Inertia: Beneath The Starlit Veil Chapter 5: Chapter 5

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Chapter 5 (Cyrus's POV) Waking up in the middle of the woods is something I've grown used to over the years. My routine typically involves checking my surroundings and foraging for food, water, and anything else that might be useful at our campsite. But this morning was different. My dad had already taken care of most of those tasks. By the time I got up, he was cooking some animal he'd found in the forest over a makeshift fire he created using his powers. "Hurry up and eat—there's a lot to do today," my dad said, his tone hurried. I quickly put on my clothes and walked over to the firepit, grabbing the venison he had prepared. "Today, we're going to try and figure out what your new power is," he added. "Let me guess," I interjected. "Through sparring?" "You know me so well," my father replied with a grin. My dad thrived on consistency and hard work, so training and lectures were a daily occurrence. Truthfully, I didn't mind—I relished this time with him. Growing up, he wasn't around much due to his role as the leader of Clan Solaris. His responsibilities often took him away for long periods, managing relations between nations or quelling disputes, which weren't always peaceful. After finishing my meal, I noticed a large circle—eight to ten meters in diameter—drawn in the dirt at the center of our campsite. "Come on, step into the arena," my dad called out. "Don't be scared." "This hardly qualifies as an arena," I quipped. "It'll be whatever I say it is, you pompous brat," he retorted with mock irritation. As I stepped into the circle, his playful demeanor faded into a serious expression. "Now, before we begin, I want you to focus on infusing cosmic energy into your muscles and saturating them," he instructed. I followed his guidance, feeling the flow of energy leak explosively from my core. It didn't feel the same as before. "It feels different, doesn't it?" he asked. "Yes," I admitted. "The flow feels more aggressive than before I connected to my celestial formation." "That's because your celestial core used to act as a cap," he explained. "It was primarily a containment unit, with only a small trickle of energy—just enough to project you into the Astral Realm. But now that you've connected to your Fate Constellation, the core has become an energy source, awakening its full potential." His words made sense. When I connected to the Solaris Constellation, I'd felt a profound transformation in my body. "So, this is what allows you to display superhuman abilities?" I asked. "Correct. This is called cosmic augmentation . Over time, as your core evolves, it will become second nature—almost automatic." Acknowledging his words, I took a few steps back and assumed a fighting stance. My father mirrored my movements. "I hope you're ready," he said, his tone sharp. "This will be much different from our earlier sessions." "Bring it on, old man," I taunted. He took one step and vanished, reappearing behind me. His palm struck my back, sending me tumbling forward. "I thought you said you were ready," he teased. I scrambled to my feet, but before I could fully react, he was already in front of me, aiming a kick at my head. I instinctively raised my arms, imbuing them with cosmic energy to soften the blow. But the kick was a feint—he transitioned seamlessly into a sweep, knocking me off my feet again. "Come on, Cyrus," he chided. "Are you going to fight back, or just play punching bag?" I'd seen my father fight astral behemoths before and knew what his power was capable of, but experiencing it firsthand was entirely different. This was the first time he'd sparred with me while using cosmic energy, and I could tell he wasn't even close to using his full strength. Steeling my resolve, I forced cosmic energy into my legs and launched myself toward him. "Oh, so the little prince has some fight left in him? Good," he said, smirking. Unaccustomed to my newfound speed, I could only stop myself by throwing a roundhouse kick aimed at his abdomen. He