Astra, Vesper, and the three scions moved through the lively streets of Duskfall, the festive atmosphere around them overwhelming in its beauty and chaos. The city had come alive for the Springtime Advent Festival, a celebration marking the transition of the seasons a time when the different realms would send their exotic goods to trade, and the people would gather to enjoy the warmth and renewal of the earth.
The twilight sky above stretched in soft hues of lavender and pink. The atmosphere was thick with the sounds of laughter, music, and the occasional burst of fireworks from the horizon, illuminating the streets with brilliant flashes of color. Vendors lined the streets with colorful stalls, selling exotic trinkets, fabrics, and foods from across the realms. The air was rich with the scent of roasting meats, sweet pastries, and fragrant spices, mingling with the lighter floral notes of blooming starflowers and desert jasmine.
As they walked, the group passed by a stall piled high with dried fruits from the desert, and Samir immediately grabbed a handful of tangy golden dates, offering them to Astra with a playful grin. "You haven't truly experienced the desert until you've tasted these. Try one, Astra."
Astra raised an eyebrow, but he accepted the offering, biting into the fruit. The sweetness was sharp and contrasted with a slight bitterness, the flavors dancing on his tongue in a way he hadn't expected. "Thats really good." Astra muttered, though his lips twitched upward.
"Delicious, isn't it?" Samir asked, clearly pleased with himself.
They moved on, the sounds of a distant drumbeat growing louder as they neared an open-air square where musicians played traditional instruments from across the realms, harps, sitars, and drums echoing with rhythmic pulse. Women in vibrant silk dresses spun around, their movements as fluid as the desert wind, while the men, too, were adorned in the bright colors of their cultures. The music swirled through the air like a living thing, pulling everyone into its rhythm, and Astra couldn't help but be caught in the moment.
At another stall, they found skewers of spiced meats from the desert lamb, camel, and even strange creatures from the distant lands of Alfheim. Azraq reached out to grab a skewer of roasted meat, offering it to Astra. "Try this," he said quietly, his calm voice cutting through the bustle of the crowd. "It's from the Oasis's of Wai, where the meat is cooked over fire pits made from ancient stones."
Astra hesitated for only a moment before biting into the tender, smoky meat. His eyes widened, the rich flavors of spices and herbs flooding his senses. "Okay, I'll admit it. This is better than expected." He shot Azraq a smirk.
The group continued on, laughing and sampling more exotic treats. They stopped at a stall filled with jewel-like sweets coated in honey from the far-off lands of Snaer, and another stall offering brightly colored teas and frozen treats infused with herbs from Alfheim's sacred groves. Vesper, as usual, was in high spirits, egging Samir into a playful argument over which realm produced the finest delicacies, while Azraq quietly observed, enjoying the moments of peace amidst the chaos.
As they strolled through the bustling streets, they passed a gathering of noble girls from various houses, their delicate forms draped in silk and fine jewelry. They eyed the young men with interest, and a few of them made casual attempts to catch their attention. The young men engaging in their various manners.
Astra, watching the interactions, felt an odd sense of distance. While he too was often the subject of attention from noble girls, he could never fully lose himself in such frivolous exchanges. His mind was far too occupied with politics and scheme as well as the competition ahead, the looming expectations, and the weight of his own history. Yet, as he walked beside the others, he found a rare sense of relaxation of ease among people who understood him, even if they came from houses with reputations all their own.
But as the day wore on, Astra's attention shifted. Despite all the activity around them, something nagged at him. The more time he spent with Khalid, Azraq, and Samir, the more he realized that they weren't just powerful scions they were dangerously skilled, even if they weren't participating in the festival's competitions.
Khalid, with his calculating eyes and deadly precision, seemed to hold a quiet, dangerous power beneath his calm exterior. He never boasted, never showed off his strength, but Astra knew that House Mirage's affinity for illusions wasn't just for show. There was a sharpness to Khalid's movements that suggested years of training in the art of deception and strategy. He was a master of his craft, and Astra could feel the weight of his presence, even when he stood still.
Azraq, too, had a presence that spoke of an understated power. His control over water was something that left him speechless. The way he walked with effortless grace, his every movement measured and controlled, suggested that his strength lay not only in his ability to manipulate the elements but in his own mental discipline. His power wasn't in the flashy displays like some other scions; it was subtle, quiet, and utterly dangerous.
