Dawn broke over Fernridge like a slow exhale, painting the ridge in soft pinks that clashed with the trio's lingering glow-dust itches. Hajime scratched at his neck, flakes of luminescent residue drifting off his skin. "Those fireflies left souvenirs. Feels like I've got a permanent itch."
Izumi brushed a stray vine from her sleeve, the petals Haruka had gifted still tucked behind her ear. "Better than bug bites. Look alive—the border's just beyond this crest."
Rei marched ahead, his steps crisp despite the faint flicker under his yukata collar. "Finally. No more forest detours."
They crested the ridge, and the world unfolded. Verdant Veil's wild greens gave way to a vast demarcation: a shimmering veil of energy bisecting the landscape, Eidarus' roots intertwining with celestial wards like reluctant lovers.
On the left, Fernridge's earthy outpost—wooden palisades draped in thorns, Verdant guards in leaf-woven armor standing rigid, spears tipped with blooming vines. Their Seiki hummed green and vigilant, eyes narrowed across the divide.
To the right, Aurion's Gate loomed: an arch of pearlescent gold soaring into the clouds, wings of etched seraphim spreading wide as if embracing the heavens. Celestial light cascaded from its peak—warm and unyielding as molten amber—pooling on the ground in reflective pools that mirrored the sky's perfection.
Celestine guards lined the threshold with rows of Starforged Aegis armor, gleaming flawless capes embroidered with angelic sigils. Their posture screamed elevated poise: chins high, hands resting on hilts that hadn't yet manifested.
Between the factions, a neutral strip of crystalline grass crunched underfoot, patrolled jointly but uneasily. Verdant scouts nodded curtly to Celestine's counterparts, but the air crackled with restrained Seiki—green pulses meeting radiant amber in faint sparks where auras brushed.
Hajime whistled low. "That's... intense. Thought you two were allies?"
Izumi's smile tightened. "Close, yes. But even allies flex. Celestine Order reminds us whose 'ascended'; we remind them nature doesn't bow to anyone, but God."
Rei led them down the slope, his presence cutting through the mist like a blade. Verdant guards parted with respectful bows—recognizing Izumi—but Celestine sentries straightened sharper, salutes crisp.
A captain stepped forward, armor reflecting the gate's glow, voice booming with honed authority. "Commander Kurayami. Your return honors us." His eyes flicked to Hajime and Izumi, Seiki scanning in subtle waves. "But protocol demands inspection for... your companions. Outsiders can only cross at the Council's discretion."
Rei's gaze hardened. "They're with me. Assets from the Veil front. Hajime bears Adam's Will. Izumi Rin, Eve's wielder and former lord. They pose no threat with me around, and you know this. Stand aside, now."
The captain—Captain Lior, helm tucked under one arm—hesitated, his Seiki flaring radiant amber in calm assessment. Around him, guards shifted, hands glowing as they channeled energy. Not auras now, but structured forms: Seiki compressing in palms, hardening into Lumin Blades—sleek swords of condensed dawn light, edges humming with precision in warm amber hues. Others shaped Aegis Bucklers, small round shields that hovered at forearms, ready to reflect.
It was effortless for them, this Seiki manifestation—a basic extension of their sacred energy, drilled into every recruit as the mark of angelic favor. The blades held steady, a casual display of dominance, woven into their fighting style like second nature.
Hajime's eyes widened. "Whoa—they shaped it? Like actual Seiki weapons?"
Izumi tensed, her own green light stirring. "Their 'purity' lets them forge weapons from Seiki."
Lior raised a hand, two guards advancing with blades drawn—non-lethal angles, but pointed. "You expect me to believe he has the Will of Man? It's unverified. Verdant ties or not, outsiders taint the light. We have to scan them. The council will have my head if I don't."
Rei's flames ignited along his arms, distinctive blue-white veins crawling hot, a trait the others lacked. "You're refusing a commander's orders?" He stepped forward, no weapon yet—his justice raw and personal, unbound by their rigid hymns.
Lieutenant Sena, across the line, called over, vine-spear twirling in her grip. "Easy, light-bearers! They're cleared on our side." Her voice carried sharp authority, braided hair swaying as she planted her feet firmly, thorns coiling tighter around her weapon.
But the Celestine line held firm, more blades manifesting in a ripple of radiant amber. Ten, fifteen—a wall of glowing edges, shields interlocked. The dominance was clear: angelic bearers dictating terms, even to allies, their weapons an everyday assertion of elevated bloodlines.
Hajime's gold sparked instinctively, trying to mimic—his fist hardening into a crude, sputtering axe-head of amber light. It held for a breath, then wavered. "Cool... but mine's glitchy."
Izumi's vines lashed out defensively, wrapping a guard's blade—thorns meeting radiant amber in a hiss of steam. "Back off! We're not threats."
Lior's blade pointed at Rei. "Commander, you're only tolerated for your strength. But smuggling unblessed? The Council will hear of this."
Rei snarled, Uriel's judgment flames pooling in his palm. "Hear this: They're under my protection. Anyone who wishes to die, step forward!"
The standoff froze the border—Verdant guards gripped weapons tighter, ready to intervene if Celestine pushed too far. Seiki hummed in a symphony of tension: green wildness, gold raw potential, radiant amber order clashing with Rei's shadowed blue-white variant, all pressed against the gate's radiant threshold.
A horn blared from the arch—distant, authoritative. Lior lowered his blade fractionally. "The council has allowed you to pass..."
Hajime's makeshift axe flickered out, but the spark lingered in his eyes. Izumi whispered, "That was insane."
Rei extinguished his flame, but his voice cut low, a hint of old wounds in the edge. "Welcome to The Celestine Order. The land of arrogance."
The gate's light intensified, casting long shadows behind the trio as they passed through, continuing their journey to Solarii.