sought.

“The train made it further than I thought!” Now rejuvenated with excitement, Kist prepared to send an extensive trail of aurora light toward the building, only for him to change direction as he noticed an aerial tramway descending the mountain, a much closer target.

Releasing the vibrant arc, Kist watched as the trail passed through the seat car before exiting the top, and not wasting a breath, he traveled through the path he’d created.

Landing atop the tram, Kist ignored the chattering noise of the people below him about the commotion he’d stirred and began estimating how much more energy he’d have to expend to retrace its steps before waving away the concern, “There’s no point in hesitation!”

Leaping into the distance, Kist disappeared into an arc of light and raced toward the station platform, and within the span of a blink, he’d arrived.

“You’re late…” Calling out in a controlled rage that trembled the earth, a man with light purple hair held back by a golden band, smoking a thick cigar several feet behind Kist, roared.

Wincing at the sound of the familiar voice before him, Kist spoke as he reluctantly turned his head upwards toward the man, “I got a little preoccupied-”

“Excuses!” Blowing smoke from his lips as he yelled, the large bearded man, whose stature towered over Kist even while he sat, rose to his feet.

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The floor-sweeping puffer cape draped over his shoulders, acting as a blanket that eclipsed the rising Star behind him.

“It’s not an excuse; I was helping people on the train! There was a rob-” Swiping his hand through the cloud of cigar smoke, Kist grimaced as his coughing cut him off.

“You think I give a fuck,” Taking a sudden step forward as he growled, urging Kist to take twice as many back, the man’s face became contorted with rage. “The Star’s almost up, and you’re late! Don’t speak about helping people when you’d put everyone at risk just to entertain your pointless ambitions!”

“Pointless?” Sneering, Kist’s voice turned sour.

“Ensis!” Shouting from behind the giant man; as Kist took a threatening step forward, another voice, one Kist recognized called out in a flaring rage, seizing both of them in place. “Leave the boy alone!”

Using an enclosed loop attached to his clothing, a tall, golden, blonde-haired man tightened a band of excess fabric around his elbow as he strode forward.

Stepping between the two bickering men, the man Kist knew to be called Beyond tilted his head as he waved lazily to him before speaking through a slight grin, “You’re late.”

“Yeah, I know…” Fighting the urge to drop his head as he spoke, Kist, instead, turned away from the man.

Sneering at Kist, Ensis draped his arm over Beyond as he spoke mockingly, “You also know that means your evaluation has been canceled, though we all know you never deserved the chance at becoming a Maiden!”

Snapping his head toward Ensis, Kist’s eyes filled with fury, though he knew he could not act upon his feelings.

“Be careful who you show that gaze; a challenge starts with the eyes, boy.” Laughing at Kist as he spoke, Ensis’s large frame nearly toppled over as Beyond dismissed his arm.

“Huh?” Confused, Ensis questioned Beyond as he stepped toward Kist.

“That’s enough,” Silencing Ensis before continuing, Beyond sighed. “Listen, Kist, you’ll get your chance. It will be the last chance you’ll get, so don’t be so eager to throw it away just because of how another man talks.”

Turning away from Kist, Beyond stepped past Ensis, marching towards the observatory’s entrance as he waved them on. “Let’s go; the Star’s not getting any brighter! It’ll most likely be in its second stage by now.”

Begrudgingly, Ensis followed Beyond with Kist in tow. However, Ensis still made the effort to make one last comment to Kist, “Oh, and I hope you didn’t expend all your energy on your way up.”

Hesitating, Kist paused, steading his nerves before continuing after the two men.

‘Was that necessary, Ensis?” Beyond questioned.

“To me? Completely. He’s been nothing but trouble.” Ensis answered, as he ashed the cigar held between his fingers.

Sighing through a disappointed smile, Beyond placed his hands on the massive stone doors anchored to the building and pushed them open.

The sound of scraping stone echoed off the walls down the corridor as Kist walked past the two men and onto the descending steps.

Catching his rhythm, Kist raised his eyes toward the wide circular platform in the center of the empty stone field.

As he descended, he couldn’t help but feel the overbearing eyes of those who remained in the audience watching his every move.

The silence in the room made each footfall that struck the metal steps feel as if they echoed the humiliation and rage weighing heavy in his chest, and as his feet hit the stone floor, he felt as if it turned to mud beneath his boots.

“Why am I even here?” Wavering ever so slightly as his thoughts began to race, Kist found the strength to continue, “Why am I even doing this to myself?”

Slowly, as Kist stood inches away from the platform in front of him, he closed his heavy eyes, the whispers in his mind threatening to hold him back.

That was until he struck his own nerve.

Even as he remained trapped within the prison of his mind, Kist stepped over his mental roadblock and onto the platform. “No, this isn’t about me; this is bigger than just me.”

Whining as it shifted underneath his weight, the platform began to rise toward the skyline above, and as Kist raised his burning eyes to the glass ceiling, he felt himself growing more and more confident as he ascended.

Even as he remembered the horrifying image of the Star that took everything from him, even as he tensed at the fact, he could still see himself in it; his confidence grew.

Remembering the overwhelming presence the Star held in its contorted and warped frame, the power and beauty it displayed, there was no question in Kist’s mind even then that it was the strongest, its will triumphed over all that would oppose it, and it excited him.

It was absolute power, and Kist hated that he loved it; he hated that he was inspired by that Cosmic Horror, even as it took his mother. The beacon that inspired love wherever she went.

That day, the day Kist lost his purity, he learned that being good meant nothing in the face of unrelenting strength.

“To stand above the stars, to stand above heaven! To protect the love in this world no matter how hard it is to cherish. That’s why I’m here; that’s why I chose a different path!” As Kist clenched his fist, his thoughts spilled into words, and his voice became saturated with conviction.

Now focusing on the task in front of him, excitement filled Kist’s eyes as the ceiling above shattered, and he was thrust into the heavens.