At the edge of a star system, space split, warping into the form of a swirling portal of Gold, purple, and yellow. And from the portal stepped out a figure. Her waist length hair was the color of darkness. Her eyes were of the same color, only with tiny, nonexistent yellow dust swirling around the pupils. Their piercing intensity, added with the glass over her nose, which somewhat dampened their burning glow, gave her a very scholastic look.

Her skin was the color of midnight, dark beyond mortal imagination. Added with the yellow filling her body, she resembled a dark forest filled with a sea of burning yellow fireflies. Her body frame, despite the simple brown garment concealing its full figure, would not be so easily cowed; it subtly tightened in places, enough to give someone a very imaginative guess of its true shape.

Overall, she was the image of a scholar who wasn't shy of showing her bodily features.

Kairen slowly emerged into the star system, a look of boredom on her face, a look that was instantly washed away as she fully took in the system.

"Nar," She called, snapping her fingers. "Confirm I'm not seeing this wrong."

Over her shoulders, a figure appeared, a tiny figure. The figure was made of a golden-yellow color, with waist length hair and a dress that reached just below her knee, dancing to a non existent breeze.

"You are not, Adjudicator Kairen." Nar said, and then paused an instant before she continued. "There seems to have bee—"

"I know that," Kairen smoothly interrupted. "I can obviously see."

Adjusting her glasses, she took in the star system again. As usual, a sun burned at the center, its illumination nearly lightening up the entire system. But it wasn't the sun that had snatched her attention. No, not that. Around it, where there should have been a planet— no, planets— orbiting around, there was nothing.

"Was I wrong, or wasn't there supposed to be planets in this system?" She asked just to confirm.

"You are correct, Adjudicator." Nar responded, instantly coughing out a hurried "Yes, there are supposed to be planets in this system," when Kairen turned a raised eyebrow on her.

Kairen nodded, gesturing at the planet-less star system. "Then why are there none?"

This time, Nar's answer came out clear, yet, perplexed. "of that, I do not know."

Kairen audibly sighed. This was going to be serious work. Slow and cautious, she drifted deeper into the system, letting her portal vanish behind. Immediately, she began a scan of the star system, her will unfurling to cover the cold, dark environment.

"There isn't even a moon," she murmured. Now, that was disturbing.

World Spirits could move. Certainly. It would take time and a massive amount of Cosmo, which was probably why they all hated doing it, but they could move.

However, taking their moons, an extra weight which they didn't need, was something no World Spirit would ever do.

"Nar, please read this system and tell me how many planets and moons are supposed to be here."

"As you command," her assistant said, and an instant later, an answer came. "Three planets and six moons, Adjudicator."

Kairen's eyes immediately narrowed. This was extremely serious. A single planet relocating was rare but not unheard of. But three? That was impossible.

"Give me the report again," she said.

"A total numb—" Nar began.

"No, not that one," Kairen cut her of. "I meant the report the regional command sent to us."

"Oh," Nar blinked. "Well, an anomaly was detected in this area and regional command flagged it as important, sending the nearest division to investigate."

Not important enough, apparently, Kairen thought, if they were so rushed as to send her, someone not of serious importance, they must have been truly desperate to know what it was.

"Did they say what the anomaly was?"

"No, Adjudicator." Nar replied.

Since there were no visible evidence lying around as to the possibility of how three planets and twice that amount of moons managed to disappear, she decided to find one of her own.

Her will spread out in a wave, enveloping a quarter of the system in a few short moments. Though it didn't cover as much range as she would have liked, it was enough.

With her intent, she tapped into an inherent skill every Ascendant had. Instantly, lines of innumerable colors appeared, clouding her view of the system.

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She shifted her glasses, and then began sifting through them, searching for the ones which connected to the missing planets.

What she saw completely stunned her.

The lines, instead of twisting as they pierced back into deep space, leading to the location of the relocated planets, only drifted down, hanging over what no doubt were the locations those missing Celestial bodies once occupied.

And worse: they were cut, their connection severed.

That could only mean one thing.

"It would appear that our missing planets aren't missing but were destroyed." Nar said, voicing the conclusion in Kairen's mind.

Agitation growing, Kairen dove back into the curtain of karmic webs, this time employing more of her Ascendant abilities.

As an Ascendant Adjudicator, she tapped into one of the facets of her affinity, making use of her command of time. Reality warped as Kairen dove into the past, determined to uncover the truth.

She watched as, like a loose string being pulled, time reversed. Minuites went by and nothing happened. The sun continued to hover in its position, bringing light to an empty space. Likewise, the karmic lines didn't change. They continued to hover there, like a loose thread. Kairen went back seconds, minuites, hours, days. She was determined to go back as far as her authority allowed when something changed and she hit a wall.

