Morning came with a surprise.

I opened my eyes to find a cross armed Astír standing by the door.

She and I stared at each other for a moment, but since she didn’t say anything, I turned my attention to Caligo who soundly slept.

He eventually awoke and he stared at me sleepily before looking up.

“I want to hold thee forever.” He said as I sat up.

“I know, but there is much work to be done, so get up.” I said with a silly little smile.

Caligo nodded before pinching his chin.

“Oh- I nearly forgot! The boys really want to see father. Be sure to take them to the Royal Palace soon.”

I nodded as I slipped into my gown.

“I will. Although there’s a place I’d like to visit first.”

“Oh?” Caligo sounded as I crawled out of bed.

“Yes. I’d like to visit Ueel’s farm.”

“Oh.” He sounded as I left the room.

I then bathed and got changed into some new clothes before preparing to leave, but just as I reached out to open the door, Caligo wrapped his arms around me from behind.

“Is there anything thou wants? Name it and I will try my hardest to get it.” He said.

I relished in the low rumble his voice made in his chest.

“As you know, my top priority is trying to get Adia back on earth. But apart from that, I am more than happy being here with you, Adia the boys, the Helma, Lham and the others.” I said while turning to face Caligo.

He nodded before leaning down to kiss me.

Our lips met, but I couldn’t procrastinate for too long and so I tore myself away from him and promptly left only to he greeted by a grinning Sidus in the courtyard.

“What?” I asked as he and Cento accompanied me the teleportation platform.

“Oh, nothing much.” He said while giggling.

I turned to Cento for answers and he sighed in response.

“Astír was supper pissed off about something earlier and so Sidus peeped into the bedroom and got the explanation he wanted.” He said as we stepped onto the platform.

“I see.” I droned with a frown before instructing that the space magicians take us to Helia. To Ueel’s farm, specifically.

We arrived and I looked at the now empty building with an aching chest.

I had learnt that both Ueel, Luna and Jael had been killed by bandits not long after Adia and I were taken north.

I lowered my head, clasped my hands and prayed that they were in a better place.

Preferably in Summus’s embrace.

A place without pain or hunger or pain.

From the little time we spent together I grew to know that Ueel’s life was full of hardships, but I was grateful that it is on the farm that Adia and I appeared.

“Alright. Let’s go to Serenumlatus and see how Tannin and Ferrahn are getting along. We’ll then have to ask Gera for permission to operate around the capital. Then we’ll have to visit Ferraya and ask her for a handful of life magicians…”

Sidus gently gave my back a pat.

We had much to do but I would do it all without complaint.

.

..

“I suppose such a look is warranted after a day as busy as thine.” Luno said with a chuckle as he read the many reports I’d brought him.

Gera was supposed to be the one presenting them, but he was busy and so was Kulea and so it was left to me.

My trip to Serenumlatus was rather pleasant.

Trade between Medelona and Agna was going quite smoothly although one problem remained.

Well, it was a list of problems which all came from the same place.

The mistreatment of Agnani, the way silver knights were looked down on by their golden peers and the general tension between the two states was still very much present and it would take some time before people from both sides could sit peacefully next to each other.

We had received reports saying that fights and confrontations were common especially in the coastal cities.

Luno said that it didn’t really matter so long as the knights did their job but what he didn’t consider was the possible biases of said knights.

Golden knights were known to have superiority complexes and although it made sense for beings like Sidus and his Primair comrades, Liland knights were supposed to protect people out a sense of justice, not pity.

I brought up these concerns to Luno.

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“While thou art correct in saying that, the truth remains that knights are not like ordinary humans. Does that justify the arrogance found rooted deep in their hearts, no. I think our focus should shift to teaching the new generation of knights the value of life and to reinforce their duty to protect it.” He said and I nodded.

He then handed the documents he’d signed to a servant who held up a silver platter which was stacked with documents.

The servant then left but just as he did, another entered the hall.

“My liege, the Five Stars have requested an audience!”

“Sure, let him in- WAIT! THEY’RE ALL HERE?” Luno asked with eyes that quaked.

“Yes, sir-“

“IS SHE WITH THEM?” Luno screamed.

“Who?” The messenger asked.

“Death…”

Everything else was then seemingly muted as the sounds of footsteps filled the air.

Luno looked behind him and glanced at his bedroom before looking up.

I gasped upon seeing that the space below the roof and walls of the hall had been distorted so extremely, it looked as though were in a dark, warped pocket realm far beyond the bounds of common reality.

“Your highness!” Gregar cried while rushing to Luno’s side.

The grand doors of the Lunar Hall were then opened and we all gazed upon beings that…

I actually didn’t know where to begin.

They all wore platinum armor which, although battle worn, looked godly in its metallic sheen.

Each of them had different weapons with the foremost one carrying a longsword at his hip.

The Helma and Yilon all teleported between the Platinum Knights and the king but the Five Stars parted, revealing a small middle aged woman dressed in an old, worn black uniform which was covering in tactical metallic armor plating. Her white hair was also messily cut short.

It actually looked like a child was responsible for her haircut but she didn’t seem to care.

Also, her eyes were black. But not in the same way that Rendaro eyes were. It was almost as though a never ending vortex existed within her eyes and it was about the size of her irises.

Her skin was also pale, but not in the way Rendaro skin is near white. It looked as though it had lost all its color, making her look like a ghost.

She walked up in front of the Five Stars and placed her hands on her waist, even as the Helma and Yilon pointed their weapons at her.

