(Aster Fall 9) High Artificer, Ch 1: Arrival

The Void stretched out with endless stars, each an island in the dark. 

The power of the Titan Gate returned space and time to the thousand hues of chaos. Silver light flared as it bridged the distance, connecting one half of the galaxy to the other. 

When it faded, the stars had changed. 

Sam stood on the ancient stone platform, looking out at the new world and stars in front of him. They were different from those of Aster Fall, a little softer and not as wild, but full of promise.

The gate was located on a moon, which made the world loom above them, very similar to the scene they’d just left on Aster Fall. 

Silver runes glowed in the air, warping space and perception to conceal their arrival. Caerlon had a habit of building his gates on moons and hiding them, so it was unlikely that anyone had noticed.

“Welcome to civilization,” he announced. His voice was amused, but there was a weight to the words that made starlight swirl around him, like each was a rune in a vast enchantment. 

The settled galaxy was obstinate in the belief that no one but them was civilized. As far as they were concerned, everything in the other half of the galaxy was a wild mess that was better left to vicious beasts, exiles, and any hunters insane enough to go after them.

Or Astral Titans like him.

His people had always been at home in the Chaos Wild, but the younger races preferred to ignore it. He supposed he couldn’t blame them, since the Titans had started it by making this region the center of their realm.

That was the root of many problems, including how the situation on his home world of Aster Fall had gotten so bad. He’d gained enough strength to fix it and rescued Asenya, the ancient caretaker of the world, but it would take some time for things to correct themselves.

Meanwhile, there was a lot to do, including sending his sister to an academy and letting his family take a vacation. Now that they had arrived, it was time to set that up. One of his avatars had already laid the groundwork by scouting things out. 

He turned to check on everyone who’d come through the gate with him. A moment ago, he and his family, as well as the nearly hundred other people who had accompanied them, had been standing on Caelus, one of Aster Fall’s three moons.

Now they were halfway across the galaxy. The gate platform had only rotated a quarter turn, but that was enough to cross the distance, as it was to any point within reach of the Titans’ primal magic.

After he made sure that everyone had come through the gate in good shape, he turned back to look at the world ahead of them. Its clouds were touched with a hint of silver that heralded change and it shone in the dark with vibrant blue and green continents that were full of life. 

It was called Council, the main planet of the High Nine, the council who ruled this half of the galaxy. Their name was based on their status as the nine oldest races of the galaxy. 

The Astral Titans were the oldest of them all, the founders of civilization. 

Council was one of the most important worlds in the region, but despite that it was young and vibrant. Its lands were carefully cultivated, a mix of wild mana and flourishing cities, where most of the inhabitants lived, scattered between vast expanses of nature.

It hung between the stars near a warm yellow sun that was similar to Aster Fall’s. 

The sun was imprinted with the memories of the Titans who’d once passed through here, although only he could sense them. Their footsteps echoed in his ears. He could hear their voices on the chaos winds, even though the winds were calmer on this side of the Great Divide.

It had been millions of years since one of his people came through here. They’d gone through the Nexus long ago to explore another galaxy, leaving behind the civilizations that they’d helped to raise. 

He would be the first to step foot on this world in ages. It made him wonder how the high council would react. He would be seen as an ancient elder returning. Whatever the result, he would deal with it. 

“Is this world you mentioned?” Altey asked from where she was standing next to him. “The one where the High Nine and the academy are?”

His sister was looking everywhere, turning from point to point as she took it all in. Her words were intense and curious. She was the most excited of them all.

“Yes, that’s Council,” he replied. “Home to the academy you’ll be attending, although they don’t know it yet.”

Council was the home for the oldest academy in the settled galaxy, the best place for his sister to learn everything she could. 

Archaios Academy.

Its name meant “ancient” in an old dialect, which was fitting. It had all the resources of a thousand races, and with his help, it would have even more. 

He’d arranged their arrival to coincide with the start of a new term, but he still had to take care of a few things before she could be admitted, like arranging housing and her official enrollment.

Normally getting a spot at the academy was difficult, but he wasn’t worried.

Everyone was speaking to each other and discussing their plans for what to do, so he gave them some time to gather themselves while he checked in with the avatar he’d sent ahead to the planet.

Then he reached over and ruffled his sister’s hair, which made her stick her tongue out at him. He just grinned back. 

Altey and their parents were standing next to him, while his younger brother Roric was held in his mother’s arms. There would be plenty of time for him to grow up.

The stone platform of the Titan Gate radiated with warmth as the arcs of the giant rune finished moving aside, revealing more of the view. Stars stretched out into the distance, letting in more light from the yellow sun and revealing distant planets surrounded by fields of multihued mana and ice. 

