Inertia: Beneath The Starlit Veil Chapter 1: Chapter 1

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Chapter 1 Cyrus Solaris Ants. The people in this city look like ants, from my mountain top view. They run around the city mindlessly, preparing for the solar eclipse festival. I wanted my old life back, the life I was supposed to live as a prince of one of the Great clans of this world. Now only three of us remain. My dad, my grandfather and me. My father doesn't want revenge. He says it's not the Solaris way. But the solaris are gone. And I am here. So i’ll become something else. Today I awaken my power. Today I begin to right their wrongs. "Cyrus, it's time.” I rise from the edge of the cliff, turning my back on the city. "Is the perimeter secure?" my father asks, shrugging off his coat, revealing his brown skin beneath a tank top. "Yes. same as always," I reply. My father exhales, "Good. It's time to begin. We only have a short window; otherwise, we'll have to wait years before we can try again. I need you to focus, Cyrus." I nod and take my seat in the camp. "I'm proud of you, son," my father says, placing one large hand gently on my shoulder. "You've developed your celestial core faster than most. Earlier than I did. But this next part of your journey… I can't help you with. It's something you must face alone.” My father meets my eyes. “Are you ready to awaken the Solaris Fate Constellation?" "I'm ready." "You may begin." As my father speaks, his dark brown eyes glow a yellow-orange hue. Energy radiates from his left, his celestial tattoo glowing as cosmic energy pours into it. He casts a barrier around me, ensuring I won't be disturbed as I begin the trial. With the barrier in place, I can feel an immense weight bearing down on me. It isn't the pressure of my father's energy—it's the burden of being the last heir of the Solaris Clan. The last to inherit the power of one of the strongest Fate Constellations. The last to uphold the clan's sacred duty to maintain the world's peace. A duty bestowed by the ancient Celestial Pantheon. I push those thoughts aside and begin my breathing exercises. Eyes closed, I slow my breath, letting it rise and fall like the tide of a distant ocean. In. Out. With each breath, my celestial core stirs. The deeper I breathe, the brighter it feels– like a star flickering to life in the dark. Soon the sensations swell, a rush of cosmic energy gathering at my center. It spreads through me in warm waves, intoxicating. Euphoric. With my core now filled, I expand my consciousness, searching for the rift where the barrier between the physical and astral realms is thin. The mountains hum with something I can't quite name. The rift feels closer here, easier to sense. Ominous… yet strangely inviting, like it's calling to me. I don't resist the pull. Following my father's teachings, I let the rift absorb me. The transition is gentle at first, but then I feel a jolt, as if an invisible force is yanking me forward. Stars and faint streams of light flash around me. I tumble out of the wormhole, spinning and disoriented. The world tilts as I struggle to steady myself. When my vision finally clears, the sight before me leaves me awestruck. I know this is a trail, and not the real astral realm, but I have never seen anything as beautiful. An endless ocean of stars and celestial bodies stretches out before me. Stars of every color, shape, and size illuminate the vast darkness. "I made it... I finally made it," I whisper. I want to savor the moment, but time is limited. My father's teachings echo in my mind. "This trial is all about resonance," I remind myself, my astral form hovering in the open expanse. "I need to find the cluster of stars emitting the same frequency as my core." Easier said than done. Millions, maybe billions, of stars surround me. Using the same technique I used to locate the astral rift, I release an impulse of cosmic energy. The pulse ripples outward, bouncing off celestial bodies. Some pulses fade, while others return to me. It was difficult to know which one to follow back. Father said onl