Then there was Samir, the trickster of the group, always laughing, always quick to make light of any situation. But Astra could see it in the way Samir shifted, in the way his eyes narrowed when a challenge was presented. House Sand's mastery over the desert dunes was more than just the ability to summon sandstorms it was a deeper, elemental connection to the land itself. Samir's agility, his speed, and the way he could make the sand move beneath his feet with a mere thought made him a formidable opponent, one who hid his true strength behind a veil of mirth.
None of them were participating in the upcoming tournament, and Astra couldn't help but compare their abilities to Vesper's. Vesper, with his easy confidence and the raw, unrefined power of his strength, was a force of nature in his own right unpredictable and wild. But these three... they were controlled, precise, and as powerful as the top tier combatants of their ranks.
It dawned on Astra, slowly, as the night grew darker and the fireworks painted the sky above them in brilliant streaks of light: these men, Khalid, Azraq, and Samir, were not so different from him. They, too, had power that ran deeper than what appeared on the surface, and in some ways, their strength rivaled Vesper's but they had chosen to walk their own paths, separate from the tournament. Each had his own reason, perhaps, but Astra couldn't help but feel a growing sense of respect for them.
As they made their way through the festival, Astra fell into step with them, allowing himself to simply enjoy the moment. The city was alive around him, filled with music, firelight, and color, and for a fleeting moment, Astra allowed himself to relax among his friends the scions of the Great Houses who were not quite his equals, but who were certainly not far behind.
The festival thrived around them, a dazzling symphony of color, sound, and scent. Fireworks bloomed like celestial flowers in the twilight sky, their radiant hues painting the streets in flickering golds, reds, and violets. Music filled the air rhythmic drumbeats and the lilting melodies of flutes mingling with the excited laughter of nobles and commoners alike. Stalls lined the streets, draped in rich silks and adorned with lanterns that shimmered like captured stardust. The scent of exotic spices, roasted meats, and sweet honeyed pastries drifted through the air, enticing Astra and his companions as they meandered through the crowd.
Khalid, ever the connoisseur of fine foods, seized a skewer of flame-grilled beast from a vendor, the meat seared with a blend of foreign spices.The others followed suit, plucking up delicacies from various realms—Shaharan honey dates, Apu's smoked fish, and Wai's crystal-clear fruit jellies that shimmered like gemstones. Astra, for once, allowed himself to indulge, relishing the brief respite from his ever-present worries.
The city was alive, a dream of light and sound.
Even more pretty noblewomen in flowing dresses of moon-silver and star-blue approached, their voices lilting with laughter as they conversed with the young men. Yet Astra had a weird feeling.
Something was... off.
A shiver danced along his spine, a subtle pressure in the air that no one else seemed to notice. The festival around him, so vibrant, so full of life began to feel distant. The laughter blurred, the music warping into a slow, droning hum. The colors dimmed, as though something unseen was leeching the vibrancy from the world. Even the fireworks seemed to fade, their sparks swallowed by an unseen abyss.
A strange thread was floating throughout the air unseen
No it was as if millions of threads were floating.
Then, he saw him.
A lone figure, draped in a cloak of shadow and dust, sat on the cold, desolate sands of the festival grounds. His posture was casual, almost indifferent, but his presence weighed upon reality itself, as if rejecting the world entirely. The robe he wore, seemingly once white and pure, was now tarnished by time and the desert's cruelty, the fabric clinging to his form like a burial shroud. And yet, none of the revelers seemed to notice him.
None but Astra.
The figure's gaze lifted, his eyes changing colors ever so slightly as if alive with mana. He studied Astra, head tilting ever so slightly, He was enjoying a meat skewer as he chugged some green liquid.
A slow, creeping smile stretched across his beautiful face.
"You... a mere Rank One?" His voice was low, rich with amusement and something deeper something ancient. "You can see me?"
The world around them froze.
Astra's breath caught in his throat. The wind ceased, the music cut to an eerie silence, and even the floating embers from the lanterns hung suspended in midair. His companions stood mid-step, their expressions frozen, caught in a moment that no longer flowed forward.
The stranger took a step closer, his presence an abyss of nothingness no mana, no life, no essence. Yet deep within that void, Astra sensed something far worse than raw power. Something limitless.
"My, oh my... how despicable." The figure chuckled, his lips curling higher as he observed Astra like a specimen in a jar. "I can see it in you... that wicked nature of yours. The corruption. Buried deep... festering"
Astra couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. The words slithered into his mind like tendrils, twisting, prodding at things he dared not acknowledge.
"Strange, I can't feel the true depth of your soul, or see the connections.....hmmm" The stranger stepped even closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "But I do sense your nature little one. Heh. Revenge? Ambition? Yes... yes. So many delicious little seeds."
