I stand quietly beside Sirius, my second eldest sibling after Aurora, and beside him stands Altair. Sirius, a Celestial Wayfarer, is one of the kingdom's greatest adventurers, always exploring the realms beyond Starlight to uncover cosmic wonders. His stories bring celestial beauty back to the kingdom, captivating the people with tales of far-off worlds. He’s only home for a short while before he must leave again, and father ordered him to join Altair and me in welcoming Caelum.

Altair, my steadfast older brother, is a Cosmic Navigator. He keeps the celestial pathways within the kingdom in harmony, ensuring that the cosmic energies flow smoothly and that the starlight never fades. Together, the three of us stand ready to greet Caelum, though the air feels heavier than usual.

Sirius is the closest sibling to me. He’s one of the few who has never blamed me for mother’s death. That means a lot to me, especially in a family filled with so many whispers and unspoken truths. He has always been my protector, my companion on days when the world felt too much. He’s the one who brings me presents from his journeys, treasures from across the realms. This time, when he returned a week ago, he brought me something special—a watch from the Temporium Kingdom.

The Temporium Kingdom is a sanctum of time, a realm where the river of time flows under the watchful eye of their Emperor. The inhabitants of Temporium have the rare ability to manipulate the threads of past, present, and future. The watch he brought me is an extraordinary piece, a gift from a collaboration between Temporium and the Artorium Kingdom. It can stop time for two minutes within a 100 km radius of its wearer, a remarkable power, though it’s only useful for short moments. Once worn, the watch changes color to reflect the wearer’s essence, almost as if it knows them on a deeper level.

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"Relax, Cyra," Sirius whispers near me, his voice soft but teasing. "I didn’t know someone could make our blue sibling nervous, let alone it be Caelum."

"I am not nervous," I reply quickly, though I can't hide the uncertainty creeping into my chest. "Just a little unhappy," I add, my voice quieter.

Sirius raises an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "I heard you asked for this from father himself. Why unhappy, then?"

He’s right. I did ask father to call Caelum here. And yet, the tension in my chest won’t fade. Seeing Luminea distant and cold for the past few days, the lingering sadness in her eyes, has been eating away at me. Her last words before she left still echo in my mind, and I don’t know when she’ll return—or if she even wants to.

Sirius seems to sense my unease. He gently places a hand on my shoulder, a rare moment of tenderness for him. "Luminea is safe, blue child," he says softly, his voice laced with quiet reassurance. He calls me "blue child" because of my unusual hair color, and it’s one of the few things that always makes me feel at ease, no matter how many times he teases me about it.

I nod, but the unease doesn’t leave.

And then the doors open, and Caelum steps into the hall.