Voyager Seekers

On their way back to the girls dorm room, Wyn shows Kaltain how to navigate the school web.

Ding!

A notification pops up on Wyn's screen and she pulls away to read it. “Oh my god!” She exclaims, lips parting in shock.

“What is it?” Kaltain asks dryly. She left her phone inside her backpack, which is under their shared bunk bed.

“A council member died on campus. It’s said the body was found in the river behind Lightless and is reported to have drowned because he was under the influence.“

Death is common in this era. The person delivering food to you might end up dead by midnight, or the person you’re training with can fall to unpredictable weather. The person mentoring you could pass from a disease. Maybe even the person dining with you can die just as quickly as they met you.

Kaltain's right hand covered in a red glove ran through her hair. “Well, I’m sure plenty of people wanted the old man dead. Does it say anything else?”

‘Old man? Did I tell her who it was?’ Wyn couldn’t recall. Besides, they were with each other the whole night. There is no way in the ten realms she could be involved.

“Here.” Wyn hands Kaltain her phone.

The dark purple device shimmers in her slender hold.

We regret to inform you that a curfew will be imposed. You are to be inside the dorms at 10:00 pm and no later. If you are found past curfew outside, you’ll be suspended for an entire week. Danger is clear as the sky at Lightless, but in case outside danger is genuine, we wish all students and staff to remain cautious.

“How stupid,” Kaltain mutters, returning the phone after reading the whole front page.

“What do you mean?” Wyn asks, looking puzzled and awfully worried.

“If the old man drowned while under the influence of alcohol, why does there need to be a curfew?” Kaltain stops exposing all her true thoughts. ‘The council lacks more brain damn cells than I’ve given them credit for.’

****

The image of red stained floors and countertops flash with alignment of stars. In Raiden vision’s, he deepens his perception to merge with the feeling.

His heart rate picks up rapidly, as if combusting like fireworks, along with a sensation of worms crawling painfully beneath his skin, followed by the tightening of his Animation Threads.

Earth is an endless canvas that strokes new inspirations daily. A realm of resources even the gods envied.

The world was free in a way heaven and hell wasn’t. Mankind didn’t deserve earth in their eyes.

In the olden times, humanity could only reach heaven through death. It was unknown whether this was just reality or a twisted fate forged by the gods' covet.

In the year 2020, the era before divine forces graced mankind with their untamed wrath, they were given their first blessing from the heavens.

Divine marks.

These marks appeared gradually throughout the world. They were connected to paths, like roads of highways, granting humans the chance to glimpse past fate and embrace divinity.

In those distant times, it’s rumored that more than four divine paths existed.

Humans who have successfully achieved control over these paths are called Ophanims. Transcendent beings that reached godhood.

It’s unknown to this day who blessed mankind with divine marks, as the gods claimed to not have sinned in such a way.

Only gods can see divine paths as a physical existence and beyond the layer of energy, which ties to the Will of the Heavenly Father, who created everything between life and death, owning all properties of the cosmos itself.

The star divine path held the power of astrology magic, which allows wielders to read and interpret the stars, divining future events and hidden knowledge.

Raiden used this skill to divine an hour into the future. His spirit melted into that moment, allowing him to experience every aspect of that reality first hand.

He was the best wielder of Star at Lightless. A promising Ophanim known as the Celestial Overseer and Logistic Coordinator of Voyager Seekers, which is a league containing members whose strength surpasses that of all past leagues.

Raiden quickly pulls out of divining before he gets too deep in, feeling his head throb and body ache with pain that is not his own. He rubs his temple tenderly. 

“It’s Darian. He enters the kitchen 20 minutes before midnight. He links up with Elara. They do stuff…anyways.” He clears his throat, flustered. “It’s just a regular case of Crystalline Rock. He could have been taking it and now it’s catching up to him.”

Ishaan nods slowly, leaning tentatively upon the railing in the common room. To the left of him sat Czar on a sofa, while Raiden is settled criss-crossed on the couch.

“What do you think, Czar?” Ishaan asks.

“Crystalline Rock eats away at your nerve cells first, then your blood and organs. It takes a full week to finish you, leaving a dopey to experience seven days of pain in every way. If his dose was taken a week ago, then this case is simple. A desperate, pathetic soul trying to jump at power. We needn’t get involved.”

As a researcher of Voyager Seekers, it was Czar responsibility to gather information and conduct research that would help their league. Gathering intelligence on enemies and their movements and habits was one of those.

“However, if he was poisoned with a large amount of Crystalline Rock, then he would crook the same.” His serious voice lowers in disgust. “It’s against code to kill a comrade and once you’ve been accepted at Lightless, you’re all comrades.”

A faint grim expression flashes Ishaan's face as he speaks. “I’ll assign Iskra to investigate this. If it turns out to be a more complicated matter, we’ll deal with it as we see fit. In the meantime, let’s finish this space mission and finish in time to return to compete in the rank battle.”

“Agreed. We must keep our number zero spot,” says Raiden, nodding with a soft sigh. He brings a hand to the chest and pounds twice. “For Leader.”

“For Leader,” the others echo.

****

In mentor year, students have two classes, leadership and space missions, which are expeditions in other realms, expanding earth connections beyond space and time. 

However, if a student's record has 100 wins in duels, ranks in the top 6 during a rank battle, possess perfect grades in every class since freshmen, then they can join an already formed league even if they’re not yet a mentor.