Astra clenched his fists, his body trembling. "Who... what are you?"
The figure suddenly halted. His eyes narrowed, recognition flickering across his face. Then, abruptly, he threw his head back and laughed.
It was not a human sound. It was unhinged, raw, something wrong. The sky itself seemed to darken at the sound, the stars flickering like dying embers.
"Oh, heavens! I know you! That proclamation... How bold. How despicable!" His laughter continued, uncontrollable, tears nearly brimming in his eyes as he clutched his sides. "You..you are him that bastard from earlier!"
Astra had no idea what he was talking about, but the sheer delight in the being's voice unsettled him more than anything. He felt like prey being played with.
The stranger's laughter finally subsided, his gaze sharpening once more. "Alright, alright. I'm enjoying this... Here, boy. Take this."
He reached out and tapped Astra's forehead.
Pain.
Astra staggered, his vision fracturing into a kaleidoscope of horrors. Visions, of fallen angels locked in battle, of shattered thrones, of a figure that bore his face but whose eyes were not his own. Darkness swallowed him whole, devouring his mind, his soul. A insatiable feeling of curiosity assaulted his mind.
And then it was gone.
Astra gasped, stumbling backward, his hands gripping his temples. "What... what did you do to me?! Who are you?!"
The stranger grinned, teeth gleaming like ivory daggers. "Me? I am but a humble Devil. As for my name...heh you can't even hear it, not from me anyways." The devil scoffed.
Astra's stomach dropped. His thoughts raced.
A Devil! Rank six! A being equal to an angel, yet utterly profane—terrifying, unshackled, bound by no laws of gods or men. A creature of pure, unrestrained madness and power.
They were the ultimate outcasts, unholy and absolute.
They were truly free.
And for a brief, dangerous moment, Astra felt a flicker of longing.
The devil studied him for another moment, then suddenly leaned in, his colorful eyes burning through Astra's soul yet not being able to pierce the cloak of secrets that guarded it. "How interesting I still cannot pierce your soul even with my blessing" Suddenly his eyes lit up with amusements and dark excitement.
He spoke as the world became even darker and the mana became even more unstable."Ah I see...godhood."
The devil looked at Astra strangely. "You... you really are interesting aren't you? But.... oh, oh, what's this? Fascinating... You are of both Umbra and Noctis, aren't you? Ah, that would make you a prince of the defeated House of Night. " His grin stretched wider. "Say...did you know your ancestors had four angels and....two devils in their ranks once? Truly despicable."
Astra's mind reeled. That couldn't be true. No way right.. Devils?
The devil straightened his back as he looked at astra thoughtfully. A twisted smile baring his gorgeous face.
"I see. Aha I got it now! You a little seedling of Night lost in the cities of Duskfall inherited godhood shook the realms and now are being used in some ploy for house Shadow...Ahhhh but you harbor secrets little one.
He leisurely strolled around Astra as if examining some specimen "Only godhood that can block my probing this thoroughly is the rumored cloak of secrets! I see a godhood of Shadow and one that I cannot make out. Im guessing one from your ancestors of Night..how fateful.....Heheha. Not only that but I see the deep seeds of corruption, ambition and treachery deep within your fate. How vile, how odious, how fitting!" The mad Devil seemingly went on a rambling streak exposing all of Astras secrets.
Astra throat was dry, his muscles were weak and his head was light. "Am I gonna die?" The thought crossing his mind but quickly vanishing. No. Why would a devil risk backlash by killing me...Stay calm. Astra also felt the connection to the kingdom of stars remain. If he so wanted to he could potential expose this devil. Do I risk it? No..no I can't no one needs to know about me just yet.
The devil looked up as the shadows around the festival grounds became increasingly darker and suddenly alive seemingly all watching him.
"Ah, it seems my time is up. Those self-righteous bastards are starting to take notice..." He stepped back, tilting his head. "Take my Blessing of Curiosity, young pawn. It'll help you see things. Realize things."
"Till we meet again Heir of Night" The devil turned around then.
The world snapped back.
Laughter, music, fireworks. The festival had never stopped. Astra stood in place, his friends walking ahead, oblivious.
His hands trembled.
What the fuck?
The moment the world returned to normal, Astra felt it, the shift, the disturbance in reality that made his very soul tremble.
His vision blurred, colors twisting, unraveling into threads of light and shadow. The air pulsed with something unseen, a rhythm beyond mortal perception. It was mana… but wrong. Twisted. Unnatural.