Involuntarily, she flinched backwards, startled at the abrupt block. Steadying herself, she took in the metaphysical wall, her eyes widening a moment later as she understood what she'd just encountered.

"Time was severed." She concluded.

"Yes," Nar confirmed.

"But how?" She said, perplexed. To completely annihilate planets without a single pebble remaining is one thing, but to precisely erase the timeline of when it had occurred? That was a whole other thing. And sure enough, as she checked, she confirmed that after a few short moments, time resumed. She stepped over the metaphysical potholes of time, landing back in re-materialised time, and this time, she was met with the view of multiple planets —three to be exact, hovering calmly and undisturbed.

"This... Is very serious," Nar said, once again voicing Kairen's thoughts.

Her mind whirled with speculations as she snapped back into the present. She could have continued observing for a few more minutes, but she wanted to be hale and prepared just Incase whoever did this was still lurking nearby.

"I've concluded that only two ways could have led to this..." Nar offered, and Kairen waved for her to continue.

"Due to the impossibility of this being carried out by a single Ascendant, it could only mean that either a group of Ascendants did this, which is unlikely.

"Two..." Nar trailed off, giving Kairen a knowing look.

Kairen shook her head, "That's impossible, Nar." She already knew the type of beings Nar was referring to, and Kairen knew how unlikely that was. The absurdity of figures like that appearing would have immediately alerted the temple, and they wouldn't have sent her unless it was to an early grave.

"Let's stick with one." She said. "Two is an absurdity that would have awoken the system guardian, itself. And since it seems to still be slumbering..." Kairen finished, her eyes slowly moving towards the large flaming orb radiating pyromantic light.

Firming herself, Kairen slowly drifted closer to the sun, making sure to reign in her aura down to a level that didn't come off as threatening.

She slowed down as she arrived at the threshold of its passive presence, keeping her distance.

If World Spirits were apocalyptic when pushed to anger, then Sun Spirits made them look tame.

"I greet the system guardian," Kairen called, making sure to remove all forms of authority from her voice, keeping it respectful.

It took three more calls, the third time requiring a bit of boldly intent-infused words before she felt it awoke.

Like a mighty beast of myth, one which seldom acted but was known for its power, the Sun Spirits awoke.

Kairen felt an shudder go through her avatar as a powerful will landed on her.

Quickly, she got herself under control, pushing out the words before terror stole her tongue. "I Greet The Sun Spirit. My name is Kairen Kord, I am a—"

"I Know What You Are, Servant Of The Celestial, Order." The Spirit cut her off. "Speak."

Kairen swallowed as beads of sweat began trailing down her brows. She ignored the oddity.

"I don't intend to take much of your time. I am tasked with investigating an anomaly that was detected in this star system," she said, making sure to emphasize that she'd been sent, and should her presence be missed, someone else would come calling. Although she didn't see any chance of getting attacked, it wouldn't hurt to put down some safety precautions. "I appeal to you, and I assure you that the Cult of Order would be very appreciative if you could tell me the reason why three Planets seem to have been completely annihilated in this star system—Your star system?" When she was done, she waited, tense, for the Sun Spirit's reply.

Like World Spirits, Sun Spirits were known for their patience. Unless they were forced to anger, such spirits seldom acted with haste. Kairen was already prepared to wait for hours just for a reply, but was surprised when it answered immediately.

"I Do Not Have The Answer You Seek."

Kairen stood, dumbfounded. And it was that dumbfoundedness that led her to blurt out her next words, "But you're the Sun spirit! How can you not know?" Her mouth snapped shut so hard it sent ripples across space, and she looked at the flaming being with terror.

Luckily, it seemed not to have taken offense. Instead, it rewarded her with another quick response. "Does A Phoenix Still Shields Its Spawns After They Have Reached Maturity?"

Kairen wondered why the Spirit had to bring the prideful mythical beings into this, even though she understood what it implied. Those World Spirits were all Ascendant level beings, so they were basically adults by Celestial standards.

Kairen opened her mouth to speak, but was immediately rolled over. "I Tire Of You." The Sun Spirit rumbled. "Go Away Before My Patience Dwindles."

Not willing to push her already strained luck, Kairen nodded and then began heading away towards where the beginning of a portal was starting to swirl.

As she approached the portal, she turned to her assistant. "There are only two things that could force a Sun spirit to look away from an attack on its territory, and I don't think the first one counts."

"Adjudicator Kairen?" Nar said. "You detected them, right? The primal cults..."

"And the sub division of the Life Cult," Kairen completed. Only a suicidal person would dare attack a cult, and beings at her level were not suicidal. Something foul was going on, and as an Adjudicator of the Cult of Order, it was her Celestial given task to bring them to light.