Inertia: Beneath The Starlit Veil Chapter 8: Chapter 8

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Chapter 8 (Theron's POV) "How far is the target, Lieutenant?" I asked. "Sir, it is approximately 200 meters away." "Perfect," I said calmly. I grabbed my bow and notched my arrow. The target was running frantically through the brush, desperately trying to escape its demise. Imbuing cosmic energy into the bow, I steadily pulled the string, creating as much tension as possible. "You might want to start heading that way to pick the target up, Lieutenant," I said as the arrow released. A reverberating boom echoed as it pierced through the sky. "On it, sir." "I'll let the rest of the men know we're having bison tonight," I said, dropping the bow on the roof before proceeding toward the elevator to head back to my quarters. Once I was back in my quarters, I decided to wash up before beginning my nightly meditation. Afterward, I found myself staring at my reflection in the mirror. Seeing my own reflection was something I loathed. It reminded me of the family I despised so deeply. Every time I looked at the mirror, I saw what they saw: a failure and a weakling. I saw the disrespect I didn't deserve, the life I wanted but couldn't have. Despite my hatred for my reflection, it was what had kept me motivated all these years. It fueled my focus. Now that I was a general, I could write my own path and claim everything I desired. After drying my face and putting on my leisure clothes, I finally sat down on my large meditation pillow. Closing my eyes, I slowed my breathing. With each cycle of inhaling and exhaling, I felt my nerves calm and my mind center itself. Without this nightly practice, I was certain I would have killed a few subordinates over their idiocy. It could have been thirty minutes, maybe an hour, before my meditation was interrupted by my communicator. "Damn, I forgot to silence that thing," I muttered under my breath, instantly reaching for the device to silence its annoying ring. When I picked it up, I noticed the call was from one of our smaller divisions in the southern region of the continent. I quickly answered. "This is General Theron. Go ahead." "Hey, General. This is Captain Mica," the man said softly. "I'm calling to report that we've finally located Ezra Solaris." Hearing that name made me clench the device so hard I nearly snapped it in half. "Good job, Captain. I'll be on the first craft headed that way tonight. Where did you find him?" "We found him in the upper region of the mountains, sir. We intercepted him late at night as he was leaving the city center." "Wait. You engaged with Ezra?" "Yes, sir." "How many men did you confront him with, Captain?" "We confronted Ezra with five men and sent several others to the mountain to eliminate the kid." "You should have brought an army or waited for backup from myself or another general. You're lucky to be alive, Captain. He is three stages higher than you—a damn Astral Knight! Did you not do your research?" "Sir, we thought we could use the child as a hostage. We ambushed him because he appeared to be very low on cosmic energy." "And how did that work out for you?" "We suffered one death…" "Only one? You're lucky—very lucky—that he didn't feel the need to dispose of all of you." "You're correct, sir. We understand now. But… he wasn't the one who killed one of my men. It was the boy." "So, that young boy passed the Starbirth Trial of the Solaris Constellation?" I asked frantically. "He passed some sort of trial, but it doesn't appear to be that of the Solaris Constellation, sir." "What do you mean?" "When my men approached the child, they could tell his core was undoubtedly in the first stage of a Celestial Core. But he didn't use any abilities typical of a first-stage Solaris Starbound." "What did he use then?" "Sir, we don't know at all. The men who fought the boy described feeling immense pressure while fighting him. It became difficult to move normally." Hearing this, I paused. My mind reeled at the thought of a Starbound at the embryonic stage emitting enough cos