Astra swayed, his breath coming in shallow gasps. His whole being felt, wrong. But at the same time… right. His body rejected the sensation, yet something deep inside welcomed it, as if a long-lost part of himself had been awakened.
Sweat beaded down his temple. His hands trembled.
"A devil... no way."
He clenched his fists, trying to steady himself, but then he saw it, a golden thread.
It hovered above, thin yet impossibly vast, stretching beyond mortal comprehension. His eyes widened as the world around him seemed to slow, and suddenly, Astra saw them.
Two figures, hidden in plain sight, looming way above him in the violet skies.
The first was unmistakable, the devil from before, his smirk twisted in amusement. His dark, swirling presence seemed to contain infinite possibilities and fates.
The second…
A tall man cloaked in shadows, ancient unfathomable shadows shrouded in a misty hue. An Angel! Astra could not make out anything even with his godhood of Umbra.
They locked eyes with Astra for a single, fleeting moment. And then...
They vanished.
Astra's heart pounded in his chest. He felt it, deep in his bones, in the very fabric of his being. They had been fighting.
An angel of shadow and an unknown devil… waging battle right above him, unseen and undetected by anyone else.
His breath hitched. His mind reeled.
"Wait… how did I even notice them?"
Astra's breath was uneven, his fingers twitching at his sides as the last remnants of the vision lingered in his mind. The golden thread, the two figures, the twisted mana his whole body still felt off, like he was standing between two realities.
"Hey, princess… you alright?"
Vesper's voice cut through the haze, laced with something Astra wasn't used to hearing from him concern.
"You're sweating your ass off, and you're paler than usual."
Astra barely registered the words, too caught up in the overwhelming wrongness pulsing in his veins. But then Vesper's expression shifted. His usual teasing demeanor faded as something in the air made him pause.
He felt it.
It was faint—so faint—but Astra saw the subtle change in Vesper's stance, the slight furrow in his brow. A tinge of something unseen, something off, brushing against his senses before vanishing like a whisper in the wind.
Vesper's dark eyes narrowed as they emitted a strange red sheen. "Hey, Astra...do you feel that.."
Astra swallowed, forcing himself to steady his breathing. He looked at Vesper, horror flickering in his gaze before he schooled his expression. "Yeah… yeah. We need to talk."
That was all it took.
Vesper's entire demeanor shifted.
The air grew heavier as the other three fell silent. Their casual, relaxed conversation died in an instant as they turned, sharp gazes locking onto Astra and Vesper.
They felt it too.
Their auras surged, not aggressively, but instinctively, like predators sensing a shift in the air. The easy-going, festive atmosphere was gone, replaced by something far more alert, far more dangerous.
A silent understanding passed between them.
"…Alright," Vesper finally said, voice quiet but firm. "Let's head back."
Astra immediately alerted the Saints Valerius and Satalus.
They bid the remaining nobles goodbye, who also seemed strangely alert from the weird shift in the atmosphere.
The walk back to the Shadow Estate was shrouded in silence. The festival's distant echoes laughter, music, the scent of spiced meats and honeyed fruit felt like another world entirely. Astra could barely focus on the lingering warmth of the night, his mind still reeling.
Vesper's friends had parted ways, their sharp eyes flickering with curiosity, but they said nothing. They weren't fools. They had noticed the sudden shift in both Astra and Vesper's demeanor, but they knew better than to pry at least, not yet.
As they entered the grand estate, Astra barely registered the lavish interior, the intricate obsidian columns, or the moonlight filtering through the high, arched windows. His breath was shallow, his heart still unsteady.
By the time they reached Vesper's quarters, Astra was finally pulled from his thoughts.
Vesper's room was massive, a testament to his status. Regal and dark, with towering bookshelves carved from deep ebony, velvet drapes as black as the void, and a central seating area lined with plush cushions and furs. An entire wall was lined with weapons, each blade gleaming in the dim candlelight, while another wall bore tapestries woven with depictions of House Shadow's greatest warriors.
But it was the shadows that truly defined the space.
They welcomed Vesper like an old friend, stretching, curling with familiarity, their forms rippling with something akin to joy. They slithered along the floor and walls like living things, responding to his mere presence.
Then Astra stepped in.
The shadows froze.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the once-playful darkness shrank back. It was subtle, but Astra noticed, the flicker of unease, the way the living darkness twitched unnaturally, as though sensing something wrong.
Then they recoiled.