“Hello, Luno.” The woman greeted with a gentle smile, but Luno simply glared at her.

“I see you’ve lost some of that which our gods so cruelly gave… oh well, how’s life? Don’t tell me you’re spent almost an entire millennium hiding.” She said casually and it was Sidus who walked forward.

“State your name and intent or your life is forfeit!” He spat, but the small woman yawned before snapping her fingers.

Two of the Five Stars then linked hands before allowing the woman to sit on them.

“Mávros, please debilitate the loud one. He’s annoying me.”

The sword wielding Platinum Knight nodded before walking forward and we all watched in awe as he raised his right hand.

The space around his fist distorted so incredibly so, it was as though we were looking at a black hole.

“So you have chosen death!” Sidus yelled as she charged towards the Platinum Knight while coating his Lance in so much light, the heat from it made air tremble.

To my surprise, everyone rushed in to push Sidus out of the way as the one referred to as Mávros swung his hand.

I then lost my hearing for a moment as half of the royal palace disappeared.

My hearing returned, although my ears rung rather loudly.

I then gasped upon seeing that not only had half the palace disappeared, half of the countryside around it was gone as well.

Now all that remained was a deep hole.

We all looked at Mávros who stood calmly but our eyes then fell to the small woman who stumbled towards the Platinum Knight while clutching her ears.

She then punched the knight with her bare hand, hurting herself in the process.

“Asshole! Motherfucker! Jackass!” She cursed as the other Platinum Knights held her back.

I glanced over at Luno to find that his eyes were glowing so brightly white, they looked like two small stars. His face was a twisted scowl, but he remained seated on the throne.

The Helma and Yilon all stood frozen as the woman seemingly calmed down.

Mávros then took of his helmet and I gasped upon seeing that his eyes also had pitch black vortex’s within.

He sheepishly scratched the back of his head before shrugging as one of his comrades healed the small woman.

“Sorry, I guess.”

“I’LL KILL YOU!” The woman screamed before facing us and awkwardly smiling.

“Sorry about that. Now… where were we- oh yeah! Luno!” She sang before rushing towards us and like before, the knights all stood in front of her.

“L-let her pass.” Luno said. His voice, for the first time since I’d met him, showed his true age. It trembled and wheezed, just as one would expect from a man who was several centuries old.

The knights all parted and the woman nodded before skipping to the foot of the throne.

She then did a half hearted bow.

“Oh, Luno! Great King of whatever this world is called… could I ask you for a favor as Amartía, Ex Supreme General of the now defunct Allerian Interplanetary Alliance.”

“Go on. State thine demand.” Luno hissed.

“Aww… come on. Don’t be like that. I just want a place to stay. My boys and I have been hurtling across space for a while and I would appreciate a warm bed to sleep on.” Amartía said while making a sad face.

Luno glanced at the Platinum Knights who all stood behind her.

He then glanced at the Yilon and Helma.

His eyes narrowed slightly and he sighed a moment later.

“Alright-“

“Yey!” Amartía sang before rushing to Luno’s side.

The woman was about a head taller and so she wrapped her arm around his neck and pointed at the door.

“Lead the way, Moon Man!” She yelled.

“Gregar, take us to the Golden Estate.”

“But your highness-“

“Just… do it.”

Gregar nodded and like that, we were teleported to the courtyard of a rather massive building.

I looked around and saw acres upon acres of garden walls, tall ornate fences and paved paths.

As for the palace in front of us, it looked strangely similar to Caligo’s only it didn’t have large stone shields protecting it from the elements.

Luno led us all into the palace where we were greeted by several servants and Liland knights who were dressed in a special gold/silver variation of armor.

“Will this place be enough for thee?” Luno asked as Amartía casually walked around.

“Yes and thank you! Although I can’t help but feel as though you’re setting up a trap for me.” She said with a smirk.

“I wouldn’t dare.” Luno sighed.

“Alright! Oh- I’m assuming you’ll be sending stuff like food here, yeah?” Amartía asked and Luno nodded.

“Yey!” She said before rushing towards Mávros who picked her up and placed her on his shoulder.

This made me notice that the palace actually wasn’t build with knights in mind.

The only reason any of them were able to enter was because the front doors were so large.

None of the Platinum Knights cared, however.

They wall made their way into the grand living room where they began removing their armor.

I shifted my eyes to Sidus who walked up to Mávros.

“May I ask you something?”

“Sure.” Mávros said as he placed Amartía on a luxurious looking couch.

He too began undressing and like most knights, his body was covered in a dark bodysuit although his was bleached to the point where it seemed pale grey.

“Why did you betray us?” Sidus asked through gnashed teeth.

Mávros sighed as he crossed his arms.

“You cannot leave six people in the farthest recesses of space for near a millennium without expecting one of two things: either we’d hate and eventually kill each other or love and eventually kill each other. As the decades ticked by, we stopped seeing each other as enemies, but as companions in the void. We found light within each other and within that light, love was born.”

“Aww! You’re gonna make me cry!” Amartía said while removing her clothes. Revealing her petite body.

“I… I see. Why did you not come back after… falling in love with each other?” Sidus asked.

“Ah… that’s because of six hundred of the past seven hundred or so years, we’ve all been trying to kill each other.” Mávros said with a grin.

“Now our control over the aspects is second only to the hosts, but even then, I doubt even you would last long against me and do not take my words as prideful. I sincerely believe that if I were to fight in my current state, I could tear you in half.”