There were half a dozen of them in the system, each unique in its own way. This system was full of life and rare elements.

People began to spread out from the platform and look around the area with interest. There were around eighty Ice Sylphs who had followed him here, led by Siwasir and one of the captains from the Legions of Ice, and then his old allies, Krana, Lenei, Lesat, and Ayala and her father Helimar.

Almost all of them were at the middle or peak of the Third Evolution now, which was a significant level of strength even in the settled galaxy. Only planetary governors and others of similar status were at the Fourth Evolution or higher. 

This small group had more power than most worlds did, which meant they shouldn’t have any problems traveling around.

Now that they were away from Aster Fall, they could continue to level up to 400 and beyond, if that was what they wanted. Most of them had set their evolutionary paths with the help of the World Core, so it wouldn’t be difficult.

As for the ones who’d stayed back, they had that opportunity as well, now that the Moonlight Relic was stabilizing Aster Fall, but they would need to live in the deeper regions of the Abyss or on Silverguard for a while, until Asenya recovered and completed her repair to the upper layers of the World Seal. 

“Have you all made your choices?” he asked. “This world holds great potential, but there are others. I can send you to any of them, but you will not be able to return as easily.”

“This one is good,” Krana said with a grin. “It’ll be fun to explore. That’s the main reason I came along. I want to see what life is like out here, in the supposed settled half of things. So far, it doesn’t look that different.”

“The Mother is said to come here from time to time,” Siwasir said as he looked at the world, “so this is a good place to look. I would like to meet her and to speak with her about my people’s history.”

Sam nodded at him, and then at the sylphs from the Legions of Ice who stood beside him. They all had the same intention to find out more about their people’s history. Their creator, sometimes called the Goddess of Winter, was the third member of the High Nine.

The Titans counted as the first and strongest members of the council, followed in order by the Cer’Aleth, Winter, and then the rest, in order of when they joined. 

He’d met most of their races when the reinforcements came to help against the Vos’Rekan near Aster Fall, but those had been the younger members of their people, even if they were at the Fifth Evolution.

“I wish you good luck,” he said. “I’ll send you ahead to the world, but a little outside of the capital, so you can take your time to explore and adjust.”

He raised his hand and a silver portal appeared beside him. It was a dozen feet tall and wide, and it swirled with a mist of starlight inside. 

His avatar was visible on the other side, as well as a rolling plain of grass with mountains in the distance. The walls of a city were just visible on a distant plateau, but it was a long ways away. It wasn’t the capital, just one of the smaller cities.

“Perfect,” Krana said as she looked at the portal. “Let’s go see what’s around.”

“Us as well,” Lesat agreed from where he was holding onto Lenei’s hand. “I’d like to take some time to see the world before getting caught up in the capital’s waves.”

Lenei nodded in agreement, and Ayala and Helimar moved closer as well, clearly planning to do the same, while the Ice Sylphs formed up behind Siwasir, waiting in disciplined ranks for their turn.

Sam scanned all of them, double checking the protective enchantments he’d given them, and then he let them all walk past as he exchanged a few words. 

They knew how to contact him and each of them was powerful in their own right, so they should be fine. It would hopefully be a relaxing stay, far away from the strife of the Fallen Abyss and the war for Aster Fall. 

Soon, only he and his family were left on the moon, with the silver light of the Titan Gate radiating around them. He let the astral energy fade from his voice, speaking to them in a more familiar tone.

“So, where do you want to live?” he asked as a grin appeared. “I found a few options, but I thought you might like to choose for yourself. Then we can build something, whatever you would like.”

“How about a tour first?” Aemilia asked with a laugh. Moonlight from her class radiated through her aura, making the air around her shimmer with her movement. “It’s the first time we’ve been to this world after all, so it’s hard to decide.”

“Lead the way.” Jeric laughed as he wrapped his arm around his wife. “This is supposed to be a vacation, right? Let’s see what’s there.”

“I know just the place.” Sam laughed as he raised his hand. “Let me show you.”

Silver light flared in the Void and then they were gone. 

When they reappeared, the sky of Council arched above them, joined by tall and ornate buildings made of closely fitted stones with intricate engravings along the face.

They were standing on the edge of a busy city square, one filled with shops along the edges and fountains in the center. Hundreds of people were moving through the area, heading from one street to the next or entering the shops.

Whenever one of them came close, a wave of subtle air pushed them away. None of them were able to see Sam or his family. They were surrounded by a muted silver light that kept them from drawing attention.

The people walking by were a mix of humans, crystal flame elementals, elegant beings with wings, shapeshifters, nagas, and more, all dressed in a hundred different colors and surrounded by a thousand shades of mana. 