The shadows shrank away from him, retreating to the corners of the room as if frightened. It was like a ripple in still water, silent, almost imperceptible, but utterly unnatural.
Astra stiffened. Offended that the shadows even dared to commit such an act.
The shadows instantly came back.
Vesper's sharp eyes flicked toward the movement. His expression didn't change, but Astra knew he had noticed.
Still, Vesper said nothing.
The room chosen was not a training hall, not a chamber of counsel, but a small, quiet prayer alcove in the east wing of of the shadow estate a place where voices did not echo and shadows stayed still.
The stone door shut behind Astra.
Outside, Vesper waited, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, face drawn tight but he did not follow.He wasn't allowed to.
Inside, Saint Valerius stood before a low altar, back turned, his cloak falling in heavy folds like layered dusk. He raised one hand slow, practiced and the air shifted. Space folded inward, sound dampened, light thickened.
A distortion barrier settled over the room like a second skin.
Astra felt it vibrate under his ribs.
Valerius did not speak right away.
When he finally turned, his eyes held no judgment only recognition.
"Prince," he said, voice quiet. "You were blessed?."
"…Yes." Astra's voice was low. "A devil, it was terrifying, he stopped time as he tried to inquire about me, he saw right through me and my goals, then he proceeded to bless with me with curiosity, even now I feel it my curiosty growing deeper and deeper."
Astra sighed. "Not only that, he rambled about my house and even detected my godhood. He was perhaps the most powerful being Ive ever encountered" he said with a shudder.
Valerius studied him not with suspicion, but with care.
"I feel it, the mark of a powerful being upon your soul," Valerius said. "Like a thread pulled taut through the soul of the realm. Subtle, but unmistakable. Devils do not touch lightly."
He stepped closer.
"Show me where."
Astra lifted a hand, fingers brushing the point just above the brow — where the presence had seated itself like a second thought always waiting.
Valerius exhaled not in fear, but in thought. I cannot see through it. It is far more powerful than a normal rank six blessing. Tell me Prince what did he bless you with?"
"Curiosity." Astra replied bluntly.
"Intriguing." Valerius replied as he tried to further inquire." A blessing not of an affinity or power but desire. Curiosity means having a strong desire to know or learn about something." Valerius sighed. "Truly a twisted blessing. It is both a boon and a curse. Its affects will be known soon enough as you gain power."
Astra's pulse tightened. "You're telling me it will grow."
"Yes," Valerius said. "As you grow."
Silence.
Then honesty, clear and sharp:
"It is power," Valerius said. "Real, significant, possibly boundless. And also a chain. That is the duality of the Profane Path. Devils do not gift — they bind. Their blessings are seeds that root into identity. What you are, and what you become, will shape how it manifests."
Astra swallowed. The room felt smaller now.
"…How did he even find me, in fact why me?"
Valerius's expression shifted not confusion, but something like understanding.
"How he found you is indeed a mystery to me. After all we don't know what methods you use to cloak yourself prince." Valerius said sharply.
"Yet you are in flux," he answered. "You are rising. Becoming. And beings like that" his gaze flicked upward, toward the ceiling, toward something unimaginably far away "take interest when the threads of fate twist strangely. Especially when a mere fledgling noticed him. Im guessing partially due to your godhoods influence."
Astra nodded, he too thought the same, he looked at Valerius as he hesitated, then spoke the memory that had burned behind his eyes since that night:
"I saw it clash with an angel. One of Shadows. Above the city. Only for a moment. Then both vanished."
Valerius's jaw tightened not in fear, but in discipline.
"That is not a matter I am permitted to know," he said. "Angels and devils do not war for territory or belief. They test outcomes. Their battles are not our wars."
Astra felt a coldness settle in his lungs.
"So what do I do?"
At last, Valerius placed a hand lightly — respectfully — on Astra's shoulder.
"What can you do? An angel may be able to rid you of it perhaps not but for right now...You do not reject it. You do not embrace it. You contain it. You learn its language before it learns yours. You act before it whispers."
His grip was steady. Grounding.
"You Astra are not a normal mortal. Not by a long shot, your potential exceeds even those who are already demigods and your foundations are inherently stable. Use it to grow, as you grow inn power you will learn that the line between the profane and sacred is so very thin."
Astra nodded slow, steady, unbroken.
"…I will."
Valerius inclined his head not as teacher, not as guardian not even as a true ally but as one acknowledging a path only few could walk.
He nodded.
The barrier dissolved.
Outside, Vesper straightened, eyes searching Astra's.
The saint opened the door and simply said "Vesperion, Enter"