CHAPTER 33
IN THE AFTERMATH, THREE STARS WERE LOST
High Tower’s pinnacle was now in ruins. The walls and roof of its top floor were no more, fallen to rubble around the building’s base. For a mercy, no major damage had been done to the section of lower floors. There were dents and cracks on the roof of the building’s base level but nothing that couldn’t quickly be fixed. Many of the larger bits of debris had landed on solid ground in places that would prompt questions tomorrow when another day began, but no significant fuss otherwise.
The one notable piece of campus that had been obliterated was Soren’s memorial statue. There was now a sizable boulder settled along the sidewalk in its place, scraps of shattered brass scattered around it.
With the last of her iridescent glow faded, Chiaki felt exhaustion on a level she had never had before. If there was ever an indication of one’s lifespan being shortened, surely this is what it would feel like. As she pulled herself into an upright seat, she knew the truth of this feeling. She would never be able to use luminescence again.
As she struggled to her feet, a blue streak of light suddenly flashed beside her before immediately fading. It was Ciara. She coiled an arm around her mother’s shoulders and helped her to a stand. “Mom! Are you all right?!”
“Hai, hai, daijoubu. (Yes, yes, I’m fine.) Midori-chan and Pikkun are somewhere nearby.”
Chiaki’s gaze wandered around the remains of the makeshift office. That luminescent and chaotic energy could interact with the physical world—but not always—made for a strange sight. Half the storage items had vanished, blown away by the energy that summoned Soren, no doubt. But even without walls, multi-level shelves that should otherwise have toppled over the edge remained standing despite not being bolted to the floor. Meanwhile, several heavy boxes that might have endured harsher winds were noticeably missing. Although every other section of walls was gone, the one with the door remained intact.
There were two last, noteworthy sights. One was Sheila’s desk, which remained untouched despite the mayhem its surroundings endured.
The other, standing in front of it, was Sheila herself.
The former Superstar’s body was translucent now. In a paradoxical display, several wisps of chaotic energy freely abandoned her existence like steam from a doused fire, while a stubborn swirl remained clinging to her. At the core of her fading form was a faint, purple glow. It looked helpless against the chaos that continued to enshroud and enclose on it.
There was no light, no expression in Sheila’s eyes as she stood looking up at the night sky. In the faintest whisper, she uttered her last.
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“So..ren…”
The shape of her existence faded like a ghost retreating before dawn. That small glow of light shimmering in her core was then swallowed completely by the shadowy shroud that had claimed its prey. When all was done, the only thing that lingered was a swirling cloud of chaotic energy that hung in the air like a miniature black hole.
Luminescents could become Shades. When they were destroyed, this was what happened.
“We need to seal that,” Chiaki said. “It’s a gateway that leads to a place we’d rather not go.”
“So, they really are rifts into the chaotic realm, huh… So much for being an urban legend.” Ciara eyed the unsightly sight warily. “This isn’t the first one I’ve seen. I’ll do it for you.”
Fresh from home and with plenty of energy to spare, Ciara’s dark eyes glowed blue as she went luminescent. She approached the little mass of chaos and held her hand out towards it. Slicing away at a rift would do nothing to it; it had to be consumed the same way it consumed Sheila’s glowing soul.
Luminescence poured out from her hand and weaved its way over and around the shadowy rift. Once she fully encapsulated it, Ciara closed her hand slowly. Her energy followed suit, shrinking around the chaos it had trapped until nothing was left but air.
=-=-=
The aftermath of the High Tower incident was swiftly tidied up and addressed. With the aid of luminescent faculty and students alike, the rubble was cleared from the base of the building. It was unfortunate that Soren Park’s statue had been crushed beneath a giant clump of the tower, but Artreius assured the inquisitive media that the memorial’s reparation would be addressed in due time.
The days that followed were ones of subdued energy for the Luminescence Department. One of their veterans had fallen prey to chaos, and one of the campus’s proud landmarks had been maimed in the process.
Furthermore, Chiaki Tachibana-Callahan, who had filled the role of the Department’s Chair for a full decade, had announced her retirement.
A goodbye ceremony was arranged to celebrate her years of service. Days later, all the active Stars and Superstars convened on the top floor of Central. With everyone included, their ranks still numbered only a few hundred—if even that—among billions of people in the entire world. It was a stark reminder of two things. First, the ability to wield luminescence was a gift given to only a handful of people in every generation, and not everyone opted to serve the Department. Second, serving as a Star was not without risks.
Many more may have been in attendance that day if they had not met untimely demises. All things considered, that their Department Chair had survived for so long in the face of countless chaotic incidents was nothing short of impressive. It was for this reason, among others, that the Stars returned from their chapters around the world to pay their respects.
Artreius took the podium during the more formal part of the event. In typical, gregarious fashion, he recounted the years of a one-sided rivalry with his rank superior. Amidst banter and jabs that elicited chuckles from the audience, he lauded Chiaki for her many accomplishments during her tenure. The Department was truly losing their best and brightest today, he lamented. But he would do everything in his power to fill her shoes. He guaranteed it.
As he finished his speech, he bade Chiaki stand front and center for one last hurrah from her fellow Stars. She obliged the request, subjecting herself to thunderous applause and cheering. Mindie and Ciara were present as well, joining in the send-off. Mindie in particular felt nothing but pride swell within her, seeing her mom up there receiving a standing ovation for all she had done as a Superstar.
But her applauding hands slowed before anyone else’s, and the bright smile on her face faded. As she watched her mom leave the stage, she felt a mix of curiosity and concern as to why she looked so gloomy.