It was nearly overwhelming.

He watched his sister’s eyes widen as she took in the number of people moving everywhere, as well as the dozen or more different races that were easily spotted. She’d been to Highfold, but this city was on a different level.

“This is a market square in the Silver Halls. That’s the name of the capital where the academy is,” he explained. “It was named after the Titans, although few remember. They built it long ago.”

He waved to the walls of the city, which shimmered with a familiar silver light that came from enchantments laid into them. It was almost like starlight, which made him feel at home. 

“The council’s chambers are at the peak of the city,” he added, pointing to a higher section with a collection of elegant towers that was visible over the roofs of the shops. Then he waved to the east.

“But the academy is on the eastern side of the city, in a quarter of its own. We’ll head there in a little bit. First, why don’t I show you around?”

The next several hours were spent idly walking through the city, taking in the sights and sounds as they adjusted to the capital, but eventually, they disappeared again in a flash of silver light.

This time, they were in a more restful spot.

At their feet, a sandy beach stretched out endlessly into the distance, marked by golden sand and lavender-hued seashells. Waves from the ocean rolled toward them with a calm susurration before breaking on the sand, and long-trunked trees bent slightly in the wind, their fronds draped against a peach and rose sunrise.

As far as the eye could see, there was no one in sight.

The only building on the island was nearby, an elegant stone and wooden mansion that was so pleasantly woven into the surroundings it was almost unnoticeable at first. An understated elegance radiated from it.

He’d built it with his avatars while they were walking around the city, but it looked as if it had always been here. Meandering footpaths connected it to the beach, to the hills in the distance, and to the forests of the island, making for a pleasant experience no matter which way they walked. 

Powerful wards protected it, but they were hidden from sight, merged into the dimensional fabric of the world itself.

“This is one of the most secluded islands on the ocean here,” Sam said as he showed them around. 

“It’s not far from the mainland, just a few miles, but some of the Titans liked it and set claim to it long ago, so no one has ever settled here. It should be a good place to live. I’ll set up some teleportation gates to take you to the city and anywhere else you like.”

“Some peace of mind will be nice,” Jeric agreed as he looked around the house and the island, a grin appearing. “I like this a lot more than the city. It’ll be good to have a spot of quiet.”

“I think so too,” Aemilia agreed. “It would be nice to spend some time in the city, since we’re here to see everything, but this is a wonderful place to retreat to.”

“I’ll set up a place for you in the city too,” Sam said with a nod. “Just give me a little bit to arrange things for Altey. I need to drop by the academy and have a chat with a few people.” 

His parents were the king and queen of the Moonlight Relic at home, but here they could be just a couple on vacation who were watching over their children. 

Even so, power surrounded them, radiating in blue and grey waves from his father’s Bloodline of Frozen Earth and ethereal moonlight hues from his mother, who had her own Bloodline of the Three Moons.

Even Roric had a Bloodline of the Lunar Mountain, a merger from his parents. 

They were hidden powers here. If anyone thought to bother them, they would be walking into a land of no return, even without Sam’s assistance.

As for him, it had been a long time since an Astral Lord walked the Silver Halls. 

He would have to make the right impression. 

But how difficult could it be for an overwhelmingly powerful dimensional being to send his sister to an academy?

Plans were already running through his mind as he watched his family begin to settle in, and as Altey ran down to the beach to investigate the waves, his smile got wider. 

Even here, snowflakes formed in the air around her, created by her innate Ice magic.

And Cora, the golem he’d given her for her birthday a year or so before, flew after her in the shape of a book. 

That little golem would be his sister’s best guard while she was at the academy. It was leveling up quickly, although only Sam could see it. He’d helped it along a bit and it was just over Level 500 now. 

There shouldn’t be much on this planet that could touch it.

She’d grown up in the mountains, where ice and snow stretched for endless miles. A tropical beach was a new experience for her. She’d always wanted to go to the southern islands and had even considered an academy on one of them. 

That was why he’d chosen this spot for them.

He was looking forward to seeing what class she got.

“I’ll be back soon,” he said once everything was arranged. Then he disappeared, leaving a field of starlight behind.

Then he was standing in front of the doors to Archaios Academy. They were massive things, nearly a hundred feet tall, ornately engraved with scenes of academy life, battle, and magic. 

They were covered with Titans and dragons, as well as elementals and dangerous beasts of the Void. The combination made it look like the Titans were just as mythical as the dragons, which made him shake his head.

“Time to find a few people,” he said as he began to scan the academy, searching for the headmaster’s office.

It was going to be a surprising morning for someone.